Wright was extremely stubborn about his low ceilings.  Why?

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1.  Low ceilings create intimacy 

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2.  Low ceilings exaggerate horizontality, providing a sense of proportion

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3.  Low ceilings create tension and drama when juxtaposed against relief elements (raised portions and outdoors)

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4.  Low ceilings didn't feel so low to Wright, who only stood about 5'8"

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Just how stubborn was Wright about his ceilings?

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Edgar Tafel, a longtime student of Wright's, tells a story about a fellow student named Wes Peters, who happened to be 6 feet 4, the same height as the ceilings at Taliesin. Watching Peters's head brush up against the rafters moved Wright to holler out, "Sit down, Wes, you're destroying the scale!" 

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How stubborn?

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Wright repeatedly lobbied the Steinway piano company to scale down its' grand pianos to fit into his homes, with their tops open.

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