Frank Lloyd Wright Archives

Get your parents’ dated mid-century house ready to sell

28 min readAs you get ready to sell your parents’ mid-century home, you may feel pressure to “modernize” before listing. But don’t!

What should you do to get ready to sell a house built in the mid-century era – a house built back in the 1950’s or 60’s?

Should you rip out a tired kitchen? Quickly tear off that old, beat up siding and replace it with some easy care vinyl?

No, please don’t.

One of the saddest things that can happen to a mid-century house is that the current owners jump into a bunch of unnecessary repair work right before they sell it in the misguided idea that that’s what future owners will want.

Don’t make un-necessary changes

Instead, let me make your life easier. Do less. Because there is someone out there searching for your parents’ time capsule house.

Here’s a checklist of how to get the house ready to catch that person’s attention…and then move on with your life.

How do I mix the Wright style into my ranch remodel? (Part 2)

23 min readWant to mix Wright’s style into your mid mod remodel? Focus on simple, natural materials and (of course!) the color red.

Lots of mid mod lovers are also big Frank Lloyd Wright fans. And why wouldn’t you be? In the last podcast episode we explored how Wright’s Prairie School and later Usonian homes are cool aunts and uncles to modest mid-century ranch houses.

As you plan your ranch remodel, you can absolutely dip into Wright design ideas. Your house is actually already full of them!

Can I mix Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie style into my ranch? (Part 1)

When you love your mid mod house … but also like Frank Lloyd Wright for his Prairie and Usonian design … how do you choose? The great news is that you don’t have to!

Because here’s the thing: Wright’s Prairie School and later Usonian homes are cool aunts and uncles to modest mid-century ranch houses. You can absolutely dip into Wright design ideas when you plan an upgrade for your mid-century modest home!

A Short History of Mid-Century Ranches in the Midwest

13 min readWe can all use a reminder that history comes with context — what was important and why –before we make informed choices about what we change, and what we shouldn’t.

This week, I’m digging into the history of mid-century ranches in the midwest. After all, it helps to know where we’re coming from before we plan where to go next.

What Every Ranch Owner Needs to Know about the History of the Midwestern Ranch

6 min readThe Midwestern Ranch arrived in the middle from both East and West Coast influences. Plus there was a local influence (pssst – it was Frank Lloyd Wright).

The Midwestern Ranch has many influences. If you’ve been following me for any amount of time, you know how much I love a ranch. Today I’m digging into what I see as the major inspirations of my local variety.

The Midwestern Ranch arrived here from both the East and West Coasts, where the two movements met and melded.

Exploring Mid-Century Color: Cherokee Red

6 min readLong before the millennial Mid Mod craze for grey painted houses with color pop doors, the color people chose to say “I’m in with Mid-Century architecture In-Crowd” was a particular shade of dark brick red.

Searching for a bold Mid-century Color? Cherokee Red (with a few variations) was the signature color of the early mid century period.

Cherokee Red defied the soft-spoken powder blue and baby pink color schemes of milder and more traditional post-war homes. It made its mark before the 60’s Mod drive toward bright orange flowers and avocado appliances. Cherokee Red was the color of choice especially among the mid-century architects who trained with Frank Lloyd Wright at his Taliesin schools. Continue reading “Exploring Mid-Century Color: Cherokee Red”

Featured Ranch: the Jacobs House

3 min readMost experts acknowledge some Wright influence on the development of the ranch. I see some very direct lines from his Usonian experiments and later midcentury mass housing styles.

This, and the other Usonian houses designed by Frank Lloyd Wright are more like older cousins of the ranch – not in the direct line but still strongly connected from both a design and lifestyle philosophy point of view.

Wright started to design Usonian or USA-onian houses during the depression when he was short of clients and those he did have were equally short of funds. They were more than cheap knockoffs, however. Wright designed the Usonian Houses to be a “building system, adaptable to each client with whatever modifications he might need regarding space and site conditions. Continue reading “Featured Ranch: the Jacobs House”