The collections reintroduce and reinterpret
the architect's mid-century Usonian designs with fine modern
furniture for home and the workplace.
GRAND
RAPIDS, Mich., Aug. 8, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Steelcase (NYSE: SCS), a global design and thought
leader in the world of work, 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.
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.
"Looking into the Foundation archive and studying certain homes
provided us with a lens to create these collections that really
move beyond the more well-known Prairie style. We're in dialogue
with Frank Lloyd Wright's whole body
of work, uncovering ideas that matter to our customers,
aesthetically and historically, and which feel even more relevant
today," said Stuart Graff, president
and CEO of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. "Together we are
honoring Frank Lloyd Wright's vision
with informed design, but we are also allowing the work to change
as part of a living legacy. This is the best of what a partnership
can do, as we continue our mission of sharing and interpreting
Frank Lloyd Wright for people
today."
Steelcase and Frank Lloyd
Wright's collaboration began 80 years ago when Steelcase
produced the original furniture for Wright's design of one of the
first open-plan office spaces – the SC Johnson Administration
Building in Racine, Wisconsin. In
early 2023, Steelcase and the Foundation unveiled the Frank Lloyd Wright Racine Collection by
Steelcase, which reintroduced the desk and chair Wright designed
for SC Johnson and launched modern versions that reinterpret the
original line of furniture for use across a wider range of spaces
and settings while capturing the spirit and groundbreaking look of
his designs.
Additionally, the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation was recently
named Fast Company's 2024 Design Company of the Year, recognizing
the Racine Collection and the new collection of textiles,
wallcovering and custom materials from Steelcase brand
Designtex®.
The Rockford and Galesburg collections follow the Frank Lloyd Wright Racine Collection by
Steelcase, which the organizations launched in early 2023. All
three collections are available for purchase in North America at
Steelcase.com/FrankLloydWright.
About Steelcase
Established in 1912, Steelcase is a global design, research and
thought leader in the world of work. We help people do their best
work by creating places that work better. Along with more than 30
creative and technology partner brands, we design and manufacture
furnishings and solutions for the many places where work happens —
including learning, health and work from home. Our solutions come
to life through our community of expert Steelcase dealers in
approximately 770 locations, as well as our online Steelcase store
and other retail partners. Founded in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Steelcase is a
publicly traded company with fiscal year 2024 revenue of
$3.2 billion. With approximately
11,300 global employees and our dealer community, we come together
for people and the planet — using our business to help the world
work better.
About the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
Established by Wright in 1940, the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation is
dedicated to preserving Taliesin and
Taliesin West, both World Heritage sites, for future
generations. It inspires people to discover and embrace an
architecture for better living through meaningful connections to
nature, the arts, and each other. The foundation aims to continue
Wright's legacy by broadening access to his ideas, works, and
designs — considered more relevant today than in his own time — and
creating new pathways for audiences to create beauty and
connectedness in their own lives.
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SOURCE Steelcase