Designing a home for a client can be very challenging, regarding the various requirements that come forth. But designing your own home can be a notch tougher than it seems. So, it’s up to the designer to ensure uniformity in the structure. On the other hand, self design home can be beneficial as you get to decide everything from the materials, finishes, colors to the sizes and shapes of the windows and doors. Here are 10 self-designed homes of unique designers:
1. Home farm, the UK by John Pawson | Self Design Home
This minimalist style home designed by a British designer proves that simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. He converted a farming complex from the year 1610 into a family retreat. The farm included a collection of buildings such as a barn with a cottage and stables and a farmhouse. John combined the barn to the farmhouse and created a 45m long home. And because the house turned out to be so long, he installed a kitchen at each end.
2. Live- workspace designed by Makoto Suzuki
A series of interlocking timber volumes form these live-work spaces designed by Japanese architect Suzuki, located in Sapporo, Hokkaido Island. This house design consists of different functioning spaces for people such as
– An office for Suzuki himself,
– An office for his wife,
– A weekend retreat for his father,
– And an artist’s studio for a sculptor called Takenobu Igarashi
The façade of the house is covered uniformly with vertical timber boards, which are unpainted, to match the surroundings consisting of similar trees. Mono-pitched roofs cover the larger cabins, while flat roofs cover the lower levels. The house has a theme of communal living, so the architect has created interconnected spaces and level changes that suit the concept well. The slanting roof and glazed walls in the communal area give views of the forest, as the seasons change.
3. Basic house by Studio Brownhouses | Self Design Home
Located in Bangkok, the founders of a Thai architectural studio called Brownhouses designed a simple house for themselves and their growing family. The design of the house follows principles of simplicity. The house has an indoor garage to showcase the family’s car collection. The architect chose simple and ordinary materials to combine them to create beautiful forms. The house has two stories and is placed on a slender site. The shortest side measures 9 meters and a length of 30 meters. The focal point of the house is the ground floor which features an open courtyard and an indoor glass-walled garage.
4. House in Samambaia, Brazil, by Rodrigo SimaoArquitetura
This self-designed home in Samambaia is designed by Brazilian architect Rodrigo Simão for himself, his wife, and his children. The house supports a huge curved metal structure as the roof. The underside of the roof is covered in hardwood floorboards, an asphalt blanket and finished with shingles on top. Simao used a carbon-steel structure fitted with glass walls that reach the top of the rooftop. The house has three levels – a mezzanine floor, a ground floor, and a basement. The ground floor opens out to a deck, which has wooden planks as flooring that are 7 cm thick and were sourced from a demolition project. The recurring theme in this house is the use of exposed materials and recycled materials.
5. Ceiba house by Jorge Ramirez | Architect Designed Homes | Self Design Home
The architect has preserved certain elements such as weathered mud-brick walls and render and brickwork that was crumbling and added space to his family home in Mexico from the 1930s. The house was originally one story high, on top of which Ramirez added a yoga studio. The concept is similar to a new structure being added to an old pyramid in Egypt. A small yard is an extension to the house, which has a ceiba tree growing in it, which gave the house its name. A spiral staircase of stone connects to the new studio above. The yoga studio opens to a terrace via large glass doors. A small pool is built on the terrace.
6. Mountain cabin by Jon Danielsen Aarhus
This architect designed a cabin in the mountains of Norway for him and his family- located between Bergen and Oslo, called HytteUstaoset. It sits on one of the largest mountain plateaus in Europe. A lake situated in the plateau inspired Jon to create a home that would get splendid views. The façade is made out of locally sourced pinewood, which makes it look like a natural part of the surroundings. The living room area, kitchen, and dining area are faced with amazing views through a large window, which is emphasized by the angled ceiling. The interiors are clad with light-toned pine wood.
7. Dodge house by Daniel Zamarbide with Leopold Banchini
Architects Daniel and Leopold collaborated on the design of this house in Lisbon, Portugal. The footprint area of the house is less than 40 sqm, yet it accommodates three bedrooms and living areas. The architects have maintained the characteristics of the existing façade of the previous building. It is plain and only punctuated by the arched windows, so it appears like a white canvas. A stepped section is designed with three upper floors, creating a full-height void. The theme of the house is based on the concepts of space, void, and interior volume. Cement block walls have been painted white that is over a reinforced concrete frame. The architects have used standard construction materials to reduce the cost of the overall project.
8. London family home by Alex Michaelis | Architect Designed Homes | Self Design Home
Inspired by the modernism aspect of Le Corbusier’s work, architect Alex has designed a curved walled home for his family in London. The ground floor of the house is a rectangular area, with curvilinear volumes above. The theme of the house incorporates geometrical and sculptural forms. On the first floor, the house splits into two separate spaces with a walkway connecting them. The materials inside are sand-colored and echo the creamy finishes of the exterior brickwork. The interesting feature in the design is the use of skylights of different shapes on various levels.
9. Tokyo home by Daisuke Ibano
A set of interconnected volumes form this family home in Tokyo. The architect previously lived in a 50-year old property on the existing plot and decided to demolish the existing building to build a larger home. The house has four stories to accommodate the architect’s growing family. The openings are on the north side. Using a geometric steel formwork allows a stack of spaces to be without interruption of internal columns. The level changes separate the different rooms, eliminating the need for doors and corridors which take up space.
10. Holiday home by Alejandro Sticotti | Self Design Home
The architect-designed holiday home for his family on the coast of Uruguay. This self-designed home features timber as the recurring material, apart from exposed concrete walls and ceilings, which have the texture of the timber boards. The ground floor includes the kitchen and dining space. These spaces open out to a deck and the rear garden. The living room and master bedroom comprise the first floor, which has beautiful views of the sea.
