Kenneth Laurent House by Frank Lloyd Wright

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Kenneth Laurent House

(Image credit: press)

Kenneth Laurent House, built by architect Frank Lloyd-Wright in 1952, in the leafy suburb of Rockford, Illinois, will go under the hammer on 15 December with Chicago auction house, Wright

The bucolic greenery into the interior spaces

(Image credit: press)

The rear of the property features a gentle crescent swoop that curves around, and draws the bucolic greenery into the interior spaces

A tile on the wall

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A tile on the wall of the three-bedroom, single-storey house - constructed from Chicago Common Brick and timber - bears Frank Lloyd Wright's signature

The home and original furnishings - including barrel chairs, hassocks, wrought iron fireplace grills, decorative screens and wall lights

(Image credit: press)

The home and original furnishings - including barrel chairs, hassocks, wrought iron fireplace grills, decorative screens and wall lights - are estimated at $500,000 and $700,000. All have been kept in mint condition by owners Kenneth and Phyllis Laurent

Kenneth Laurent House

(Image credit: press)

Wright was so fond of the house that its design and innovative features - including floors heated by hidden water-pipes - eventually became the core DNA for his future work. The property was also the only residence Wright designed that was accessible for the handicapped, featuring wide hallways, level thresholds at all entry points, and commanding rooms with low set windows

A detail of a folding screen

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A detail of a folding screen designed by Ling Po, of Taliesin Architects. The screen illustrates a stylized view of the floor plan of the Kenneth Laurent House

Brickwork and original custom-made furnishings

(Image credit: press)

The building comprises warm, light-washed rooms, with exposed brickwork and original custom-made furnishings designed by Wright

The vanity in the master bedroom

(Image credit: press)

The vanity in the master bedroom

The house bedroom

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The house is being sold by Wright as part of its biannual Important Design auction

Ellie Stathaki

Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).

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