Steelcase and the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation have launched the Frank Lloyd Wright Rockford and Galesburg Collections by Steelcase. The collections, an expansion of the organizations' collaboration, reintroduce Frank Lloyd Wright's iconic pieces and reinterpret his midcentury, Usonian style designs into fine modern furniture for the home and workplace.
Frank Lloyd Wright Rockford Collection by Steelcase.
The furnishings in the Rockford and Galesburg collections reflect Wright's "organic architecture" philosophy of working with readily available materials like wood, glass, concrete and plywood to make his designs more easily available to the public, while simultaneously tailoring his designs to meet the human needs of his individual clients.
"We were struck by the humanism, materiality and novel construction of Wright's designs from this time – they are so honest and simple, while still demanding incredibly sophisticated feats of structure and geometry," said Meghan Dean, general manager of ancillary merchandising and partnerships at Steelcase. "We're proud to bring Wright's philosophy forward with our newest collections of Usonian-inspired furniture for the home and workplace, advancing his vision to make great design available to everyone."
The Rockford Collection, inspired by the Laurent house, the 1952 home Wright designed for veteran Kenneth Laurent and his wife Phyllis in Rockford, Illinois, includes the reintroduction of a rail-backed lounge chair and a grouping of reinterpreted companion pieces including polygonal plywood tables and movable seating. Each element can be accessed from any angle – intentionally tailored to meet Kenneth's needs as a wheelchair user, allowing him the freedom to comfortably move around his home. Wright's human-first approach focused on designing for people with different needs, considering accessibility far ahead of his time.
The Galesburg Collection is reimagined and inspired by built-in banquettes from various Usonian homes in Wright-designed Parkwyn Village and The Acres communities around Galesburg, Michigan. The collection features Wright's three-dimensional shapes that turn corners and applies his linear detailing to achieve Wright's vision of a luxuriously tailored feel. Steelcase designers used Wright's earlier drawings of a tuxedo-style sofa, created for one of the first designer furniture collections available to the general public, reflecting Wright's efforts to expand beyond the custom furnishings that he made for individual homes. The Galesburg collection, with a sofa, sectional and lounge chair, brings forward Wright's intention to help more people use his furniture to create their own inspiring environment.