I Staged a Frank Lloyd Wright House!

After seven years of home staging, I was given the honor and privilege of staging a Frank Lloyd Wright house in Orinda, California.  The gentleman that called me said that I had staged a condo for him in 2007, it looked beautiful and it sold in one day.  He said he never forgot me, although we have never met.

There's plenty to read and see about the house on my facebook URL (below), however, between us stagers, I'll tell you the scoop.

I can honestly tell you that although the house will be marketed in the $5,000,000 range, the staging was very straightforward and simple.  I knew my career as a designer was riding on this opportunity, however, my vision for the rooms was clear.  I did 20 hours of research which included Frank Lloyd Wright's numerous designs across the country, his homes that are currently for sale, and specifically the property in Orinda.  The Orinda property is unique from most of Frank's designs, in that, the 3.5 acres and the home work in perfect harmony, therefore rendering a serene atmosphere that is most rare.  The 3.5 acres were designed by Henry Matsutani, who also designed the Japanese Tea Gardens in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco.  This was a no brainer.  I brought the outside in.

The history of this home and its original owners, Maynard Buehler and his wife Katie, is a story steeped in fascinating history.  When I originally previewed the home, I was taken with the pulls on all the kitchen cabinets and custom, redwood,  built-in cabinetry.  They were black and round and perfect to slip two fingers through to pull the doors open.  They just happened to be scope mounts for rifles, Maynard Buehler's business for 50 years.   He made these mounts on the premises in his tool shop that I (and the help of numerous others) converted to a media room with an adjacent wine tasting room.

The home's interior and exterior is redwood and cinder blocks.  I met the gentleman that worked 6 months, with a crew of 5,  that refurbished every inch of the redwood inside and out.  He is a true craftsman.   I so enjoyed hearing from him about the condition of the home before he started.  He and several others, including myself, were able to bring the home to its original condition.

The one thing that is totally baffling about Frank Lloyd's Wright's design is that he was able to take redwood, cinder blocks and cement and make the home extremely warm and inviting.   I suppose that the use of gilt on the ceilings to reflect light and the warm red glaze on the cement are a couple of factors.  And, most interesting for me, one that is totally inspired by art, did not miss the lack of art throughout all the buildings.  

I hope you enjoy my amateur pictures.  There will be a professional website devoted to the estate shortly that I will share with you.

Enjoy!

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.246146475402276.80744.100000207768432&l=540c29c8c9