Best Houses of 2025: Dezeen’s Top Residential Architecture Picks

This article explores ten standout residential projects completed in 2025 that are reshaping what contemporary housing can be. From sculptural mud shells in rural India to glass-brick infill in dense European cities, these homes show how architects are pushing material innovation and rethinking how we live together. They also create spaces that feel deeply human and grounded in place.

Global Housing Trends Reflected in 2025’s Most Interesting Homes

Across continents, a few themes stand out: a renewed respect for landscape, a fascination with expressive forms, and a drive to make compact urban sites feel generous and bright. These projects show how traditional craft and new technologies combine to create efficient, characterful homes.

The Wild House, India – Sculptural “Fold Architecture” in Earth

In Tamil Nadu, Earthscape Studio’s Wild House reflects a movement toward architecture that feels grown rather than built. The column-free structure is wrapped in a single, sculpted mud-plaster shell.

Inside, cave-like spaces show what the studio calls fold architecture—surfaces bend and fold to create walls, ceilings, and seating in one gesture. The earthen construction provides passive cooling and connects the home to local materials and traditions.

Hedge and Arbour House, Australia – Light, Privacy, and Landscape

Studio Bright’s Hedge and Arbour House in Australia addresses a classic suburban challenge: enjoying light, views, and openness without losing privacy. The solution is a layered façade with perforated metal screens, blockwork walls, and lots of planting.

These elements balance shading and daylight, creating filtered light that changes throughout the day. The architecture steps back to let the landscape dominate.

Frame House, Portugal – Concrete as Landscape Infrastructure

In Portugal, Pedro Domingos Arquitectos’ Frame House looks like a piece of robust infrastructure set in the terrain. Board-marked concrete walls give the home a fortress-like solidity.

Large openings cut through the mass, offering framed views of the landscape. The concrete acts as both structure and climatic buffer.

Glass Brick House, Belgium – Making Small Urban Plots Feel Generous

Delmulle Delmulle Architecten’s Glass Brick House in Ghent tackles the constraints of a tight urban plot by turning the façade into a luminous filter. Glass bricks pull daylight deep into the interior while maintaining privacy.

The result is a lantern-like quality at night and soft, diffused light during the day. Infill housing here becomes bright and uplifting.

Cairnconon Byre, Scotland – Contemporary Rural Vernacular

Cairnconon Byre by Loader Monteith draws on agricultural buildings and rural Scottish traditions without becoming pastiche. The design uses robust stonework, black-painted pine, and rust-red corrugated-metal roofs.

This palette evokes classic farm structures while meeting modern living standards. The project shows rural homes can be contemporary yet sensitive to their context.

Twin House, UK – Architecture for Blended Families

Graeme Williamson Architects’ Twin House stands out with its double-gabled, all-red profile. The mirrored gables symbolize the merging of two families, using form and color to tell a story.

Internally, this duality likely allows for both shared and separate zones. The design supports new family structures and flexible living patterns.

HATA, California – White Concrete Dome with Futurist Roots

HATA, designed by Anastasiya Dudik in California, is a white concrete dome with circular porthole windows. It blends Soviet brutalism with futuristic sci-fi imagery.

The dome shape is efficient structurally and can perform well thermally. This project shows expressive, non-orthogonal geometries are becoming mainstream in residential design.

Houses with One Pillar, Germany – Rethinking Suburban Typologies

Buero Wagner’s Houses with One Pillar offer a new model for suburban living in Germany. Charred timber facades provide a resilient, low-maintenance exterior, while exposed concrete interiors give a robust character inside.

The design emphasizes:

By challenging conventional suburban aesthetics, the project suggests a future where neighborhoods are denser and more sociable.

Reciprocal House, UK – Conversing with a Norman Foster Extension

In London, Gianni Botsford Architects’ Reciprocal House shows how new work can respectfully engage with high-profile existing architecture. Designed alongside a Norman Foster extension, the house maintains a shared spirit of lightness and entertainment-focused living.

Carefully controlled daylight, open-plan spaces, and refined detailing help the new and existing elements feel like a single environment.

What These 2025 Houses Signal About the Future of Residential Design

Taken together, these ten homes reveal a residential landscape that is both experimental and grounded.

Architects are:

 
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