Beachy House Settees for sale

Paul Ringstrom · Post by **Paul Ringstrom** » Tue May 13, 2014 12:12 pm

http://www.ourmidland.com/prweb/custom- ... d27d6.html

I don't recall ever seeing these in the Beachy House when it has been open numerous times for WrightPlus.

jmcnally · Post by **jmcnally** » Tue May 13, 2014 12:36 pm

Am I reading too much into the description, or are they coyly avoiding any identification of the designer? They say he designed the house, and that these were in the house, and that these were designed for the house, but they never say whether Wright designed them.

I have to think, at $4000 each, that they were designed by someone else. Let's hope a buyer doesn't make assumptions.

Roderick Grant · Post by **Roderick Grant** » Tue May 13, 2014 12:45 pm

FLW had nothing to do with the couches, which were designed and built in, I believe, the 1980s. I always thought they seemed overscaled, even for the sizable living room of Beachy. They are reminiscent of the huge couches at Hollyhock, but whereas the Barnsdall couches/torchiers/tables/lamps were integral elements of the living room design, the Beachy pieces were just two huge seats in front of the fireplace.

SDR · Post by **SDR** » Tue May 13, 2014 3:30 pm

As the house is set for an upcoming house tour, perhaps the owners picked a good time to offload these non-Wright furnishings ? I can't imagine why they would not want to have them in the home for that event, otherwise . . .

Or perhaps they are just too big -- impediments to traffic flow, for the expected crowd ?

SDR

Oak Park Jogger · Post by **Oak Park Jogger** » Fri May 16, 2014 4:26 pm

The homeowners have new furniture in the living room, much lighter in scale, that was inspired by a photo of the living room from back when the Beachy family lived in the house. I saw it during docent training for tomorrow's house walk. Beautiful wood!!!!

Oak Park Jogger · Post by **Oak Park Jogger** » Mon May 19, 2014 8:39 pm

The chairs are very much like the chairs in the Heurtley house up the street. They have kind of a "J" curved arm and the back is solid rather than made of slats like the Heurtley chairs. They look ilke the chair that you can see part of in one of the pictures from the Beachy house when the original owners lived there. Wonderful chairs, and another example of the great commitment these owners have made to this home.

SDR · Post by **SDR** » Mon May 19, 2014 9:31 pm

Heurtley chair:

from Frank Lloyd Wright: Preserving an architectural heritage, Â© 1989 by David A Hanks

Beachy has always reminded me of a Griffin design, with its extra-heavy roof fascia and lovably clunky forms. . .

SDR

PrairieMod · Post by **PrairieMod** » Tue May 20, 2014 1:30 pm

SDR--This was the Heurtley Chair in the Beachy House:

http://st.houzz.com/simgs/d6e191eb019f0 ... -decor.jpg

Oak Park Jogger · Post by **Oak Park Jogger** » Tue May 20, 2014 2:33 pm

Correct--but with a solid back.

SDR · Post by **SDR** » Tue May 20, 2014 3:17 pm

PrairieMod -- is that believed to be a Wright design, do you know ? It is extremely unusual to see him using curves in this way, at that date. The flared feet are also unique, though other makers were using them in the Arts and Crafts period.

I haven't found an early photo of the Beachy interior . . .

SDR

PrairieMod · Post by **PrairieMod** » Tue May 20, 2014 4:59 pm

Yes--a Wright design that was executed. See period photo with that chair pictured in foreground:

http://www.heurtley.com/house/image/library-se.jpg

SDR · Post by **SDR** » Tue May 20, 2014 5:32 pm

I would want to see a Wright drawing of that chair. Note that, in the photo, both "Heurtley" chairs are visible -- and the two designs vary considerably. George Niedecken designed furniture for some Wright houses, though most of these post-date the Beachy commission. Niedecken-Walbridge Co was incorporated in 1907, the year after Beachy was built.

SDR