15 Stunning Homes Built Into Nature (2024)

Skip to main content

Find anything you save across the site in your account

To revisit this article, select My Account, thenView saved stories

Sign In
SearchSearch

Find anything you save across the site in your account

To revisit this article, select My Account, thenView saved stories

Sign In

Architecture

From Albert Frey’s house built into a mountain to John Lautner’s iconic Sheats-Goldstein residence in L.A., these structures take the term back to nature to another level

By Jessica Cherner and Katherine McLaughlin

15 Stunning Homes Built Into Nature (6)

  • Pinterest

Photo: Elizabeth Daniels

Frank Lloyd Wright's greatest legacy is easily his modern homes built into nature. From more obvious examples like Fallingwater in Pennsylvania to the way organic shapes found in nature influenced nearly every design he dreamt up. “Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature,” Wright once said. “It will never fail you.” It’s no surprise that finding an integration, balance, and dialogue between the indoors and outdoors was arguably the iconic architect’s greatest gift.

Though Wright felt architects should study nature, John Ruskin took it a bit further. The Victorian-era writer once noted that an architect should be sent "to our hills, and let him study there what nature understands by a buttress, and what by a dome.” Whether influenced by Wright, Ruskin, or another, including nature in the built world is advice many architects have followed throughout the years. Here, AD looks at some of the best examples of this. From an arachnid-shaped desert home that took nearly two decades to construct to a small home built inside a hill in France, these special houses seem more like livable art. Below, find 15 stunning homes built into nature.

Firework content

This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.

  • 15 Stunning Homes Built Into Nature (7)

    • Pinterest
    • Pinterest

Most Popular

  • Architecture + Design

    Three Multimillion Dollar Homes on a Cliff Appear at Risk of Falling Into the Ocean

    By Katherine McLaughlin

  • Celebrity Style

    Usher’s Homes: A Look Inside the Musician’s Epic Properties

    By Joyce Chen

  • Magazine

    Inside Ryan Murphy’s Rule-Breaking Redo of an Iconic Midcentury House in LA

    By Ryan Murphy

    • Pinterest
    • Pinterest

Most Popular

  • Architecture + Design

    Three Multimillion Dollar Homes on a Cliff Appear at Risk of Falling Into the Ocean

    By Katherine McLaughlin

  • Celebrity Style

    Usher’s Homes: A Look Inside the Musician’s Epic Properties

    By Joyce Chen

  • Magazine

    Inside Ryan Murphy’s Rule-Breaking Redo of an Iconic Midcentury House in LA

    By Ryan Murphy

    • Pinterest
    • Pinterest

Most Popular

  • Architecture + Design

    Three Multimillion Dollar Homes on a Cliff Appear at Risk of Falling Into the Ocean

    By Katherine McLaughlin

  • Celebrity Style

    Usher’s Homes: A Look Inside the Musician’s Epic Properties

    By Joyce Chen

  • Magazine

    Inside Ryan Murphy’s Rule-Breaking Redo of an Iconic Midcentury House in LA

    By Ryan Murphy

    • Pinterest
    • Pinterest

Most Popular

  • Architecture + Design

    Three Multimillion Dollar Homes on a Cliff Appear at Risk of Falling Into the Ocean

    By Katherine McLaughlin

  • Celebrity Style

    Usher’s Homes: A Look Inside the Musician’s Epic Properties

    By Joyce Chen

  • Magazine

    Inside Ryan Murphy’s Rule-Breaking Redo of an Iconic Midcentury House in LA

    By Ryan Murphy

    • Pinterest
    • Pinterest

Most Popular

  • Architecture + Design

    Three Multimillion Dollar Homes on a Cliff Appear at Risk of Falling Into the Ocean

    By Katherine McLaughlin

  • Celebrity Style

    Usher’s Homes: A Look Inside the Musician’s Epic Properties

    By Joyce Chen

  • Magazine

    Inside Ryan Murphy’s Rule-Breaking Redo of an Iconic Midcentury House in LA

    By Ryan Murphy

    • Pinterest
    • Pinterest

Most Popular

  • Architecture + Design

    Three Multimillion Dollar Homes on a Cliff Appear at Risk of Falling Into the Ocean

    By Katherine McLaughlin

  • Celebrity Style

    Usher’s Homes: A Look Inside the Musician’s Epic Properties

    By Joyce Chen

  • Magazine

    Inside Ryan Murphy’s Rule-Breaking Redo of an Iconic Midcentury House in LA

    By Ryan Murphy

    • Pinterest

Exploreadarchitecture

Read More

Architecture + Design

Tour a Glimmering Historic Home on Gramercy Park

The restored Greek Revival structure in NYC is a dream realized for its two owners

By David Sokol

Architecture + Design

Inside an Incredible Ode to Bhutanese Design in the Colorado Mountains

The owners worked with a skillful team to create a unique representation of the Buddhist kingdom some 7,500 miles away

By Tshering Yangzom

Magazine

Inside Ryan Murphy’s Rule-Breaking Redo of an Iconic Midcentury House in LA

The Hollywood hitmaker curated decor from a range of eras to contrast with the clean lines of his famous abode, Richard Neutra’s 1955 Brown House

By Ryan Murphy

architecture

Inside Ryan Murphy’s Bel Air Home Built By Richard Neutra

Today, AD takes you inside Ryan Murphy’s beautiful Bel Air home. Designed in 1955 by Richard Neutra, the Brown House features what is believed to be the only double-wide living room designed by the legendary architect. Working with designer Trevor Cheney, the Feud creator wanted the interiors to create a sense of conflict and act as a reimagining of classic midcentury design. Decorative pieces from the past 500 years of mid-centuries contrast a predominantly contemporary art collection. Murphy’s home might be breaking several traditional design rules, but it’s also full of whimsy and intrigue, opening up a world of creative possibilities. “I have discovered that the only thing that truly interests me is a space in which things are in conflict. It’s the same in storytelling. A real design conversation starts to unfold when things that aren’t supposed to go together, for whatever outdated reasons, begin to suggest unexpected affinities and surprising similarities.”

Feud: Capote vs. The Swans is streaming on FX now.

See more of Ryan Murphy's Bel Air home here

15 Stunning Homes Built Into Nature (2024)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Greg O'Connell

Last Updated:

Views: 5946

Rating: 4.1 / 5 (62 voted)

Reviews: 93% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Greg O'Connell

Birthday: 1992-01-10

Address: Suite 517 2436 Jefferey Pass, Shanitaside, UT 27519

Phone: +2614651609714

Job: Education Developer

Hobby: Cooking, Gambling, Pottery, Shooting, Baseball, Singing, Snowboarding

Introduction: My name is Greg O'Connell, I am a delightful, colorful, talented, kind, lively, modern, tender person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.