FLW: Samara

FLW always named his homes.  Often by the owners name but sometimes other names that had meaning through metaphors.  A Samara is a winged seed found in pine cones.  You have seen them but probably never heard of this name.  He used the shape of the Samara throughout the design of this house.  He designed it into the carpet, bedspreads and into the architecture itself.  Pine trees were found on this property.

Samara was a place I really wanted to visit but wasn't sure if I would.  It is about 2 hours north of Indianapolis.  It is a great hidden property and much like his other designs, it blended into nature so well.

One of the unique aspects of this house is that you can actually sit on the furniture which was a delight because it is the only FLW property that I have been do to allow for that.  It was very cool to sit on the built in couch and look out the windows.  I loved the tiered sunken living room idea with small square tables that could be positioned anywhere for folks who might want to just sit on the stairs but still have a place for drinks.  You can see the Samara shapes repeated on the carpet.  The room felt so comfortable and full of natural light, which all his homes seem to duplicate.

This side view shows how he leveraged built in floating book cases above the seating area all down and then around the corner.  A perfect nook to disappear and read.

The dining room was really well done.  He hung a classic japanese print which he loved to do on the wall.  The high back chairs were his design and you can see how he incorporated the Samara symbol into the cutouts on the backs of the chairs.

They were not supposed to be comfortable and they weren't! 

He invented the mitred glass corner of windows.  It added to the element of inviting the outside in.  

The amazing little chair he designed as well is such a great touch.

The Samara symbols are cutouts that let extra light in above the windows.  This is a signature design element.

This was a great tour, the stories that were told of how it came to be and the interactions the owners had with FLW were so colorful.  

This is probably the 10th FLW home I have toured and I find the excitement never dims for each new one despite some of the similarities.  Every property is different but feels so amazingly like he wants you to feel.  Somehow he knew this as he designed from his studio.  What an amazing vision and aesthetic he possessed.