In Pictures: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Mathematical Textiles
An exhibition at the Met, New York, displays the renowned architect’s designs for interiors
An exhibition at the Met, New York, displays the renowned architect’s designs for interiors
Can architects design wallpaper as arresting as their building facades? In 1955, celebrated architect Frank Lloyd Wright, whose buildings received UNESCO protected status last month, launched a range of affordable home products for the general public which included a line of fabrics, wallpapers, furniture and paint. An exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York showcases these creations.
Simple, yet mathematically detailed, the designs for the fabrics and wallpapers were based on Wright’s architectural vocabulary and collated in a sample book titled Schumacher’s Taliesin Line of Decorative Fabrics and Wallpapers Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright (1955).
The limited-edition book, of which only 100 copies were printed, is on display in the exhibition and includes samples of 9 printed and woven designs as well as wallpaper swatches. The show also includes limited edition wooden vases designed by Wright that never reached the market.
According to the Met, while the furniture and paints were not strong sellers, ‘the vibrant textiles and wallpapers were successful, and designs from the original line remained in production for more than a decade.’
From fiery orange textured damask to soft green geometric printed linen, visitors to the exhibition are invited to take a brief look at what happened when a man, famous for designing grand structures, turned his hand to the world of interiors.
