Some of the most exciting design takes place when architects are asked to conceptualize a home. “Our home is our sanctum, and it is a mirror on our private selves,” writer Sam Lubell muses in Phaidon’s new book Houses: Extraordinary Living (2019). “For architects, it’s the place to most freely experiment and, often, to establish a reputation before moving on to larger-scale projects. For historians, residential design in a bellwether—a forerunner of changes in style, philosophy, and technique.”
Antti Lovag, Bubble Palace (1989)
Théoule-sur-Mer, France
This sprawling, 13,000-square-foot complex looks like an enormous waterpark on the French Riviera. It’s composed of taupe bulbs that open to reveal windows, entryways, or waterfalls. “It is an example of the Hungarian architect’s philosophy of ‘habitology’—a vague concept that included banning right angles and straight lines,” Phaidon’s editors write.
Arthur Erickson, Graham House (1962)
West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Arthur Erickson became an architect after seeing the designs of
. Like his predecessor, he joined man-made structures and their environments together in perfect balance. “Working at a time when Modern architecture was widely accepted, Erickson had the freedom to endow his works with a deep-seated appreciation for nature,” the editors write. “This sensitivity characterized his seminal contribution to the creation of a North American ‘West Coast’ architecture style.” Erickson built the Graham House, which consisted of a series of gradually descending levels, into a steep cliff. He realized the residence in wood and glass over a creek. The home is no longer around—it was torn down in 2007—but it was a milestone for Canadian architecture when it was designed.
Matti Suuronen, Futuro House (1968)
Hiekkaharju, Vantaa, Finland
Jarmund/Vigsnӕs Arkitekter, The Red House (2002)
Oslo, Norway
Dan Naegle, Bell Beach House (1965)
San Diego, California, United States
Future Systems, Malator House (1994)
St. Brides Bay, Wales, United Kingdom
The windowed façade of the Malator House clandestinely peeks out over the Welsh coastline, otherwise blending into the grassy knoll on which it was built. The earth shelter, a style that was heavily revisited in the 1970s, can maintain a steady internal temperature, and is minimally invasive within the landscape. The editors write that the Malator House, conceived by
and
Frank Lloyd Wright, Fallingwater (1939)
Bear Run, Pennsylvania, United States
Javier Senosiain, Casa Orgánica (1984)
Naucalpan, Mexico
Saverio Busiri Vici, Villa Ronconci (1973)
Rome, Italy
Saverio Busiri Vici’s two-floor design is a
sanctuary. “After several early, modest buildings, he grew increasingly experimental in his approach to concrete as a material to shape building forms,” the editors write. Like other Brutalist designs, Villa Ronconci plays with the dichotomy of positive and negative space and of shadow and light, joining them in harmony. “The tiered surfaces created from bold cantilevered planes and deep recesses produce dramatic patterns,” the editors write.