Motawi Tile Marks Robie House Centennial

Motawi Tileworks is joining the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust in celebrating the 100th anniversary of the completion of Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous Robie House in Chicago.

Designed for his client Frederick C. Robie in 1908 and completed in 1910, this residence is considered one of the most important buildings in the history of American architecture. With gravity-defying overhangs, open spaces and continuous bands of art glass accented in gold and amber, the Robie House is a masterpiece of the Prairie Style. It sparked a revolution in residential architecture and is renowned as a forerunner to modernism. In recent years a dedicated crew of volunteers has returned it to its original appearance.

The Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust asked Motawi Tileworks, an Ann Arbor based art tile studio, to create a tile to mark the occasion of Robie House’s centennial. Art Director Nawal Motawi set to work to capture its lines and its essence. “This was a tricky tile to design. I consumed many hours finessing it, trying out different levels of detail and different ways of rendering. The payoff came when the first finished prototypes came out of the kilns. The excitement in the studio was palpable!” says Nawal, “That doesn’t happen with every tile, believe me. I think you’ll like this one.”

The 6″x8” tile will be offered exclusively through the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust through June. Interested buyers will find Motawi’s Robie House tile at the Robie House Museum Shop, the Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio Museum Shop or online at http://www.shopwright.orgwww.shopwright.org.

Motawi Tileworks is an 18-year-old handmade art tile studio located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded in 1992 by Nawal Motawi, the Tileworks specializes in cuenca-style polychrome tile, molded relief and earthy had-dipped field tile, all made in ther Arts & Crafts tradition. Its 20 staff artisans create tile that is both collected as individual art pieces and installed into kitchen backslashes, fireplace surrounds, floors and bathrooms. For more information, go to http://www.motawi.com.

For information about the Robie House, check out http://www.gowright.org.