Dezeen Magazine

Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin 4 lamp released by Yamagiwa

A wooden table lamp designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright for his 1911 Taliesin house in Wisconsin is now available internationally.

Talisen 4 by Frank Lloyd Wright produced by Yamagiwa

The Taliesin 4 lamp has been released outside of Japan by lighting brand Yamagiwa, which was given permission to reproduce a collection of the late American architect's lamps by the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.

Talisen 4 by Frank Lloyd Wright produced by Yamagiwa

"The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation has been offering reproductions of Wright's decorative designs through its licensees since 1985," said Yamagiwa's website. "After many successful endeavours, there was a strong desire to offer the public lamps that had been designed for prominent residences designed by Frank Lloyd Wright."

Talisen 4 by Frank Lloyd Wright produced by Yamagiwa

Wright's Taliesin 4 design comprises a series of boxes containing the light sources, attached to its stem at alternate perpendicular angles to form vertical layers.

The boxes are open at the top and bottom, allowing the light to reflect off thin flat panels that can be slotted on either above or below each one.

Talisen 4 by Frank Lloyd Wright produced by Yamagiwa

Available in walnut and cherry, the lamp also features red squares up its length where the boxes connect with the stand.

Talisen 4 by Frank Lloyd Wright produced by Yamagiwa

"Wright used his favourite red colour to create the rhythm for this sculpture-like lamp," said a statement from Yamagiwa. "The red square was used as a [logo] generated by his studio as well."

Talisen 4 by Frank Lloyd Wright produced by Yamagiwa

Taliesin 4 is the shortest in a series, with editions 2 and 3 featuring longer stems and more light bulbs to provide floor-lamp versions.

Talisen 4 by Frank Lloyd Wright produced by Yamagiwa

"Wright had a great respect to the climate and conditions of the site and space when he was engaged in the project," said Yamagiwa. "Therefore, the materials and also the scale were adjusted accordingly."

Talisen 4 by Frank Lloyd Wright produced by Yamagiwa

All three were developed from the Taliesin 1 pendant lamp, created to illuminate a theatre at the architect's 1911 residence in Taliesin, Wisconsin – the estate where the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture are both now located.


Related content: see more stories about Frank Lloyd Wright »


The school founded by the architect was threatened with losing its accreditation in 2014, but appointed critic Aaron Betsky as its dean at the beginning of this year.

Taliesin house by Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright designed the Taliesin lamp for his Wisconsin home – one of 10 of his building's nominated for the UNESCO World Heritage list

The Taliesin summer house – along with its winter counterpart of the same name in Arizona – are both nominated for UNESCO's World Heritage list along with eight more of his most famous architectural works, including the Fallingwater house in Pennsylvania and the Guggenheim Museum in New York.