FLW

The restoration and modernization of the Sondern-Adler House presented a rare opportunity to work within one of the most significant Usonian residences in the Midwest. Designed in 1939 by Frank Lloyd Wright and expanded with his redesign in 1948, the home remains a landmark of innovation: an intimate composition of tidewater cypress, brick, expansive clerestory windows with treetop views, and a single sweeping roofline that tucks the architecture gently into the wooded landscape of Kansas City.

When our team arrived, the kitchen and three bathrooms, spaces central to daily life, had been fully gutted. Our task was to rebuild them from the inside out: restoring function, and integrating contemporary performance while maintaining the restraint, proportion, and material clarity essential to Usonian design. The approach required equal parts technical ingenuity and reverence.

A Preservation-Driven Process

Because even small modifications can shift the architectural narrative of a Usonian home, all major decisions were made in close collaboration with the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy and a local preservation specialists Strata Architecture + Preservation. This partnership shaped everything, from lighting temperature and door placement to electrical, plumbing, and HVAC updates, and ensured that each intervention enhanced, rather than disrupted, the home’s original intent.

Throughout the residence, existing cypress, brick, and concrete were carefully cleaned and repaired. Even lighting temperature was studied at night, adjusting lamp by lamp to ensure the new illumination harmonized with the warmth of the wood. Original incandescent lighting was replicated, this time using even and efficient light sources with the ability to glow or to fully illuminate.

Kitchen: Compact, Efficient, Considered

The kitchen demanded the most extensive technical problem-solving. Compact and spatially constrained, it needed to perform for contemporary living without visually overwhelming the architecture.

A relocated, new exterior door now connects the workspace to the kitchen garden and reflecting pool, a meaningful functional improvement and a heavily reviewed change that ultimately received preservation approval. This connection brings natural light, ventilation, and daily usability to the space.

Custom walnut cabinetry conceals modern systems with precision. An originally exposed electrical panel is now integrated behind a full height cabinet. Existing ceiling conditions limited wiring pathways, so new electrical lines were routed through an extended original soffit. In one area where recessed lighting was not available, a single sconce provides necessary task light without compromising the cypress ceiling.

Shallow shelving and storage in the same walnut now fill an existing niche, adding practical storage and warmth to the small space. Raw brick was left exposed here, where the wall had been cut for expansion at some point.

Countertops in a custom solid-surface color referencing Wright’s iconic Cherokee Red, are a subtle but intentional tie to the home’s origins.

Bathrooms: Modern Comfort Within Historic Boundaries

Bringing the bathrooms up to modern standards required creative, ground-up solutions. Because wiring couldn’t penetrate existing brick walls, electrical runs were routed through newly repoured floors. Throughout the process, we chose to keep the home’s history visible: wood embedded in the brick where former walls once tied in remains exposed, and patched areas of damaged or missing brick were left visible rather than concealed. All vanities, designed to echo Usonian simplicity, were custom built by Matt Schmitz Makes. Rather than disturbing any of the original plaster or brick, switching and power are integrated directly into the millwork, a detail that both preserves the fabric of the home and reveals the complexity behind its modernization.

The “pink bath,” located originally in the home’s kitchen space, incorporates recycled countertop material and a soft wash of color requested by the client, an understated moment of playfulness that still sits comfortably within the Usonian palette. The muted warm pink quietly nods to Wright’s Cherokee Red found in the kitchen, while aggregate in the vanity top reflects the color of the brick throughout the home. A new cypress ceiling matches the rest of the home, while the medicine cabinet occupies the original recess. The datum of the tile aligns with the bottom of the window ledge, which now houses a concealed cove light washing the ceiling in warm illumination. Vanity lighting is likewise tuned to be soft and flattering.

In the “green bath”, an inefficient layout placed the sink directly in front of the main plumbing stack. By relocating the sink and reorganizing the plan, we created a more functional flow and carved out a dedicated toilet area, improving space and privacy. A new wall conceals plumbing and an exposed roof drain, but its upper portion remains open to maintain the bath’s existing datum line and allow light and air to pass through. Because the brick was restored and left exposed, tile stops at the datum rather than extending to the ceiling. In this compact space, repeating the handmade tile across the counter and wing wall keeps the composition simple and cohesive.

The powder bath preserves original exposed brick, which informed a restrained material strategy. Handmade tiles, expressed in natural FLW-palette glazes, form the counter and backsplash, then wrap into the adjacent cabinet. The existing sink was reused and integrated into the new tile work.

Balancing Legacy and Livability

Every choice, structural, spatial, and material, was rooted in a single goal: to introduce modern comfort without disturbing the essential character of the home. The result is a series of spaces that feel authentically of the house, ready for contemporary life. They neither replicate what once existed nor compete with it; instead, they inhabit the same architectural language with clarity and humility.

In a residence where even a screw placement carries historical weight, this project exemplifies a thoughtful, preservation-minded approach, one that honors Wright’s legacy while ensuring the home continues to thrive for generations to come.