Kaufmann Office

Made from cypress plywood, this office is the only complete interior designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright on permanent display outside the USA.

Pittsburgh retail magnate Edgar J Kaufmann Sr commissioned Wright to design this room for a Kaufmann’s department store. He was persuaded to adopt the architect’s modern style by his son, who had spent six months as Wright’s apprentice.

Edgar Kaufmann Jr donated the office to the V&A in 1974 after his father’s death, believing that ‘Wright’s work could not have found a safer or a more suitable haven.’