The urban Usonian??????

[KevinW]

yeah....right....
http://www.dwell.com/articles/Urban-Usonian.html

[SDR]

Another entry in the Gratuitous FLLW Reference catalog. Somewhere someone is adding up the list, and there's going to be a Day of Reckoning for a lot of second-rate realtors and third-string journalists . . . !


S D R

[Roderick Grant]

Neither client, architect nor journalist recognize that this is not a FLW Usonian, but an IKEA display.

[lang]

Hmm... Im a newbie, but I really haven't seen white drywall in anything called Usonian. I guess anything with an open floorplan is "Wright inspired". :/ What's next, a Usonian single wide trailer?

[SDR]

Right you are. Mr Wright designed the Usonian to be made without plasterwork -- or its latter-day substitutes. No paint, either . . .

S

[modjohn]

I was thinking about SDR's statement: Mr Wright designed the Usonian to be made without plasterwork. Wright only used plaster/paint in a few Usonians, Schaberg being the only one I can recall at the moment.

But, if someone wanted to build a Usonian style home today, it would seem impractically expensive not to use wallboard for the majority of the interior finish. Of course, white paint could never be considered as an option!

You would still want to utilize wood and masonry where possible, but in order to keep building costs somewhat reasonable, I feel you would have to utilize wallboard.

So, looking for some opinions on this. Is there any middle ground or would it be considered sacrilege?

[Jeff Myers]

Speaking of Urban Usonian got me thinking of my latest design.

My design is located on a lake, but easily can adapt to a small lot. I keep seeing things called Usonian but they don't look to what Wright would have used in his designs.
I am still a student but am gaining more knowledge on Architecture.
To me it looks more International Style/ Contemporary Ranch... most people get International style and Usonian as one thing when it is not. Just because of the red floor, the small footprint, white walls and, from what the photos show, rectangular, does not make it Usonian.

[SDR]

. . . and especially not white walls, I guess we're saying . . .


There are two different questions:

1) WWWD (What would Wright do) ?

2) What would I want in my house ?


S D R

[Roderick Grant]

I don't know that WWWD would be an appropriate question. "Most can plant the flower now / For all have got the seed." Whatever sort of domicile one wants for oneself, it should be original expression, not a guess at what a man dead for 51 years would have done. Wasn't that his point all along?

[Laurie Virr]

As is so often the case with these topics, Roderick Grant has made the most significant contribution in this instance.

[Jeff Myers]

Taking from what Roderick said "That, as we have the seed it can turn into what you want, not what is in style currently, but your own, your home, your freedom in which you express as YOU that Seed is what you are and what you set on the land the Nature of that seed will grow into a home that is not of ones own design but yours. Frank Lloyd Wright planted many seeds that grew into homes. His apprentices took the same seed and planted their own style but taking from the main root but turning it into their own. Even though the root of so many has been gone for 51 years the teaching of and studies of that root are still with us. Nature gives up a tree but a Tree is born again from that main tree, then that tree will do the same. We are many seeds but we make it our own but we keep what the main root taught us years ago."

[SDR]

As is so often the case with these topics, Jeff Myers has made the most significant contribution in this instance ?


Wright Chat is so fun !


S

[Jeff Myers]

Simply credit Roderick I just built on top of what he said...

[SDR]

Is that what that was ?


Anyway, let's welcome back Laurie Virr. . . !


Stephen

[KevinW]

no props for the person who started this thread???..just kidding...