Custom home

An overview of projects, products and exclusive articles about custom home

Project • By JMAD • Private Houses

Hillside Pavilion

Hillside Pavilion began with a decision to work with the land. On a site in Wayzata, Minnesota, that descends from the road toward a wooded backyard, JMAD Architecture set the home into the slope. Its low profile at the approach opens into a partial walkout at the rear, allowing the terrain to shape both the building’s form and its organization. Spacecrafting Photography Spacecrafting Photography Spacecrafting Photography The architecture explores how horizontal and vertical planes can define space. Broad roof overhangs intersect with vertical masses and fins, establishing areas of enclosure while preserving views between rooms and into the landscape. Integrated planter walls extend this composition into the entry cour... More

Project • By JMAD • Private Houses

Modern Manor

 When does architecture become sculpture? In this home. Modern Manor is a refined residence that blends classic Tudor architecture with contemporary updates. White brick, black-framed windows and a black slate roof establish a timeless exterior, while the home’s strong architectural massing and clean, restrained detailing create a distinctly modern presence. Spacecrafting Photography Spacecrafting Photography Spacecrafting Photography Spacecrafting Photography Spacecrafting Photography Inside, a lower foyer opens into a two-story great room anchored by a sculptural circular staircase and a two-story glass wall framing wooded and lake views. The main-level living plan is designed around modern family life... More

Project • By Shimal'e Peleg Light in art • Private Houses

Harbor Springs Lakefront Residence - Michigan

Set along the shoreline of Lake Michigan in Harbor Springs, this custom luxury residence by Craftmark Construction captures the relaxed elegance of Northern Michigan coastal living. Crisp white interiors, expansive windows, natural wood floors and sweeping lake views create a refined yet welcoming retreat, where the surrounding landscape remains central to the architectural experience. Shimale Peleg - Light in Art created two bespoke glass lighting installations of Bivalvia collection for the home, each designed to complement the character and proportions of its setting. Both compositions feature handcrafted white glass, introducing sculptural interest while preserving the home's bright, airy atmosphere. Construction Craftmark Above... More

Project • By BLA Design Group • Private Houses

Nagomi House

Nagomi House is a carefully resolved single-family residence on a corner lot in Kerrisdale. Surrounded by mature trees, the canopy influences privacy, light, and arrival. Staggered gable volumes align with surrounding roof forms, reducing perceived scale while responding to neighbourhood context and climate. Jungwoo Han Jungwoo Han Jungwoo Han Deep roof overhangs provide shelter during Vancouver’s long winters and help moderate daylight. Southern and eastern exposures are leveraged to bring light deep into the plan while maintaining privacy from the street. The exterior palette of warm-toned stucco and cedar soffits was selected for durability, weathering, and tonal alignment with the landscape. The laneway house follo... More

Project • By FE Architects • Private Houses

Casa Loma

Perched six feet above the sidewalk on a sloped lot in Lakewood Hills, Dallas, Casa Loma is a home built around an act of preservation. At its center is a courtyard conceived entirely to protect an existing tree — its canopy casting shifting light and shadow through the day, connecting the interior life of the house to the landscape that preceded it. Becca Lee The design reads from the street as a composition of stacked volumes: dark brick with deliberately shifting hues, cementitious panel, and warm wood siding. Each material was chosen for its dialogue with the neighborhood's earthy tones while asserting a distinctly contemporary character. Inside, the brick continues uninterrupted from exterior to interior — a cohesion... More

Project • By Unison Builds • Private Houses

Squaw Pass

Set within the wooded hills of Evergreen, this residence was conceived as a modern alpine retreat defined by clarity of form and material contrast. Strong architectural lines, layered stonework, and warm wood accents were carefully composed to create balance between contemporary expression and its natural surroundings. Every exterior and outdoor living space was refined to deliver a seamless relationship between structure, landscape, and everyday living. Chris Robbins Chris Robbins Chris Robbins Chris Robbins More

Project • By Structures | Alair • Private Houses

I'On Avenue - Sullivan's Island

Just steps from the beach on I’On Avenue on Sullivan’s Island, this home is the picture of quintessential Lowcountry living. Inside, exposed beams and a mixture of natural hardwoods reflect a relaxed, coastal character. Julia Lynn Photography Julia Lynn Photography Julia Lynn Photography Julia Lynn Photography A featured wine room in the center of the home adds a statement piece with functionality. Stepping outside provides plenty of opportunities for entertaining, from a deep screened porch to the first-floor pool area with a complete outdoor kitchen, fireplace, and multiple covered seating and dining sections. Julia Lynn Photography Julia Lynn Photography Julia Lynn Photography Julia Lynn... More

Project • By JMAD • Private Houses

Countryside Rambler

 Our Countryside Rambler is located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Because the whole house is situated on a hill, how you can enter the site was a design challenge we solved with a unique side entry system. Spacecrafting Photography Spacecrafting Photography Spacecrafting Photography Spacecrafting Photography Spacecrafting Photography Spacecrafting Photography Spacecrafting Photography Our client wanted to take advantage of the expansive views but the one side was challenging because you were looking back out to the garage. So we designed nice, large windows on both sides, being mindful of what we were seeing out that way and exactly how the garage was positioned.  Spacecrafting Photography S... More

Project • By JMAD • Museums

African Safari House

Inspired by decades of travel to Kenya, our clients wanted a home that would reflect their love for The Continent and serve as a museum for the artifacts they’ve gathered. The Africa Safari style home is an homage to their deep love and commitment to Kenya, complete with a traditional, circular rondavel and museum room. Hand crafted of selected stone, the home and its detailed architecture is one for the ages.  JMAD JMAD JMAD JMAD JMAD JMAD JMAD JMAD JMAD JMAD JMAD JMAD JMAD JMAD JMAD JMAD JMAD JMAD JMAD JMAD JMAD JMAD Jim McNeal Jim McNeal More

Project • By Moriyama Teshima Architects • Private Houses

Infinity House

Infinity House, a private residence located on the shoreline of Lake Ontario, is intended to be a gathering place to bring together the family and friends of the owners—a couple entering retirement after substantial careers. Thoughtfully crafted at every level, this custom-designed home provides for an elegant lifestyle of comfort, while simultaneously accomplishing an unpretentious, modern design that respects the environment and architecturally celebrates the historically significant natural landscape of the Niagara region building site.  Riley Snelling Riley Snelling The name Infinity House is inherently inspired by the impressive panorama of the waterfront, existing as a humbling piece of artwork that is framed by... More

Project • By RO | ROCKETT DESIGN • Private Houses

BAJA MX | BEACH HOUSE

Inhabiting a unique desert landscape and surrounded by sea and mountains, this single-story beachfront residence of stone, wood and earth envelops its residents in the essence of the site while gently and seamlessly transitioning from desert to ocean. Zore Studio Zore Studio Zore Studio Located at the southern end of the Sea of Cortez on the eastern shore of southern Baja California, The Beach House draws its occupants through interstitial shared courtyards and cloistered living spaces of balanced tectonic forms and lush landscape, arriving at a generous common living space that opens to an ocean horizon to the east and mountains flanking the bay to the south. Zore Studio Zore Studio Caption More

Project • By RO | ROCKETT DESIGN • Private Houses

ASPEN | HORIZON HOUSE

The concept for the Horizon House was to imbue the architecture with the essence of the vast panoramic view found at the site. In order to capture the wide expanse of mountain and valley, the architecture uses a language of longitudinal planes to frame the Aspen horizon. Suspended above a rugged, stone plinth, the roof planes define spaces that cascade down the steeply sloped site and curate views both focused and panoramic. Floor-to-ceiling glass and strategically placed sliding doors connect the town and mountain view to a protected upslope courtyard for a truly seamless connection with nature.  ADAM ROUSE ADAM ROUSE ADAM ROUSE ADAM ROUSE Caption More

Project • By CAST architecture • Private Houses

Bear Creek Basecamp

Overlooking a mountain lake, with sweeping views of the North Cascades, the Bear Creek Basecamp family home respects its rugged Methow Valley surroundings. The low profile of the home preserves views for everyone enjoying the lake and its surrounding hills.  Builtwork Photography Builtwork Photography The home has more windows than walls while remaining energy efficient. The shed roof holds snow to insulate in the winter and exterior steel and concrete are low maintenance.  Most rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows that provide abundant natural light and intentionally frame views. And, it blurs the line between indoor living and the outdoors. The two outdoor living spaces were integral to the overall plan and experience... More

Project • By CAST architecture • Private Houses

Edelweiss House

This home, on two acres, near Mazama in the Methow Valley, was sited to take maximum advantage of a south-facing orientation. Its horseshoe shape creates a courtyard between the wings of the home which is cooler in the summer and cozy with a fire pit in the winter. The home’s design highlights the indoor/outdoor relationship that characterizes Methow Valley life. Andrew Giammarco Andrew Giammarco The twelve-foot-high bank of windows and NanaWall in the great room face southwest and provide transparency through the home, while framing valley and mountain views. The interior wood ceiling extends out through the overhang above the veranda, further drawing the eye out and bringing in the outdoors. The roof height was intentiona... More

Project • By CAST architecture • Private Houses

Berm House

The Berm House is a private residence that doubles as the common house and gathering space for a 19 house mixed-income community in Washington’s Methow Valley. The house is set into the landscape, with a panoramic view of the farmland down valley, but hidden from the road by a berm that ramps up onto and across the roof.   Benjamin Drummond The south-facing building orientation optimizes winter solar exposure coupled with large overhangs to protect from snowfall and the intense summer sun. The home is post and beam structure with a cross-laminated timber (CLT) roof prefabricated in northeastern Washington. The design incorporates Passive House principles including managing seasonal heat gain from solar exposure, advanced ai... More