On Wednesday, June 1st, Steelcase announced an expansive new relationship with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. The Foundation’s mission is to inspire people to discover and embrace architecture for better living through meaningful connections to nature, the arts, and each other. The works of Frank Lloyd Wright are recognized worldwide as historic landmarks, his designed objects are collected in museums, and his drawings and other work make up the largest archive of its kind in the world. The relationship between the two will entail the reintroduction of original Wright designs as well as concepts crossing multiple categories including furniture, textiles and wall-coverings. An official launch date has not yet been released.
What is Steelcase’s history with Frank Lloyd Wright?
Steelcase’s unique connection with Frank Lloyd Wright began over 80 years ago, in 1939, with Wright’s revolutionary design of one of the first open plan office spaces, the SC Johnson Administration Building in Racine, Wisconsin. Steelcase produced Wright’s inspiring and practical furnishings for those workspaces, embodying his groundbreaking principles of organic architecture. Since 1985 they’ve added to this shared heritage through their ongoing stewardship of Wright’s Meyer May House in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Through their new relationship, Steelcase is looking back to see the way forward with their first Frank Lloyd Wright collection for a modern generation. Reflecting on their common ground, the Frank Lloyd Wright Racine Collection by Steelcase includes pieces that are both reintroductions and reinterpretations of the original furniture from the SC Johnson Administration Building.
