TRAVEL INSPIRATION: FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT’S TALIESIN WEST

I am obsessed with design and with history.  On a recent vacation to Arizona I could not pass up the opportunity to visit Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West.

From the Taliesin website: “Wright’s beloved winter home and desert laboratory was established in 1937 and diligently handcrafted over many years into a world unto itself. Deeply connected to the desert from which it was forged, Taliesin West possesses an almost prehistoric grandeur. It was built and maintained almost entirely by Wright and his apprentices, making it among the most personal of the architect’s creations.”

As I was wandering, here these are some of the elements that caught my eye.

KATHY’S TALIESIN FAVORITES:

Frank Lloyd Wright wanted guests to pause when entering a room or an area. The water feature at the entry gate provides the first pause when you arrive.

He also had a sense of humor–did you spy the hammer?

I just loved all of the odd-shaped doors and how they provided a tiny preview of what to expect in the room.  We always seem to settle for the ordinary when choosing doors.  Maybe it is time to give that more thought.

This is a doorway at the Greene St. Kitchen in Las Vegas. Same idea but curvilinear instead of angular.

I love the mix of materials and the random metal structure lining this walkway.

My final note is recognizing Frank Lloyd Wright’s respect for designing a structure to work with the landscape. This home is just beautiful in Arizona, but would be out of place in other parts of the country.