Some of us want our holidays by the beach or maybe in the mountains or smack dang in the middle of a modern metropolis. Others are a little pickier. For those inspired by or obsessed with the great 20th century starchitects, there are now many vacation homes designed by some of the masters. Here are some of the finest architect-designed homes available for those who have a need to get their architect geek on.
Le Corbusier
Some might say Le Corbusier was the man. But then the die-hard fans of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Walter Gropius, Philip Johnson and Oscar Niemeyer would beg to disagree. Le Corbusier’s innate ability to seamlessly join function and timeless style mean his influence is still seen daily around the world.
Seventeen of his works are UNESCO World Heritage listed and are all part of his desire to internationalize architecture. He applied his most famous maxim that a house is “a machine for living in” to his ‘Radiant City’ apartment complex in Marseille. You can rent an apartment here for much, much less than the cost of a hotel room. See Boutique Homes
Glenn Murcutt
On the edge of the Eurobodalla National Park and twenty minutes south of Moruya, the Magney House is perhaps the Pritzker Prize winner’s most famous work. This family home is a wildlife wonderland with resident kangaroos, magpies, echidnas and only a ten-minute walk to the beach and surfing dolphins.
On 33 hectares, the Magney House’s east and west wings are connected by a central dining courtyard with a barbecue. Designed to capture northern light the long low roof collects rainwater The roofline is reminiscent of an Australian woodshed and catches rainwater for the tank that supplies the house. The trademark Murcutt corrugated metal sheathing insulates the home. See Stayz
Frank Lloyd Wright
Yes, even Airbnb have realised the worth of the architect. The sharing economy behemoth has enlisted the star power of the Picasso of architecture, listing Frank Lloyd Wright’s Schwartz House at Two Rivers, Wisconsin. Based on his Life Magazine ‘Dream House’ design, Wright named the Usonian home ‘Still Bend’.
The home still features FLW-designed tables, chairs, beds, lamps and a couch with built-in bookshelves. The 1940 4-bedroom home located on Lake Michigan sports a 63-foot long living room and wi-fi.
Phillip Johnson
It was a meeting with architectural giant Mies van der Rohe that dramatically changed young Philip Johnson’s life in 1928. He was best known as a curator and designer before taking up the pencil many years later. However, his impact on the Modernist movement was without peer.
For a mere $US30,000, you can enjoy a dinner for ten, followed by a night with your significant other in the Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut. The pavilion’s four exterior glass walls each have a door that opens onto the landscape. The architect called the Glass House home from 1949 until his death in 2005.
More Frank Lloyd Wright – Plans Matter
Architects Connie Lindor and Scott Muellner love architecture and good design. Their goal with PlansMatter is straightforward: “to make finding and experiencing architecturally significant vacation rentals effortless and convenient”. Each property has a story to tell – some joyous or some tragic like the Seth Peterson Cottage.
Another Frank Lloyd Wright design, the tiny Seth Peterson Cottage is built on the very edge of a hill that plunges down to Mirror Lake. The local Wisconsin sandstone makes the building monumental despite its small footprint.
Plans Matter have curated a list of outstanding properties across North and South America and Europe. Plans Matter also list Murcutt’s magnificent Magney House and the mind-bending Pole House by Frank Dixon built for his family on the Great Ocean Road.
