120 years ago Frank Loyd Wright introduced features from the home to the workplace. But who does a homey office really serve?
Frank Lloyd Wright, Larkin Administration Building Lounge (designed 1903), undated photograph (image courtesy Buffalo History Museum)
"As more white-collar employees are returning to work onsite, we continue to speculate what the post-pandemic office should be. One of the most-discussed trends, which began before the pandemic but is expected to take on new resonance in the present circumstances, is incorporating home-like elements into office interiors. Workspaces have started to look like living rooms, with oversized sofas strewn with throw pillows, cocoon-shaped armchairs nestled around coffee tables, and bookshelves styled with knick-knacks. Industry insiders believe such spaces will ease employees’ transitions back to work and make them comfortable in an environment that, for many, is anything but. Discussed as a recent revelation, the homey office is actually an idea Frank Lloyd Wright implemented almost 120 years ago. Wright claimed his design promoted the wellbeing of employees, but it was the men at the top who benefited the most. The same might be true today."
Article: What Frank Lloyd Wright Can Teach Us About Comfort in the Office