#yesbutisitcomfortable - Frank Lloyd Wright's “High back side chair with cut outs”

Written By Andrew Pielage

I’m back with the second edition of #yesbutisitcomfortable Friday where I scientifically-ish test and rate Frank Lloyd Wright designed furniture to answer the question as old as time #yesbutisitcomfortable by actually sitting in the chair for 10 minutes. If you missed the last one, I scientifically-ish tested Wright’s origami chair. Go check it out.

Without further ado, meet what I have researched to simply be called a “high back side chair with cut outs” but on Wrights drawing, he labels it “dining chair”.

Original Wright Plans

Although originally designed in 1955 for the John L. Rayward (Rayward-Shepherd) Home, “Tirranna” in Connecticut, I photographed it here in the Dr. George and Millie Ablin Home 1958 in California. #108 on my project to photograph all remaining Frank Lloyd Wright designs.

It definitely gives off a more modern vibe and look then Wrights early very square and stiff looking tall back dining room chair. Pictured below to the right at the Westcott house in Ohio (1906). Wright designed his dining room furniture to, while sitting, act as a room within a room. The high backs do a great job of this and frame each person beautifully. You feel more connected to the other people sitting around the table with you this way. Most, if not all of his dining set ups are like this in one form or another.

Now to the main event

Dining room chairs designed by Wright for the Westcott house nearly 50 years earlier (1906).

…well first off, you’re not going to have a problem obeying your parents “sit up straight at the table” rule, this chair has nearly a 90 degree straight back. There is really no other way to sit on it than your butt all the way back, that lends to a more formal look and feel while eating meals at the table. I felt the seat cushion was thick enough to last the ten minutes buuuut. I also noticed it felt just a tad narrow while on it. Now I like Oreos just as much as the next person but would not consider myself a big guy, it still felt small or narrow.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s high back side chair with cut outs.

I did spend, as promised, ten minutes on the chair and was ready to get up at that point...not the most comfortable especially compared to Wright’s origami chair but they were designed for different purposes right? I'm not sure how long a dinner with Wright would be but I feel like there would be many other chairs in the house to sit and chill and maybe that’s the point?

Do you think Wright designed chairs and how comfortable they were to the amount of time HE thought you should be in them?

I’ve said waaay to many times to count…”oh that’s just a coincidence, Wright didn’t design that on purpose” So I wouldn’t put that past him.

So on a scale of 1-10, I’m giving this dining chair an 7 out of 10.

Losing points for how straight it makes me sit up and being a tad narrow for a grown Oreo eating adult. Those are biggies for me but it just looks so damn cool, I added a point or two back.

[Q] What do you think? Leave your comments below.

Andrew Pielage
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