Best Residential Architecture from Wallpaper* September 2025

This post distils Wallpaper*’s new monthly series, The Architecture Edit, into a concise review of standout residential projects around the world.

Drawing on three decades of architectural practice and observation, I examine how each house on the September 2025 list represents a strand of contemporary residential design—midcentury preservation, sensitive renovation, dramatic coastal retreats, and quietly radical subterranean living.

The projects offer lessons for architects and clients alike.

Global residences that teach us about context, craft and innovation

Wallpaper*’s curation brings together homes that are instructive beyond their aesthetics.

They show how material honesty, site-specific responses and programmatic ingenuity continue to define excellent residential architecture.

Below I unpack the primary exemplars from the feature and point to the qualities worth copying or resisting in future projects.

Richard Neutra’s Case Study House #20 — a midcentury prefab exemplar

Case Study House #20 in Pacific Palisades (1948) is a study in midcentury modern values: open plans, natural materials and early prefabrication.

Neutra’s use of a prefabricated core with warm timber and expansive glazing shows how efficiency can be combined with a strong connection to the landscape.

Buff, Straub & Hensman’s Norton House — post-and-beam integration

Norton House (Pasadena, 1954) demonstrates how post-and-beam construction can dissolve barriers between indoors and out.

Terraces, bridges and generous glazing let the wooded site become part of the living experience.

Mallett’s Black and Stone — heritage meets Scandinavian restraint

Black and Stone in Perthshire repurposes a derelict 1930s cottage into a timber-framed home that celebrates original stonework.

Clean, Scandinavian-inspired interiors offer a model for adaptive reuse that honours local materials while giving occupants modern comforts.

Casa Piscina del Cielo — daring cliffside architecture in Mexico

Casa Piscina del Cielo by Zozaya Arquitectos in Zihuatanejo is both theatrical and precise.

A 27-metre pool cantilevers over the Pacific, blurring the line between building and ocean.

The interiors maximise panoramic views and respond to the coastal climate.

Le Corbusier’s Cité Radieuse duplex — modernist theory still living

A rare duplex on the market in Le Corbusier’s Cité Radieuse in Marseille underlines the longevity of his modulor system and primary-colour palette.

It remains a formative study in standardisation, proportion and the social ambitions of modern housing.

Stealth House, Tokyo — concealed luxury and subterranean daylight

Stealth House by Apollo Architects reframes privacy as a design move.

A monolithic concrete skin hides a sanctuary with an infinity pool, car gallery and subterranean leisure spaces lit by a sunken courtyard.

This project shows that urban infill can accommodate generous amenities without spectacle.

Bay House, North Devon — resilience and refined coastal living

Bay House by McLean Quinlan curves along the North Devon coastline with a Purbeck stone façade. The home features energy-efficient systems.

This project shows how climate-responsive detailing and strong materials can create both longevity and elegance in exposed coastal environments.

Takeaways for practitioners and clients:

 
Here is the source article for this story: The architecture that Wallpaper* has been loving this month