Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio

When Sara and Ian were here, we visited the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in Oak Park.  They are now allowing interior photography (for $5).  I remembered really loving the ceiling in the living room and the inglenook (fireplace nook with curtains).  It's really a fascinating place.  (And Happy Halloween!)

Memory Game, 2

Here's another fun option for a memory game. This is a Frank Lloyd Wright version from Bas Bleu.

Columbian Exposition Ticket Booth

I took this picture as we were wandering around Oak Park a week or so ago. It's a ticket booth from the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, also known as the Chicago World's Fair. After the fair it was moved to one of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed homes in Oak Park to be used as a playhouse. How fun!

Thursday Text: Frank Lloyd Wright

Since we spent some time in Oak Park while Sara was here I thought I should share a quote by the legendary Frank Lloyd Wright:

The longer I live the more beautiful life becomes. If you foolishly ignore beauty, you will soon find yourself without it. Your life will be impoverished. But if you invest in beauty, it will remain with you all the days of your life.

Wright Plus

When we were married in May of 2004, we honeymooned in Chicago. That seems strange now that we live an hour away, but at that time we were living in Utah - 1400 miles away. As part of our trip, we went on the Wright Plus housewalk in Oak Park. It was fascinating. You get to tour the inside of some of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed (and other) homes in the area. As you may remember, the Frank Thomas house is my favorite. It has not been open to the public in over 20 years. When I saw the ad for this year's housewalk, I thought I recognized the skylights in the entry of the photo... The Thomas house is going to be on the tour this year!! (I may have to save my money!)

Friday Featured Art: Apostles of Beauty

While we were in Chicago on Saturday, we attended the newly-opened exhibit, Apostles of Beauty, at the Art Institute of Chicago. It was fabulous. They William Morris textiles (like Cray, below) and books and sketches by Edward Burne-Jones and a piece by Dante Gabriel Rosetti. There was also some excellent Gustav Stickley furniture (chair below). I was interested in the way that they tied in photography - like the works of Alfred Stieglitz (who I really like). We also learned about Hull House here in Chicago, and the exhibit ended with Frank Lloyd Wright (window below) and the Prairie School. A really great exhibit.

Frank Lloyd Wright Playroom

When Tony and I got married, we went to Chicago on our honeymoon. It was in May, and we were able to go to the Wright Plus housewalk in Oak Park. In addition to touring Frank Lloyd Wright's home and studio, participants get to tour the interiors of some of the homes in the neighborhood. It was fascinating. I especially loved the playroom in FLW's home. The piano is built into the wall, and my favorite sculpture (Winged Victory) can be seen in replica above.

Frank Thomas House

The Frank Thomas house in Oak Park, Illinois, is our favorite Frank Lloyd Wright-designed residence. It was built in 1901 and was the beginning of Wright's 'prairie style.' On our honeymoon to Chicago in May of 2004, we participated in the annual Wright Plus housewalk in Oak Park. We were able to see many fascinating homes and hope that the Frank Thomas house will be on the tour in the future.