How Frank Lloyd Wright’s planter found a home at Areaware

Courtesy of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Archives (The Museum of Modern Art | Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Columbia University, New York). All Rights Reserved.

Frank Lloyd Wright originally designed the Racine Planter for the Johnson Wax Headquarters in Racine, Wisconsin, which he designed and built between 1936 and 1939. The planter's form takes its shape from the tops of the pillars in the Johnson building interior and was made for large plants placed in the building's gardens and indoor green spaces. Until now, the design had only been licensed to Arizona Pottery, which produces them in the larger outdoor size.

Courtesy of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Archives (The Museum of Modern Art | Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Columbia University, New York). All Rights Reserved.

We were drawn to the planter’s design for its historical importance and believed it would be a special addition to the Areaware collection. We worked with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation to customize the planter to a smaller scale for indoor plants and personal use in the home. It’s the first time it has been made in this size and we feel lucky to be the one to offer it to you.

There are four different versions of the Racine Planter, each made with a concrete terrazzo that directly references materials or colors Wright used to create some of his most recognized and influential designs.

Desert
inspired by Taliesin West
To escape the frigid winters of the Midwest, Wright chose Scottsdale, Arizona, as the location for his winter home, Taliesin West. Using the practice of desert masonry, he built the residence with concrete made of sands and stones native to the Arizona landscape, creating the illusion that the structure naturally extends from the desert floor. The burnished red hue of the desert became an enduring point of inspiration for Wright and was one of the most-used colors in his work, represented here in the material of this planter.

Confetti
inspired by the Avery Coonley Playhouse
The confetti-like flecks of this terrazzo are an ode to the stained glass windows that adorn the Avery Coonley Playhouse in Riverside, Illinois. Considered to be Wright’s most renowned window design, they depict colorful compositions of balloons, confetti, and flags—described by Wright as a “kinder symphony.” The playful imagery honors the original purpose of the playhouse, commissioned by Coonley to be a kindergarten for his daughter and her neighborhood friends.

Sand
inspired by The Guggenheim Museum
Since natural sands would be difficult, if not impossible, to find in the center of New York City, Wright diverged from his usual practice of organic architecture to build the Guggenheim Museum. Instead, he found inspiration in the traditional terrazzo used throughout buildings in Italy—a material with historical significance worthy of the unique architectural masterpiece the museum would become. The sand-speckled concrete of this planter reflects the material used to form what is now considered a monument to modernism and home to some of the most famous contemporary artworks in the world.

Carbon
inspired by Taliesin
More than once, the existence of Wright's life and Wisconsin home, Taliesin, was threatened by fires. Rather than try to erase the damage and memories left by these tragedies, he chose to rebuild, using any remaining parts of the home that were salvageable. Though charred by smoke and flames, Wright found beauty in the imperfections and incorporated many original decorative elements into the repairs. The carbon color of this planter is an ode to the recovered pieces used in Taliesin's multiple restorations—and can be seen as an homage to the strength Wright found in survival.

©/®/™, Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. All rights reserved.