A unique collaboration with clients resulted in showcase for Wright?s residential design When Frank Lloyd Wright asked Dr. John and Catherine ?Kay? Christian what the word ?samara? meant, the two sheepishly had to admit they were stumped. The couple had hired Wright to design a home for them in West Lafayette, Indiana, in the ?50s, a town near Purdue University where they both worked. After establishing a working relationship with the architect, they weren?t surprised by the left-field question.
?Well, you better learn,? Wright supposedly said, ?since that?s going to be the name of your home.?
Samara referred to both the winged seed found inside a pine comb, which could be found all over the lot where the Christians wanted to build their dream home. It would become not just a name, but a familiar symbol for their home, nature-inspired iconography found in the shape of a bench, the profile of a lantern, or the pattern woven into a rug.
Alexander Vertikoff
The living room at Samara, designed so the Christian?s could host massive salons.

Considering Wright?s propensity to design more for what he thought the site and the client needed, as opposed to their actual requests and needs, taking it upon himself to name a client?s home isn?t out of character. But while Samara is an exceptional example of Wright?s work in the ?50s, it?s also the result of one of his more unique client relationships, one that found the future homeowners on more of an e...