(Source: http://www.frontdoor.com/home-styles/prairie-architecture)
This month we talk about Prairie Home Styles. Frank Lloyd Wright was vastly credited for this style,emphasizing the flow of space throughout the house from the inside to outside. “Because the style started in the Midwest, the majority of prairie homes are located there, especially in Illinois and Wisconsin.”
Are you interested in a home influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright or the Prairie Home Style? Below are some key elements you’ll want to watch for:
- Horizontal lines. Wright was strongly influenced by linear Japanese prints, so everything about a prairie home — trim, bricks, cedar siding — is horizontally oriented.
- Built-in furniture. Wright rejected the Victorian notion of decorating with unrelated art. Prairie homes have mostly built-in furniture and precise decoration.
- Simple materials. Prairie style explores the nature of materials and uses natural stains to let the character of wood show through.
- Cantilevered, flat roofs. The long, horizontal roofs on prairie houses had a large, straight overhang, sometimes up to four feet.
- Open, flowing spaces. Since Wright saw a home as a public space for entertaining, prairie homes were typically centered on the living and dining rooms.
- Rows of windows. The style often features several windows in a row, placed together for the appearance of a glass wall.
- Organic patterns. Prairie windows often had window mullions, or dividers, with geometric patterns based on plants like wheat.