Dezeen Magazine

Farmworker's House by Hugh Strange Architects

Dezeen's top five houses of October 2024

From a Cornish home styled on traditional farmsteads to a residence in California with the air of a Bond villain's lair, here are Dezeen's houses of the month for October.

Other houses featured in our monthly roundup of the most popular homes published on Dezeen include an orange villa designed by Álvaro Siza and a Greek getaway created by the founder of Invisible Studio for his own family.

Read on to find out more about our houses of the month:


Colien House in Barcelona
Photo by Pedro Cardigo

Colien House, Spain, by Álvaro Siza

Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza used orange-tinted concrete to build this three-storey home, embedded into a hill in Barcelona.

Each floor of the house has an outdoor terrace with views of the Mediterranean.

Find out more about this Colien House ›


Hugh Strange Architects Cornwall home
Photo by Jason Orton (also top)

Farmworker's House, UK, by Hugh Strange Architects

Local farmsteads were a key reference for Hugh Strange Architects when designing this house in Cornwall.

Its L-shaped plan is organised across a single storey and encloses a courtyard. The exterior walls are finished in a rough render, while the timber-beam ceilings are reminiscent of a barn.

As well as being one of the month's most popular houses on Dezeen, it has been named one of the UK's best new houses in the RIBA House of the Year shortlist for 2024.

Find out more about Farmworker's House ›


House in an Olive Grove by Piers Taylor
Photo by Jim Stephenson

House in an Olive Grove, Greece, by Piers Taylor

Invisible Studio founder Piers Taylor created the concrete House in an Olive Grove for his family.

Located in Corfu, it features sliding screens and plastic curtains in place of windows for ventilation and protection, immersing occupants in the surrounding environment.

Find out more about House in an Olive Grove ›


Arched concrete house
Photo by Joe Fletcher

The Hill House Montecito, USA, by Donaldson + Partners

This vast sunken villa outside Santa Barbara, California, took seven years to complete.

In addition to its circular plan and parabolic arches, which have the air of a Bond villain's lair, other striking design features include extensive pink lighting in the interiors.

Find out more about The Hill House Montecito ›


Hyette Riverview in South Africa by KLG Architects
Photo by Paris Brummer

Hytte Riverview, South Africa, by KLG Architects

The most popular house featured on Dezeen this month was Hytte Riverview, nestled into the rocky landscape of Rooi Els in South Africa's Western Cape.

One side of the compact house has an open frontier, with a large living space opening through full-height glass sliding doors onto decked wooden terraces. The other side is much more solid with only clerestory windows penetrating its thick walls.

Find out more about Hytte Riverview ›