Desk

Frank Lloyd Wright considered the Avery Coonley House in Riverside, Illinois, to be one of his most successful projects; he designed everything in the house, including the carpets, table service, and linens, and, according to one anecdote, “even some of Mrs. Coonley’s dresses to harmonize with the interiors.” This desk was made for the home’s rear guest room and reflects the intersecting geometric forms and broad cantilever of its exterior architecture. Wright collaborated on this desk with Milwaukee interior designer George Mann Niedecken, who initially worked for the architect in 1904. Although the feet moldings are more typical of Niedecken’s designs, he likely worked from Wright’s own sketches to complete the desk.