Examining the houses that architects designed for themselves can provide insight into their design process, priorities, and philosophy. While often reduced in scale, these personal residences offer a peek into the architects’ mindsets and the way in which they translate their ideas into lived spaces without having client-imposed restrictions on the end result. The structures also reflect their creators’ personal values, lifestyles, and aesthetic preferences.
These projects are often experiments and testing grounds for their own design principles, pushing the boundaries of architectural expression. From Ray and Charles Eames, who ended up spending their lives in an experimental house created for prefabrication, to Frank Gehry, who used his Santa Monica Dutch colonial house to test out the ideas of deconstructivism that would later come to define his career, these projects represent showcase a different face of the design process of world-renowned architects.
Read on to discover 6 residential projects designed by internationally recognized architects to serve as their own private homes.
Eames House / Charles and Ray Eames
Los Angeles, United States, 1949
Originally known as Case Study House No. 8, the Eames House was initially commissioned as part of the Case Study House Program in Los Angeles' Arts and Architecture Magazine. The program aimed to explore the newest materials and building techniques that became available after World War II. Designed and constructed by husband and wife Charles and Ray Eames, the house served as their home and studio until their deaths in 1978 and 1988, respectively. The project comprises two steel frame boxes, one serving as a residence and the other as a working studio.
Clad in transparent and solid-colored panels, the structures are light and airy while also being optimized for prefabrication. Despite the pared-back image of what came to be known as a landmark of mid-20th-century architecture, the house was filled with collections of objects and trinkets collected by the Eames throughout their lives. The house is now owned and managed by the Eames Foundation, who regularly organizes guided tours and events.
Apartment Studio in the Molitor Building / Le Corbusier
Paris, France, 1933
The apartment block at rue Nungasser-et-Coli, Paris, was designed and built between 1931 and 1933 in collaboration with Pierre Jeanneret. The architect chose to move in the top two floors of the buildings, which he designed to become his home and studio. He would share this home with his wife, Yvonne Gallis, from 1934 until his death in 1965. The project was an important test for some of Le Corbusier’s theories in the field of both architecture and urbanism. Inside, lower ceilings alternate with tall, vaulted rooms, creating a rhythmic use of space.
In the living area and studio, the architect left the brick walls exposed, anticipating the expression of his later creation period. The apartment is decorated with Le Corbusier’s paintings and is fitted with specially-made furnishings. A small independent staircase leads to the rooftop garden. Following the listing of the apartments as a world heritage site in 2016, the space underwent extensive restoration and is now open to the public.
Gehry Residence / Gehry Partners
Santa Monica, United States, 1978
The house bought by Frank Gehry and his wife in Santa Monica, California, would later become a symbol of deconstructivism. Gehry's unconventional approach involved preserving the existing Dutch colonial home while building a new structure around it. The exterior of the original house remained mostly untouched, while the interior underwent significant changes.
Gehry used a mix of materials, including wood, glass, aluminum, and chain-link fencing, creating a visually striking appearance. The house faced criticism from neighbors, but it stood as a powerful statement of art intertwined with architecture. Over time, the residence had to be expanded to accommodate the growing Gehry family, resulting in a more finished aesthetic, which sparked some debate.
Villa E-1027 / Eileen Gray
Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France, 1929
Gray was previously better known as a designer of furniture and interiors. As her first architectural creation, the house has become recognized as an icon of Modernist architecture. Carefully attuned to its surroundings and landscape, it was created as a retreat for her and partner, Jean Badovici. The interior reflects Gray’s commitment to comfort and functional design, incorporating the furniture and lighting to enhance the overall living experience.
In the 1930s, the project became known as Le Corbusier’s “obsessions,” as he unsuccessfully tried to purchase the property several times. In 1938 and 1939, while staying at the house as a guest of Badovici, he painted eight murals on the white walls of the house, some of which were sexually explicit, in a move that was characterized by Gray as a “violation.” Despite the house being conceived as a peaceful retreat, the villa has endured a series of subsequent unfortunate events, including being used as a target practice by the Nazis. After extensive renovations by the initiative of the Association Cap Moderne, the villa is now open to the public.
Gropius House / Walter Gropius
Lincoln, United States, 1938
The Gropius House, located in Lincoln, Massachusetts, was the residence of Walter Gropius and his family during his tenure at Harvard University. Completed in 1938, it was the architect’s first project in the United States. Situated amidst farmhouses, the modern elements ad materials employed, such as ribbon windows and glass blocks, caused a stir in the architectural community as it introduced the International Style to America’s residential landscape. After Gropius' death in 1969, the house became a National Landmark, showcasing the lasting impact of his work.
As to my practice, when I built my first house in the U.S.A. - which was my own - I made it a point to absorb into my own conception those features of the New England architectural tradition that I found still alive and adequate. This fusion of the regional spirit with a contemporary approach to design produced a house that I would never have built in Europe with its entirely different climatic, technical and psychological background. - Walter Gropius
Riihitie 20 House / Aino and Alvar Aalto
Helsinki, Finland, 1936
After moving to Helsinki, Aino and Alvar Aalto built the house in 1936 to serve as their family home and office. The house exhibits a distinct separation between the office wing and the residential area. While the practice grew and was relocated to another building in Munkkiniemi, Helsinki, the building at Riihitie 20 would be the architect’s home for 40 years until his death. The Aalto House showcases elements of the “Romantic Functionalist” style, with abundant use of wood and plastered brick as a finishing material, demonstrating a new direction in the architect’s architectural language. The house is now owned by the Alvar Aalto Foundation and is available for visitation.
This article is part of the ArchDaily Topics: Design Process, proudly presented by Codesign, the first purpose-built iPad app for the concept design stage of the architectural process.
Codesign turns sketches into 3D building models in moments, with the ability to iterate, explore and understand downstream effects immediately. Architects can explore all the possibilities of a project, and spend more time doing what they love the most, designing. (Codesign was previously known as Spaces.
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