Wright's retreat

As much as architect Frank Lloyd Wright loved the limelight, he also relished his privacy.

At Taliesin West, his winter home and architectural community in Scottsdale, Arizona, Wright often retreated to a suite of rooms set around a hidden, bougainvillea-draped courtyard, where he read, sketched, wrote letters, and enjoyed the desert sun.

Used as office space after Wright's death in 1959, the architect's retreat has been opened to public tours. The rooms are once again furnished with couches, chairs, and tables designed by Wright, as well as Native American and Japanese art he collected.

Step into his tiny, ultramodern bathroom, highlighted by aluminum-clad walls, then peep around a partition wall to see Wright's daybed. Even genius, it seems, needed an afternoon nap.

Design time

Taliesin West (tour including living quarters $23; 12621 Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd., Scottsdale, AZ; www.franklloydwright.org or 480/860-2700)