If you think you’ve seen it all when it comes to home design, think again. Across the country, architects are redefining what a house can look like and swapping cookie-cutter floorplans for heptagons, stilts, domes, and daring façades. They’re building homes that aren’t just meant to stand; they’re made to stand out.
Some lean futuristic, building innovative structures like a starship-inspired home that looks ready for takeoff, or a glass-and-steel Malibu residence shaped by Feng Shui principles.
Others go back in time, blending natural landscapes with modernist ideas — like an Arizona home carved directly into Mummy Mountain, or a desert retreat in Palm Springs that practically disappears into its rocky surroundings.
But don’t be fooled by the playful exteriors. Behind these out-there designs are serious architectural credentials, including names like Richard Neutra, Ed Niles, Harry Gesner, and Studio Shamshiri, to name a few.
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A hat-like home inspired by sandcastles
One of Malibu’s most recognizable homes, this architectural gem was designed by architect Harry Gesner, known for his distinctive and avant-garde architectural designs, and served as his personal home for decades.
Known as the Sandcastle House due to the roofline’s unique design, inspired by sandcastles, the property is a true architectural feat. Though as many have pointed out over the years, the architectural home resembles a hat more than a sandcastle, despite the architect’s best intentions.
With 122 feet of beachfront land, this uniquely cylindrical 6-bedroom, 6-bathroom property comes with 3 additional small living units and so many unique features that it would “take a few pages to list them all”, Zen Gesner — the architect’s son, who also served as one of the listing agents for the property — admitted in an email.
The home was also built using mostly salvaged materials.
When building his cherished family home, Gesner used telephone poles, reclaimed bricks, wall panels made from aqueduct pipes, birdseye maple from a high school gym, old-growth redwood harvested in the 1800s, and windows and doors salvaged from one of Hollywood’s silent film theaters.
A futuristic heptagon-shaped home
Part of a retro-futuristic two-home compound in La Crescenta, California, this modern heptagon-shaped house was designed by AD100 architect Michael Maltzan, and is owned by Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist, Flea.
The spaceship-like house is surrounded by seven exterior walls (some made out of glass) and is anchored by an open-air courtyard that sits right at the center.
Nearly all the rooms of the house come with sliding floor-to-ceiling windows that open up to either the serene courtyard, or to mountain and city skyline views.
Stand-out features of the heptagon-shaped house include a primary suite with an entire wall of glass that opens up to a generously sized balcony and a particularly unique bathroom with a blue curved penny-tiled wall surrounding the shower. Also on the property is a midcentury modern home designed back in the 1950s by architect Richard Neutra for his secretary.
An architectural gem reminiscent of ancient Mayan temples
The Derby House, an architectural gem that’s often referenced as one of the finest examples of Mayan Revival-style architecture in the entire country, is a house like no other.
Located in Glendale, in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, the unique architectural home was built in 1926 by Lloyd Wright — the son of legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
Carrying on the legacy of his father, who worked with molded concrete tiles and blocks to create structurally innovative buildings, Lloyd Wright used concrete textile blocks to erect the Derby House.
The technique, just like in the case of his father’s best works, created a memorable structure that’s reminiscent of ancient Mayan temples. Inside, a vibrant mix of concrete, wood, and glass creates a downright unique interior that complements the architecture in a harmonious way.
A starship home that celebrates both the future and the past
Aptly called the Sun Valley Starship, this unique property towers above a manmade pond with its imposing concrete, steel, glass and reclaimed antique wood structure.
Despite its futuristic shape, the house incorporates plenty of historic elements — including sliding bedroom doors imported from India that date back to the mid-1600s, two steel mooring buoys salvaged from WWI ships, and exterior wood siding from the 1800s.
Celebrating both the past and the future in a most unique way, the home is located in Bellevue, ID, and welcomes residents with an inviting, cottage-like interior design that combines vintage elements with warm wood furniture and industrial-like exposed concrete.
The Idaho house has an Olympic-length rooftop pool which cantilevers over the entrance to the home. The entrance itself is quite unique, with gabion walls flanking the driveway that leads up to it.
A modern desert home that’s at one with its surroundings in Palm Springs
Heavily featured in design magazines like Architectural Digest, Dezeen, and Wallpaper, among others, this Palm Springs residence was completed by lauded firm Woods + Dangaran.
Deeply connected to its desert environment, the minimalist contemporary home seemingly emerges from the rocky landscape — and does not disrupt the site it’s been built on, but rather complements it.
The home’s design employs some of the best features of desert modernism, including low, sleek lines that make buildings blend in with the scenery, while featuring open interiors that keep that airy desert feeling.
As not to disrupt the natural setting, the house is slightly elevated to sit above the arroyos that have been on the site for thousands of years.
A desert home carved into Arizona’s Mummy Mountain
Building a home in the desert is no easy feat — and architects often have to get particularly creative to find ways of working with the rugged terrain and extreme climate instead of against it.
And few homes showcase that ingenuity quite like this striking desert home in Paradise Valley, Arizona, built by Scottsdale-based architect Lee Hutchison, a chief proponent of what he calls Organic Pueblo architecture.
Designed to embrace its surroundings, with an earthy adobe-style design inside and out, the house seems to rise straight from the rocky landscape, and is embedded into Arizona’s Mummy Mountain — as if it was carved into its slopes.
A dome-shaped house described as “a love letter to geometry”
Dubbed Constellation 167, this uniquely shaped house is an architectural marvel that features a stellar design, standing out like a huge piece of artwork compared to the traditional homes that line the family-friendly Los Angeles neighborhood it’s set in.
The dome-shaped structure marks the first residence designed by famed architect Eric Owen Moss, who is known for daring and unconventional works. Its striking design has attracted several big names in both screen and publication.
The house has appeared in TV shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm and Star Trek. It has also been featured in The New York Times and included in the book 100 of the World’s Best Houses.
A 153-year-old Victorian with a bold, black facade in San Francisco
In the heart of San Francisco’s Mission District, a meticulously restored 1872 Italianate Victorian stands out as one of the few surviving 19th-century homes on its block.
Originally built by architect, developer, and Civil War veteran Edward Leodore Mayberry, the property is one of 7 homes featured in the Victorian Alliance of San Francisco’s 2013 Historical Victorian House Tour.
Since then, the home has been transformed into a supremely elegant residence with modern conveniences, following an extensive two-year restoration led by architect Paul Molina.
But it’s most striking feature? That has to be its bold, black facade and vibrant mural out front — which celebrates the city’s creative spirit.
A hillside house that looks like the perfect villain lair
If you’ve ever dreamt of living in a supervillain lair, you’ll love this hillside home with killer views and a mid-century modern feel.
Perched high above Sausalito, California, the hillside residence was designed by acclaimed architect Obie Bowman and has some of the best Golden Gate Bridge views money can buy.
Located just minutes from the Golden Gate Bridge, the 4,217-square-foot property offers dramatic views of Belvedere, San Francisco Bay to the east, Tiburon to the north, and the city to the south.
The interiors of the midcentury modern home also feature many design elements that are typical of Bowman’s style including Douglas fir ceilings and floors, exposed beams, metal walls, composite concrete, and steel.
They all create a harmonious flow and a feeling of casual luxury.
A truly bewitching Los Angeles house
With no two windows or angles alike and a whimsical storybook architecture, this Beverly Hills residence is undoubtedly one of the most unique homes in all of Los Angeles.
Originally built in 1921, the charming property was meant to serve as an office location and dressing rooms for Irvin Willat’s film studio in Culver City, Calif. Willat was an American film director of the silent film era who directed 39 films between 1917 and 1937.
In 1926, the building was moved to its present location on the corner of Walden Drive and Carmelita Avenue in Beverly Hills and converted into a private home.
Just blocks from the glitz and glam of Rodeo Drive, the unique home features tiny whimsical windows and pointy, lopsided roofs, and an intentionally dilapidated design, making it one of L.A.’s most unique homes.
The whimsical structure is now ranked as one of the city’s best sights and historical landmarks, alongside other Beverly Hills staples like Mulholland Drive, Rodeo Drive, the historic Lily Pond, or the Greystone Mansion.
A dramatic villa on the canal in Venice
With its Mediterranean-style architecture, curved windows, stone façade, and the canal right at its doorstep, this villa hints at the very origins of Venice Beach (which was built in the early 20th century as a replica of Venice, Italy).
Displaying a level of sophistication and architectural detail that seem to have been taken straight from the Venetian Gothic style that’s characteristic to Venice’s Italian counterpart, the house is a sight to behold.
Credit for the home’s unique design goes to the prestigious Tomaro Architecture firm, who incorporated elements like a warm stucco & stone exterior, a slate roof, and a cobblestone driveway to elevate the Mediterranean-style home.
A unique geodesic dome house
If you’ve ever dreamed of owning and living in an architectural masterpiece featuring your very own Glass Onion house, then look no further than the Los Angeles architectural gem known as The Domestead.
The home was designed by architect William King for a young pediatrician named Joy Gaertner. Unfortunately, Gaertner passed away just a few months after her new home was completed in 1984, and the house went on to change hands several times over the years.
But thankfully, the geodesic dome house has recently spent time on the market, giving us a peek inside this unique home when it was listed last year for $1.725 million. A somewhat modest price, seeing that you’ll be hard-pressed to find another property like this in all of Los Angeles.
The William King-designed home is a perfect example of a dome house — a unique architectural style whose structures consist of smaller polygonal shapes that connect together to form a circle.
Borrowing elements from old European architecture (think old-world cathedrals), dome houses come in the shape of a sphere or spherical ellipsoid — and have more efficient air circulation and keep temperatures even due to their unique shape.
That applies to the Domestead as well.
Split into three levels, the dome house has a unique bottom floor dedicated to an underground cave-like retreat, the mid-level housing the kitchen, and the top floor — designed as a geodesic dome — acting as the bedroom.
A modernist house perched atop a promontory in Malibu
With its standout modernist architecture, a coveted location atop a promontory that affords it with ocean views, and a total of 4 structures — including a pool house that’s been rated as the #1 Airbnb in Malibu by the Los Angeles Times — this is far from your ordinary residence.
With a distinct modernist design, the Malibu home pays tribute to some of the style’s chief proponents, including Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, known as Le Corbusier, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, two of the best-known pioneers of modern architecture.
The interiors bear the signature of renowned local designer Vitus Mataré, whose Malibu-based firm, Vitus Mataré & Associates, Inc. specializes in classic modernist residential design — and often tackles technically challenging projects.
Surrounded by untouched terrain on over 12 pristine acres, the compound offers unparalleled privacy and unobstructed views of the ocean, Catalina, Channel Islands, and surrounding undeveloped canyons.
A stilt house looming over the San Fernando Valley
When it comes to jaw-dropping views, it doesn’t get much better than this: a striking mid-century house floating on the edge of the hillside, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the San Fernando Valley.
And not just any house, but one of 17 unique homes designed by legendary architect Richard Neutra propped up over the side of the Beverly Glen Canyon. The unique homes — that jut out above the steep slope of the valley below — are located on Oakfield Drive in Sherman Oaks, and are most commonly known as Neutra’s Platform Houses.
The 17 ‘stilt homes’ were built on massive platforms that cantilever out over the edge of a steep slope, looking down onto the valley below.
Offering a rich history of mid-century modern architecture in the 1960s, the gravity-defying homes feature sweeping views of the San Fernando Valley.
And one of these iconic seventeen stilt homes was listed for sale in 2022 asking $2.05 million (it later sold in March 2023 for $1,910,000).
An architectural home with a funicular and glamping yurts
Rightfully touted as “one of the most significant architectural offerings in Los Angeles today”, the Brentwood home was originally designed by AD100 icon, Waldo Fernandez, and features one of the last private funiculars in Los Angeles.
The residence is revealed through a monumental façade, where board-formed concrete and steel-framed geometrical windows establish a commanding presence.
Beyond the entrance, a sculptural porte-cochère introduces the home’s sweeping curves and dramatic voids, its signature architectural elements.
Recently reimagined by AD100 designers Ramin and Pamela Shamshiri of Studio Shamshiri, the 8-bedroom, 12,587 square-foot architectural home is located close to the Getty, on a private, gated road with only a few other homes, and stands out from its predominantly suburban neighbors with its monumental façade and distinct modernist architecture.
It also comes with some unique amenities that make the most of its location, including one of the last working residential funiculars in Los Angeles, which leads to a couple of luxury yurts with breathtaking views.
An architectural Malibu home that combines glass, steel, and Feng Shui principles
Renowned architect Edward R. Niles, who’s been creating iconic structures since 1979, expertly balanced cutting-edge ideas with timeless elements to create arguably his best endeavor — the Malibu Glass-and-Steel House — which is, in essence, a livable art piece to the likes of the Guggenheim Museum.
The avant-garde abode is defined by sharp geometric angles, varied shapes, and out-of-the-box materials like glass, steel, and concrete, all thoughtfully executed and flowing beautifully together.
In other words, it’s a far cry from your average home.
Despite its futuristic appeal, the house still manages to achieve a homey feel by balancing the cold steel and concrete with warm natural elements throughout.
The original owner of the house, Dr. Wei-Tzuoh Chen, was passionate about Feng Shui – and it’s noticeable in the carefully curated details.
The home’s prime location on a hill just 75 feet away from water adheres perfectly to the ancient Chinese art form’s principles, and its south-facing facade is ideal for balance, harmony, and good fortune.
Taking Feng Shui to the next level, architect Niles strategically incorporated the lucky number 8 — doubling in meaning as the infinity symbol — throughout the house, from its 8separate structures united as one to tasteful sculptures and furnishings highlighting the powerful number that represents abundance.
Timeless elegance meets whimsical charm in this storybook castle
Dubbed Chateau Lemoine, the stunning estate was originally constructed in 1926 and is a prime example of storybook architecture.
Located in the beautiful Brookside neighborhood of Los Angeles, the extensively remodeled home features a list of luxurious features and endless period elements. It’s also a beautiful example of storybook architecture.
Inspired by the beauty of Europe’s cobblestone streets and ancient structures, storybook architecture made its way west in the early 1900s. Creating a bewitching effect in Los Angeles, this form of architecture includes a wave of whimsical homes featuring dramatically different structural fads.
Storybook architecture offers an exaggerated medieval style, with many of the buildings designed with crooked walls, asymmetrical elements and swayback roofs. Think Edward Scissorhands meets Hansel and Gretel — a Hollywood take on medieval and European architecture.
A dramatic Greek Temple-like villa with views worthy of Olympus
It looks like it belongs on the ancient Acropolis citadel in Athens, Greece. But the architecturally distinct house is neatly tucked away in the hills of Berkeley, Calif. and offers sweeping views of San Francisco.
Known as the Temple of Wings, the impressive Greco-Roman-style villa was built in the early 1900s and was originally designed by legendary architect Bernard Maybeck.
Maybeck’s design was altered by the time the house was built a few years later, with A. Randolph Monro completing it in 1914. The house then burned down and had to be rebuilt a decade later, with its design undergoing further changes.
A historic landmark and one of Berkeley’s most recognizable private homes, the imposing structure has a grand outdoor pavilion with 16 Corinthian columns that makes it look like it was plucked right out of ancient Greece.
A skinny house that’s merely 10 foot wide
Merely 10 foot wide, Westchester’s Skinny House is one of New York’s most unique dwellings, with its beautiful history and thoughtful architecture landing it a spot on the National Register of Historic Places.
The little house on a 12.5-foot lot was built in 1932 by Nathan T. Seely, one of New York’s first African American builders. The narrow home is the result of ingenuity and kindness, and a lasting reminder of what neighborhood kindness and support is all about.
With 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, and a total of 533 square feet of living space, the home is a tiny architectural marvel that’s been captivating people walking past it for years.
“Although only 10 feet wide, the house claims its space and still shouts to all who see it: ‘I raised a family here! I come from sturdy stock!’” the former owner once told us.
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