Frank Lloyd Wright in South Carolina

Many of you probably have the biennial opening of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Auldbrass on your calendar for November 7 and 8th from 10 am until 4 pm. This rare opportunity is sponsored by The Beaufort County Open Land Trust www.openlandtrust.com . If you haven’t visited the only plantation that Wright designed, call for your tickets today, 843.521.2175. You don’t want to miss seeing Auldbrass.

While attending the South Atlantic Regional Convention of the American Institute of Architects last month in Greenville, I had the delightful pleasure of visiting the only other project designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in South Carolina. We were entertained by the original contractor and viewed the complete set of working drawings for the house and furniture, all six pages of them!

The 1727 square foot, three bedroom, two and one half bath, Broad Margin was designed by Wright in 1951 for sisters, the Misses Gabrielle and Charlcey Austin. Wright named the house Broad Margins after the passage, “I love a broad margin to my life.” from Henry David Thoreau’s Walden. In 1978, the house was listed on the National Registered of Historic Places.

Broad Margin is an Usonian House, a term coined by Wright to describe his small affordable houses that were typically single story, built on a concrete slab of native materials with large overhangs. He was particularly sensitive to building the house to fit into the landscape.

The siting of the Broad Margin is quintessential Wright. The downtown Greenville site is heavily wooded and bordered by two creeks; you feel like you are miles from civilization. The approach to the house is from above and your first view is of the large low sloped roof. The modest entrance is through the carport into a narrow hall that functions as a spine to the building. All the rooms open out to the view and a series of decks that step down the hillside.

The house is constructed of stone, poured in place concrete, Lowcountry cypress and glass. The great room has a magnificent sunken stone fireplace as the focal point. The kitchen is the only room without a view but it has an eighteen foot ceiling culminating in a skylight. The floor is Wright’s signature red poured in place concrete with radiant heating.

The current owner has lovingly restored the house and had the dining room table rebuilt to Wright’s specifications, a previous owner sold the dining room furniture. Most of the other original furniture designed by Wright is still in place.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Broad Margin House Greenville, SC

This house was designed in 1951 and completed in 1954. It was built for two sisters who happen to be my friend Michael Watson's second cousins. Michael told me when he visited as a child the 1700 s.f. house seemed huge; it was a different story when he visited again as an adult.

The man in the photograph below was the original contractor for the house. We also were able to view the original drawings for the project....there were only 8 sheets and that included all the furniture drawings. The original dining table and chairs were sold by a pervious owner. These were made from the original drawings by Michael McDunn of Greenville. The contractor said that these were nicer than the original ones.

Some Favorite Light Fixtures

Eureka Lighting's Mini Silena Double is a good light for a bathroom vanity. http://tinyurl.com/yelagp9












The "Artichoke" fixture by Louis Poulsen Lighting is celebrating 50th years. http://tinyurl.com/ycgla3y













The candle fixture by Kevin Reilly for Holly Hunt has been copied by many other companies but none of them are as good as the original.


http://tinyurl.com/y8ckt3n

This decorative pendant "Frisbi" is by Flos http://tinyurl.com/yd4wbap

Residential Lighting

Residential lighting is best when a variety of light sources provide the necessary illumination for daily activities, the occupant’s ages and physical limitations. There are five types of lighting that when layered provide usable light for day to day activities; all spaces may not need all types of lights.

Task Lighting is the lighting that illuminates the area where you are working or reading. These fixtures include under cabinet lights and reading lights. Ambient Lighting is the gentle overall lighting for the room. This light fills the room with a warm glow from an indirect light source that is bounced off the ceiling. Cove lighting, pendant hung indirect fixtures, and opaque wall sconces are some of the ambient light fixtures. Accent Lighting is the dramatic light. These lights highlight works of art, give depth to a room, and wash over interesting textures in your home. Recessed adjustable ceiling fixtures, track lighting and uplights are used for accent lighting. Decorative Lighting is eye candy. Its main purpose is to look pretty. Chandeliers and some wall sconces are for decoration. These fixtures should not be too bright or they will overpower other design elements of the space. Natural Daylight provided through carefully designed windows and skylights gives great light during the day and can reduce the need for electrical lighting.

I incorporate the following three lighting scenarios in almost all of my projects. In bathrooms never locate a wall mounted fixture over the mirror; it will cast harsh shadows and prematurely age you. Instead use two wall sconces mounted on either side of the mirror. The fixtures should be at eye level, which is generally 5’-6” above the finished floor. Tall narrow fixtures accommodate most family members.

The traditional design for bedside reading lights is a wall mounted swing arm fixture which has to be mounted carefully to be at the right height for actual reading. A better solution is two recessed adjustable low voltage halogen ceiling fixtures located over the bed. The lamps should have a tight beam spread, such as a MR-16 ESW. The fixture on the right should be aimed to the left side of the bed and vice versa to prevent your head from casting a shadow on your book. The switches should be located accordingly. The fixtures should be located 18” to 24” from the wall and 2’ from the center of the bed.

Chandeliers over dining tables are decorative and do not provide the accent lighting necessary to show off the sparkle of your crystal and silver. The same recessed ceiling fixtures that were used as reading lights in the bedroom can be located over your dining table as accent lights; the bulb should have a wider beam spread. They should be located on the long axis of the table 3’-6” from the middle of the table. Almost all fixtures throughout your house should be on a dimmer to control the amount of light and extend the life of the lamp.