Study · Craft
Southwest court
Desert masonry
Stone, shelter, and the ground beneath them. A courtyard study shaped by Frank Lloyd Wright’s desert masonry and hands-on experience helping build new desert masonry walls at Taliesin.
The landscape becomes the wall.
At Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright used stone from the surrounding desert in walls formed with timber molds and bound in a concrete mixture. The flatter stone faces were placed against the formwork, leaving their surfaces exposed when the forms came away. Color, shape, and texture connected the walls to the land around them. That direct relationship between a place and the way it is built is what draws us to desert masonry.
Learning by making.
While volunteering at Taliesin, I helped build new desert masonry walls and worked in the archives at Taliesin West. Together, those experiences connected Wright’s ideas with the work of making a place. They still shape how I approach design—with respect for the landscape, attention to detail, and a love of hands-on work.
A wall does more than enclose.
In this courtyard study, masonry becomes an edge to gather beside, a backdrop for planting, and a way to hold a sheltered space within a larger landscape. A low wall can leave the horizon open; a taller section can offer privacy. The height, length, and position of each wall shape what you see, where you move, and how a place welcomes you in.
Weight, light, and the space left open.
The stone gives the court a grounded presence. A thin roof edge, an opening toward the garden, and a patch of shade introduce another rhythm. Light catches the irregular faces and deepens the joints; planting softens the meeting of wall and ground. We consider those relationships together, giving as much care to the courtyard held between the walls as to the masonry itself.
Carry the thinking into a new place.
Wright’s influence encourages us to begin with the particular landscape and let the design develop from there. A garden wall, seating edge, entry court, or sheltered outdoor room might draw on that thinking in its own way. Stone selection, surface, proportions, and adjoining details can be explored through sketches, samples, and collaboration with skilled masons and fabricators. We welcome experiments that connect craft, preservation, and everyday use.
From the studio
An original design study exploring the relationship between stone, shade, planting, and open space.
The Taliesin connection · Landscape design
Further reading
More on the history and craft from the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation: Taliesin West and Rebuilding Desert Masonry.
