21 Spectacular Homes That Star on the Silver Screen

And the award for most outstanding architecture in a film goes to...

The Elrod House

John Lautner’s Elrod House is a modernist gem located in the desert of Palm Springs. Commissioned by interior designer Arthur Elrod in 1968, the cliffside residence appeared as Willard Whyte’s hideaway in the James Bond classic, Diamonds Are Forever and has since become one of the most recognizable homes of the era.

Designed by American architect and Frank Lloyd Wright protégé John Lautner, the Elrod House was built in 1968 for interior designer Arthur Elrod. The house is set on a craggy ridge in Palm Springs that affords it panoramic views of the San Jacinto Mountains. In fact, the ridge is actually incorporated into the home, with giant boulders kept in their original place and acting as walls and room dividers within the house, bringing nature inside.

Designed by American architect and Frank Lloyd Wright protégé John Lautner, the Elrod House was built in 1968 for interior designer Arthur Elrod. The house is set on a craggy ridge in Palm Springs that affords it panoramic views of the San Jacinto Mountains. In fact, the ridge is actually incorporated into the home, with giant boulders kept in their original place and acting as walls and room dividers within the house, bringing nature inside.

The Overby House 

Designed by Swedish architect John Robert Nilsson, the Overby House is located on Varmdo, one of the small outlying islands near Stockholm. The sleek, contemporary summer home, which features floor-to-ceiling glass, was featured in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The matte-black exterior and floor-to-ceiling glass of Villa Överby sit flush on limestone slabs.

The matte-black exterior and floor-to-ceiling glass of Villa Överby sit flush on limestone slabs.

The Skyline Residence

The Skyline Residence, which was designed by Belzberg Architects and featured in Crazy Stupid Love, sits atop a ridge in the Hollywood Hills. The stunning, 5,800-square-foot residence was snapped up by Pharell in 2015.

For the Skyline Residence, Belzberg Architects made a conscious effort to build an environmentally sensitive structure without sacrificing aesthetic and budget. Along with recycling wood framing and flooring from a nearby construction site, they sourced the low e-glazing, steel, and concrete mixes from California manufacturers.

For the Skyline Residence, Belzberg Architects made a conscious effort to build an environmentally sensitive structure without sacrificing aesthetic and budget. Along with recycling wood framing and flooring from a nearby construction site, they sourced the low e-glazing, steel, and concrete mixes from California manufacturers.

Sheats-Goldstein Residence

Designed by John Lautner in 1963, the Sheats-Goldstein Residence in the Hollywood Hills was featured in the cult classic The Big Lebowski. The living room—which has become known, fittingly, as the "Big Lebowski Room"—boasts a curvy, concrete-and-leather sofa that resulted from a collaboration between homeowner James Goldstein and Lautner. The ceiling is covered with sandblasted concrete that still features the original miniature circular skylights.

Throughout the house, there are a number of details that are clearly "Lautner." Working with Goldstein, the architect was given the opportunity to design custom furniture pieces, which is something he didn’t normally get the chance to do. His angular, minimalist style was carried throughout, including in the custom leather-and-concrete sofas spread throughout the living room.

Throughout the house, there are a number of details that are clearly "Lautner." Working with Goldstein, the architect was given the opportunity to design custom furniture pieces, which is something he didn’t normally get the chance to do. His angular, minimalist style was carried throughout, including in the custom leather-and-concrete sofas spread throughout the living room.

Hoke House

Located on the border of Portland, Oregon’s Forest Park and designed by Skylab Architecture, the Hoke House was the residence of Edward Cullen and his family in Twilight

Skylab Architecture cantilevered the living volumes in order to minimize the building’s footprint and to create a tree house-like experience for the residents.

Skylab Architecture cantilevered the living volumes in order to minimize the building’s footprint and to create a tree house-like experience for the residents.

The Lovell House

Designed and built by Richard Neutra in the late 1920s, the Lovell House was the first steel-frame home in the United States and an early example of the use of gunite—a spray-on concrete. The International-style home was considered to be a turning point in Neutra’s career. It appeared in the 1997 film L.A. Confidential and the 2011 film Beginners.

The owners of the 1929 Lovell Health house agreed to a rare tour of their home as part of the 85th anniversary celebration.

The owners of the 1929 Lovell Health house agreed to a rare tour of their home as part of the 85th anniversary celebration.

Casa Malaparte

Casa Malaparte is a villa that was built in 1938 for Curzio Malaparte, an Italian magic realist writer, by the Italian architect Adalberto Libera. Perched on a cliff on the island of Capri, the home was featured in Jean-Luc Godard’s 1963 drama, Contempt—which also starred the legendary Brigitte Bardot.

Casa Malaparte is perched on the cliffs of Capri and was designed by Adalberto Libera in 1938.

Casa Malaparte is perched on the cliffs of Capri and was designed by Adalberto Libera in 1938.

The Sculptured House

Built in 1965 outside Denver, the Sculptured House is a three-level, elliptically curved structure designed by Charles Deaton. Originally designed as a sculpture, the 7,500-square-foot home was featured in Woody Allen’s futuristic 1973 comedy, Sleeper

Designed by Charles Deaton and completed in 1965, the Sculptured House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and can be seen clearly from Interstate 70. 

Designed by Charles Deaton and completed in 1965, the Sculptured House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and can be seen clearly from Interstate 70. 

The Schaffer Residence

Designed by architect John Lautner in 1949, the very elegant, midcentury-modern Schaffer Residence is located in Glendale, California. The covetable home was featured in Tom Ford’s acclaimed film A Single Man.

Built with redwood, glass, red brick, and concrete, the house was originally designed by John Lautner for the Schaffer family, who used to spend time enjoying picnics under the resident oak trees. Lautner built the house horizontally around the oaks.

Built with redwood, glass, red brick, and concrete, the house was originally designed by John Lautner for the Schaffer family, who used to spend time enjoying picnics under the resident oak trees. Lautner built the house horizontally around the oaks.

The Ben Rose House

The Ben Rose House was designed by modernist architect A. James Speyer, a student of Mies van der Rohe. The glass-and-steel box was built in 1953 and is located in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park. The iconic home was featured in the 1986 classic Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and was designated an official local landmark in 1987. 


The house designed by A. James Speyer and David Haid was used as a set in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

The house designed by A. James Speyer and David Haid was used as a set in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

The Ennis House

Located in the Loz Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, The Ennis House was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for Charles and Mabel Ennis in 1923 and was built in 1924.  An example of Wright’s Mayan Revival architecture, the Ennis House has made many an onscreen appearance; however, it reached peak popularity in Ridley Scott’s 1982 sci-fi classic, Blade Runner.

The Ennis House is the largest of Wright's textile block designs and was constructed primarily of interlocking, pre-cast concrete blocks.

The Ennis House is the largest of Wright's textile block designs and was constructed primarily of interlocking, pre-cast concrete blocks.

The Stahl House

One of Los Angeles’s most iconic midcentury homes, the Stahl House,  also known as Case Study House No. 22, was designed by Pierre Koenig in 1960. Perched on the top of the Sunset Strip with floor-to-ceiling walls of glass and epic views of the city below, the Stahl House is understandably a cinema darling, making a memorable appearance as the home of soap opera doctor Greg Kinnear in Neil LaBute’s 2000 film, Nurse Betty.

The Stahl House has been featured in numerous movies and photoshoots and was immortalized by photographer Julius Shulman. 

The Stahl House has been featured in numerous movies and photoshoots and was immortalized by photographer Julius Shulman. 

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The Chemosphere

Our third Lautner design on the list, The Chemosphere, which is located in Los Angeles on the San Fernando Valley side of the Hollywood Hills, was designed in 1960. The modernist home was cast in Brian De Palma’s cult classic Body Double in 1984. The one-of-a-kind residence is notable for both its octagon shape and the fact that it is perched atop a 30-foot-high, 5-foot-wide concrete pole. 

The Encyclopedia Britannica once called The Chemosphere "the most modern home in the world."

The Encyclopedia Britannica once called The Chemosphere "the most modern home in the world."

Ridgetop House

Known as Ridgetop, the Davis Family residence was designed by architect David Fowler for his mother in 1963. The midcentury home formed a perfect circle wrapped around an open courtyard with a pool and was located in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Beverly Crest. Ridgetop made an appearance in the 2001 film The Fast and the Furious as the undercover headquarters of the LAPD and the FBI. However, the home was coveted for its spectacular views and its location high in the hills, and despite the efforts of the Los Angeles Conservancy Modern Committee, Ridgetop was sold and demolished. Now it is the site of the Pritzker Estate, home of billionaire Anthony Pritzker, one of several heirs to the Hyatt Hotel fortune. 

Ridgetop was photographed by Julius Shulman and featured in Architectural Digest shortly after it was built. 

Ridgetop was photographed by Julius Shulman and featured in Architectural Digest shortly after it was built. 

Boulder Reign

Italian-American architect Paolo Soleri, known for his futuristic Arcosanti community in the Arizona desert, also designed Boulder Reign, a home that made an appearance in the 1970 American cult film Zabriskie Point directed by Michelangelo Antonioni.  

A large scale model of Boulder Reign is blown up in Antonini's film, Zabriskie Point.

A large scale model of Boulder Reign is blown up in Antonini's film, 
Zabriskie Point.

Jaffe House (Skybreak House)

Designed by architects Su Brumwell, Wendy Cheeseman, Norman Foster, and Richard Rogers, the modernist interiors of the Jaffe House, also known as the Skybreak House, made an appearance the dystopian cult film A Clockwork Orange (1971). 

The Jaffe House was designed to offer an "innovative model of flexible living" with a terraced, public living space connected by stairs.

The Jaffe House was designed to offer an "innovative model of flexible living" with a terraced, public living space connected by stairs.

Film: A Clockwork Orange (1972)

Film: A Clockwork Orange (1972)

Palais Bulles

The sprawling pink Palais Bulles ("Bubble Palace") is located in Théoule-sur-Mer, near Cannes, in the south of France. The futuristic-looking home, designed by Hungarian architect Antti Lovag and constructed between 1975 and 1989, was actually inspired by early human cave dwellings. Built for a French industrialist, Palais Bulles is most famous for having been the holiday home of fashion designer Pierre Cardin. Palais Bulles appeared in 2016’s Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie as the home of a character appropriately named Bubbles.

Palais Bulles, most famously the holiday home of fashion designer Pierre Cardin, is set on a rocky cliff overlooking the Mediterranean,  and has been the backdrop of many fashion shoots and grand events.

Palais Bulles, most famously the holiday home of fashion designer Pierre Cardin, is set on a rocky cliff overlooking the Mediterranean,  and has been the backdrop of many fashion shoots and grand events.

The Ravine House

Atom Egoyan’s film Chloe (2009) showcases both the city of Toronto and the Ravine House by Drew Mandel Architects. However, the owners of the Ravine House didn’t want the facade of their home to appear in the film, so all the exterior shots are actually of another home down the street: the Heathdale House by another Toronto-based architect Stephen Teeple. 

This shot of the Ravine House's interior shows its glazed back facade and clear geometry.

This shot of the Ravine House's interior shows its glazed back facade and clear geometry.

Villa Necchi Campiglio

Villa Necchi Campiglio’s grand staircase and stately, marble corridors set the scene in Italian director Luca Guadagnino’s I Am Love (2009) as the cinematic home of the Recchis, a family of Milanese textile manufacturers. Once home to the actual Necchi Campiglio family, the residence was built by Milanese architect Piero Portaluppi between 1932 and 1935 and is an example of Italian Rationalist architecture. Located in the center of Milan, Villa Necchi is now a period museum open to the public. 

The atmospheric Villa Necchi Campiglio set the tone for Guadagnino's period piece.

The atmospheric Villa Necchi Campiglio set the tone for Guadagnino's period piece.

Nocturnal Animals

This Malibu house designed by Scott Mitchell made an appearance as the chic home of art gallery owner Susan Morrow, played by Amy Adams in Nocturnal Animals, the 2016 neo-noir psychological thriller written, produced, and directed by fashion designer and filmmaker Tom Ford.

The interiors of the home were reworked with darker furnishings inspired by Ford's own home and added works of art by Los Angeles artists.

The interiors of the home were reworked with darker furnishings inspired by Ford's own home and added works of art by Los Angeles artists.

The Sherman Residence

The Sherman Residence makes an appearance as the scene of the crime in the Anthony Hopkins– and Ryan Gosling–led thriller Fracture (2007). Set on a hillside above the San Fernando Valley, this rustic contemporary home was designed by Peter Tolkin + Sara Lorenzen Architecture. Surrounded by nature, the 6,500-square-foot, one-level home comprises a series of pavilions constructed of board-formed concrete, wood, and glass.

Designed for indoor/outdoor living, the Sherman Residence wraps around an inner courtyard with a swimming pool.

Designed for indoor/outdoor living, the Sherman Residence wraps around an inner courtyard with a swimming pool.

Did we miss one that's your favorite? Let us know in the comments and we'll add it to our list!

Jennifer Baum Lagdameo
Dwell Contributor
Jennifer Baum Lagdameo is a freelance design writer who has lived in Washington DC, Brooklyn, Tokyo, Manila, and is currently exploring the Pacific Northwest from her home base in Portland, Oregon.

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