Wright to Scale

August 21, 2016

With their dramatic horizontal lines, open floor plans, and cantilevered roofs, architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s homes are some of the most iconic in American history. Wright’s famous Prairie Style of domestic architecture took inspiration from the Midwestern landscape. The William E. Martin House is a beautiful example of one of these homes, coincidentally only a few blocks away from Wright’s own home and studio in Oak Park, Illinois. Today, the home is still a private residence, so your best chance to see it up close is here at T/m!

Built in 1902, the William E. Martin House was the inspiration for Allison Ashby and Steve Jedd’s 1:12 scale breakfast room. All of the room’s architectural details are accounted for in miniature. As with other works, Ashby and Jedd have substituted woods in order to mimic the full-size solid oak grain in miniature. The individually laid floor boards are made of basswood and the trim is made of cherry. In order to give the appearance of stucco, the miniature room’s walls were covered with muslin and faux-finished using layers of transparent acrylic glazes.