Frank Lloyd Wright Designed It for Print. Motawi Brought It to Life in Tile

A Forgotten Frank Lloyd Wright Design Finds New Life at Motawi Tileworks

Ann Arbor, MI, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A 1927 magazine design by Wright becomes a radiant ceramic art tile, handmade in Ann Arbor

In 1927, Frank Lloyd Wright created a set of twelve illustrations for Liberty magazine, which were rejected for being too radical. The magazine passed, but the designs—dynamic, colorful, and full of life—remained. Nearly a century later, one of them has found new form in ceramic.

Motawi Tileworks has introduced Jewelry Shop Window, the latest addition to its growing Frank Lloyd Wright collection. It brings his stylized depiction of necklaces and adornments into crisp relief—complete with shimmering curves, layered geometry, and a richly off-center composition.

Jewelry Shop Window

This isn’t the first time Motawi has turned to Wright’s unused Liberty designs for inspiration. Jewelry Shop Window joins a family of tiles based on these vibrant graphics, including Frozen Spheres, March Balloons, May Basket, and Saguaro. Together, they reveal a lesser-known side of Wright’s genius—graphic, playful, and perfectly suited to tile.

May Basket

“It’s asymmetrical, a little sparkly, and full of unexpected balance,” says Nawal Motawi, founder and artistic director. “It shouldn’t work, but it does—and that’s somehow totally Wright.”

The 8x8 art tile is crafted using the Cuenca technique, in which raised lines create hundreds of tiny pools that are filled by hand with colorful glazes. This centuries-old process gives each tile its dimension, texture, and luminous depth—echoing the layered richness of Wright’s original graphic vision.

Saguaro

Jewelry Shop Window joins a collection that includes fan favorites like Imperial Peacock and Waterlilies. Motawi’s Wright-inspired tiles aren’t just admired—they’re trusted. They’ve even been used in restoration projects at actual Wright homes, including the Elizabeth and Rollin Furbeck House in Oak Park, Illinois.

All Motawi tiles are handmade in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and designed for individual display or installation in bathrooms, fireplaces, floors, and kitchen backsplashes.

Jewelry Shop Window and the full Frank Lloyd Wright Collection can be found at: motawi.com/collections/art-tile/frank-lloyd-wright

About the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation

The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, established by Wright in 1940, is dedicated to preserving Taliesin and Taliesin West, both UNESCO World Heritage sites, for future generations, and inspiring people to discover and embrace an architecture for better living through meaningful connections to nature, the arts, and each other. The Foundation continues the Frank Lloyd Wright legacy by broadening access to his ideas, works, and designs—considered more relevant today than in his own time—and provides new pathways for audiences to create beauty and connectedness in their own lives. In 2020, Taliesin West was named among the top 10% percent of attractions worldwide by TripAdvisor. Visit FrankLloydWright.org for more information on tour schedules, cultural and educational experiences and events. To shop the latest Wright- inspired home, design and lifestyle products, visit FrankLloydWrightStore.com.

About Motawi Tileworks

Motawi Tileworks makes bold, handcrafted ceramic tiles in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded by Nawal Motawi in 1992, the studio is known for its vibrant glazes, clean design, and tile that celebrates everything from Frank Lloyd Wright to Charley Harper. Motawi art tiles are sold in hundreds of museums and gift shops across North America and its installations and murals have been featured in famous homes, public spaces, and Frank Lloyd Wright house restorations.

Explore more at motawi.com.

Press images and materials: motawi.com/pages/pressinquiries

Greg Anderson
Marketing & Communications
Motawi Tileworks
grega@motawi.com
(734) 213-0017 x 253

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