June 8, 2017, marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of the greatest American architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. And while 150 seems like a number that’s pretty far off into the distant past, after chatting with Foundation President Stuart Graff, we were struck by how forward-thinking Wright was, and how his five key principles of design are still relevant today. Not only did he design buildings to respect (and often improve) the natural environment, but he emphasized a sense of shelter. While he was thoughtful in use of natural materials, he also fully embraced technology. He had an overarching belief that architecture, which encompassed both interior and products, should be a complete work of art and that all elements should contribute to the whole. In honor of 150th birthday, we asked some architects and designers how Frank Lloyd Wright?s design philosophies shaped their work.
Potter, designer and author Jonathan Adler told us about how he loved that Frank Lloyd Wright broke the rules, and created his own rulebook, one that certainly paved the way for outside-the-box thinkers and creators like Adler:
?I hadn?t considered Frank Lloyd Wright?s philosophical approach to design but what I love is the visual vocabulary and his innovations. There are so many signature visual tricks that have influenced me ? how he cantilevered everything, his horizontal gestures, his idea of buildings as sculptural objects. Whenever I can, I think, ‘Why not cantilever something&qu...