The Beauty of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliessen West and the Arizona Desert

I have been a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright’s art and architecture for quite some time. I’ve visited a number of his projects such as a few of his houses in the Midwest, a hotel in Mason City, Iowa, and the Chicago neighborhood of Oak Park. I especially adore his unique window pattern designs. It’s always a treat to see his work so I was super excited to visit Taliessen West in Scottsdale, Arizona on a beautiful February day.

Taliessen West was Wright’s winter home and when he designed and built it, the house stood alone in the desert landscape. Even today, the house contains several lines of sight looking into the beautiful nearby desert.

There qre two options for touring the house and complex. The first option is a guided tour that runs about 90 minutes. These tours fill up quickly so it is best to book at least several days, if not weeks, ahead. I prefer to visit a site at my own pace and was happy to see a less expensive, 60 minute audio tour available, which allows you to download an app and use your own phone and your own headphones or ear buds. A staff member showed me where to download the app and get it started. I really enjoyed the audio tour. There were 15 marked stops, each with a brief and interesting narrative. I appreciated I could sit several places and really take in my surroundings while repeating the audio as needed. I took my own sweet time while absorbing all the information, viewing the different spaces, and taking photos. In short, I loved it!

Entrance Fountain at Taliessen West in Scottsdale, Arizona. Frank Lloyd Wright’s winter home.

Below are some photos and videos taken on my audio tour. Based on my photos, you will probably be able to tell that my favorite area of the house was the living room. Wright likely had a different name for it, but that is what most folks would call it today. I also enjoyed the water features outside the house.