Ten self-designed homes by architects and designers
For our latest lookbook, we've collected ten homes from the Dezeen archive that were self-designed by architects and designers including John Pawson, Sarah Wigglesworth and Alan Maskin.
From a two-storey apartment in New York City to a second home on the grounds of a former 17th-century farming complex, these homes offer interior inspiration and insights into how architects and designers take advantage of their knowledge when designing spaces for themselves.
This is the latest roundup in our Dezeen Lookbooks series providing visual inspiration for the home. Previous lookbooks feature interior home courtyards, modernist living rooms and spacious kitchen extensions.
Villa Timmerman, Sweden, by Andreas Lyckefors and Josefine Wikholm
Designed by Swedish architect couple Andreas Lyckefors and Josefine Wikholm, Villa Timmerman is a home in the south of Gothenburg, Sweden.
The couple developed the site into two separate properties, one of which would be sold to fund the build. Lyckefors and Wikholm created identical floorplans and lined the exterior of each home with a decorative timber lattice.
Inside, the architect-couple added ash panels across the walls of the ground floor to create a streamlined and peaceful wooden interior.
Find out more about Villa Timmerman ›
Little House/Big Shed, US, by David Van Galen
As per its name, Little House/Big Shed is comprised of a main cabin that houses the living areas, and a smaller volume which is used by US architect David Van Galen as a studio and guest quarters.
Van Galen wrapped the exterior of the structures in Corten steel panels, while windows and architectural features were trimmed in cedar framing the alder and Douglas fir trees outside.
Inside the home, an open-plan interior features plenty of wood-detailing and neutral hues have been combined with colourful details, like the warm red sofa at the centre of the room.
Find out more about Little House/Big Shed ›
Logan Pavilion, US, by Eric Logan
This self-designed home by Eric Logan of CLB Architects was originally built for his family in 1997. Logan renovated Logan Pavilion in Wyoming in 2021, adding a steel gabled roof and a new open-plan kitchen.
The low-lying structure boasts an open-plan living arrangement under the newly added corrugated cold-rolled sheet steel roof that was left exposed throughout the living areas.
The house's slight industrial feel is underlined by its oiled concrete floors and engineered-wood wall panelling.
Find out more about Logan Pavilion ›
Built within a 17th-century farming complex in the Cotswolds, British designer John Pawson converted the former farming building into a family home for himself.
Pawson fitted out the home with minimalist furniture and employed a simple material palette of elm, lime plaster, and concrete. His own taste influences all his projects, he told Dezeen.
"I think of myself when I'm designing houses for other people," he said. "I guess people come to me because maybe they like what I do."
Find out more about Home Farm ›
Stock Orchard Street, UK, by Sarah Wigglesworth
Architect Sarah Wigglesworth completed an overhaul of her RIBA Sustainability Award-winning Stock Orchard Street home in London to renew its energy efficiency and age-proof its interiors.
The house was designed to try out green technologies and unusual building materials and has insulation made from straw bales and walls made from materials including sandbags, recycled concrete and railway sleepers.
Its warm, light interior shows how beautiful sustainable architecture can be.
Find out more about Stock Orchard Street ›
Suspended Patio House, Tel Aviv, by 3322 Studio
Designed by the founder of 3322 Studio for himself and his family, this concrete home in Tel Aviv accommodates the changing needs of the founders' young sons.
It is arranged around the voids in its boxy concrete frame and boasts a large open plan design across its three storeys. The voids in the frame allow light and air to filter and circulate through the multiple levels.
In the open-plan living space, full-height glazing connects the interior with the outdoors.
Find out more about Suspended Patio House ›
Kew Residence, Australia, by John Wardle Architects
Clad in Victorian ash across the floors and ceilings, architect John Wardle of John Wardle Architects designed this Australian home for him and his wife with the aim of creating a "cocoon."
In the cosy living room, Wardle added spaces that could be used to better display his art collection, including wooden shelves and wood plinths.
Find out more about Suspended Patio House ›
Agate Pass Cabin, US, by Alan Maskin
Olson Kundig Architects principal Alan Maskin renovated and extended a 1938 beach cabin in Washington State to function as a personal retreat.
Maskin added a first-floor extension to the cabin, which was fitted with floor-to-ceiling windows at the gable end providing views out to the nearby water. The interior retained its original Douglas fir panelling, while Glulam plywood lines the walls across the new extension.
Find out more about Agate Pass Cabin ›
New York apartment, US, by Harry Nuriev
Grey tiles and purple carpeting cover the walls and floors of this New York City apartment renovation by Crosby Studios founder Harry Nuriev and partner Tyler Billinger.
Nuriev and Billinger used bright purple and muted grey colours, geometric shapes and textural materials to add their own personal style to the two-storey NoLita apartment.
Find out more about the New York apartment ›
Casa SS, Chile, by Pablo Saric and Cristian Winckler
Casa SS is a single-storey home located 85 metres away from the coastline of Canela in Chile. Designed by architects Pablo Saric and Cristian Winckler for Saric and his young family, the home adopts a minimalist style.
Vertical slats of blackened pine clads the exterior while the interior is blanketed in white with minimalist, clean finishings. Large glass sliding doors flank the length of the kitchen and dining area and open up to connect with the dramatic coast.
This is the latest in our series of lookbooks providing curated visual inspiration from Dezeen's image archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing modernist living rooms, original hotel bathrooms and spacious kitchen extensions.