Since the 19th century the 20th century was dawning, a bunch of architects and designers at the Upper Midwest banded together to form the Prairie School. An entirely new approach to national design, the Prairie School featured a new language. Rooms made from four walls and smaller holes for windows have been replaced with cantilevered roofs, floating planes, bands of windows and spacious corners to create spaces that would be all spacious and light and bright.
The Most Well-known of the Prairie School architects, Frank Lloyd Wright, made of such iconic houses as Robie, Willits, Coonley, Martin and more, Wright’s designs served as the bases for its International Style and now’s modernism. A line is easily drawn from Wright into Mies to the top of the modern aesthetic.
So in celebration of the Prairie School and also the upcoming Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy conference, it’s completely appropriate that we take a look at this enduring style and find out how it continues to influence national design in our own time.
More: Visit Fallingwater, a Frank Lloyd Wright Masterpiece
AIA, bud Dietrich
The Huertley House of 1902 made by Frank Lloyd Wright signifies a historical Prairie style home. The hip roof with deep overhangs, emphasis on flat lines, ribbon windows and central chimney mass are features of the design.
A large, central chimney mass dominates the inside space of the early Prairie style homes. A literal translation of the hearth as the core of the home.
The open floor plan is evident here. No longer are the living room (or living ) and dining room separated. The distance flows from a single”room” into another because the ceiling delineates areas.
Eifler & Associates Architects
Simple yet richly stained wood, preferably quarter-sawn walnut, and earth tones are hallmarks of a Prairie-style interior.
SDG Architecture, Inc..
This fresh Prairie style home in California features hip roofs, casement windows tight into the bottom of the roof overhang and trim to emphasize the flat. The angled, battered walls tie this home into the landscape in true Prairie fashion.
Webber + Studio, Architects
Here’s a Texas variation in the Prairie style. The trademark hip roof with deep overhangs is a constant no matter the location of the design.
Highland Group
The layering one on top of another in this home is a distinct variation in the Prairie style.
Studio 1 Architects
In the modern updated Prairie style, the entries frequently soar outside to greet visitors.
RTA Studio Residential Architects
A brand new Prairie design kitchen with lovely woodwork.
Bud Dietrich, AIA
Art glass windows, a trademark quality of the Prairie School, filter and change light while eliminating the need for curtains and drapes.
Ehrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney Architects
With its wide overhang and corner window, this contemporary design owes much to the Prairie style.
Ehrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney Architects
The inside of the home also reveals Wright-inspired touches such as the built-in seating next to the hearth and the corner window.
Mark Brand Architecture
Deep overhang, large window areas, cantilever, etc., are in true Prairie School form updated for the 21st century.
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