MILWAUKEE-BASED ART + INTERIOR DESIGN
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Home and Studio in Oak Park, Illinois served as both a residence and workspace for the architect. Stained glass windows and skylights cast entire rooms in mossy green and amber light.
Photos by James Caulfield / Frank Lloyd Wright Trust
Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic Fallingwater in Mill Run, Pennsylvania was designed to connect uniquely with its carefully selected site. Fieldstone walls and polished rock floors can be seen throughout both the interior and exterior, while the colors chosen for interior upholstery and decor reflect the green, blue, red, and gold of the surrounding water and foliage.
Le Corbusier’s cabin in the French Riviera is one of the architect’s smallest structures built. While the footprint is small, the interior still contains the architects signature intersecting planes of color. The minimal interior geometry and finishes contrast sharply with the traditional rough-hewn log cabin siding on the outside.
Studio Aalto was designed to be not only a workspace, but also a residence. Situated in Helsinki, Finland, the space has ample daylight and views to the outdoors, two criteria proven to have a positive impact on worker productivity, job satisfaction, and general well-being. Much of the furniture was also designed by the architect.
Maison Louis Carré, designed by Finnish modernists Alvar and Elissa Aalto combines warm architectural wood tones with cool blue upholstery on the furniture. The panoramic windows and indoor plants connect the space to the lush green forest outdoors.
With panoramic windows and roughly hewn fieldstone walls, the interiors of Marcel Breuer’s rustic-modern Hooper House connect seamlessly with the natural environment. Built in Baltimore in 1959, the wall mounted desk and tubular steel chairs were also designed by the architect. The color palette reflects the blues, greens, grays, and browns of the natural world.
Adolf Loos was a pioneer of modernism. The minimal geometric architecture of Villa Müller is made apparent through the use of more traditionally decorative furniture. Throughout the living spaces, a complimentary red/green color palette is effectively pulled off through using more muted tones and introducing soft yellow, orange, and gold accents.
