The circle is a universal symbol that has come to represent concepts such as unity, infinity, balance, perfection, and the cosmos across various cultures and in numerous architectural styles. Below, we’ve spotlighted some of our favorite homes that incorporate circular motifs—portholes, overhead oculi, and rounded doorways, wall cutouts, and window nooks—to introduce light, enhance sight lines, and facilitate a stronger connection between the different living spaces, and the residents that occupy them, too.

S-AR, a young firm from Monterrey, Mexico, designed this 850-square-foot beach retreat near Puerto Escondido for a theater producer and an architect. The one-story concrete structure features an indoor/outdoor plan based on a square, 3-D grid. A circular motif continues throughout the home, from rounded windows and wall cutouts to a cylindrical staircase that leads to the “water mirror” on the roof." layout="" credit="Photo by Benjamin Rasmussen" photoUserId="6133577038969049088"/>

An Architect’s Bright and Airy Family Home Thrives Within a Brutalist Concrete Structure

This Revamped Terrace House Has a Porthole Window for the Owner’s Cat

In Fitzroy North, an inner-city suburb of Melbourne, Australia, Atlas Architects reimagined a heritage Victorian terrace house as a sanctuary for a librarian and her cat, Dot. A timber shelf below a porthole window in the living space offers a lookout for the owner’s pet. “The circular window awning adds an irregularity to the contemporary interpretation of the heritage place, creating a point of interest,” says architect Aaron Neighbour. “Most importantly, it provides a porthole out to the world for the ‘queen of the castle’—the cat.”" layout="" credit="Photo by Tess Kelly" photoUserId=""/>

An Art Studio Is Transformed Into a Lush Garden Home for $24K

This Extraordinarily Colorful Family Home Was Inspired by a Pink Song

A Brutalist-Inspired, Off-Grid Retreat Rises in a Remote Costa Rican Cloud Forest

An Artist Transforms a Joshua Tree Cabin Into a Surrealism-Inspired Rental

A Sun-Catching Atrium With Delightful Archways Anchors This North Carolina Home

In the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, North Carolina, the 3,000-square-foot Westwood House optimizes views, sunlight, cross ventilation, and privacy. A central atrium allows natural light to fill the core of the home. Nearby, the wood-clad entryway features Spanish terra-cotta floors, sweeping arches, and a keyhole opening. " layout="wide" credit="Photo by Thom Gaines" photoUserId=""/>

5 Architectural Tricks and Devices to Bring Natural Light Into Your Home

15 Magnificent Picture Windows That Frame Enviable Views

A Brick-and-Concrete Home With a Library Emphasizes Circular Motifs in Mexico

Simplicity Rules at This Family Beach House Designed to Double as a Rental

Playful, Horseshoe-Shaped Holes Punch Through the Walls of Converted Stables

A Futuristic ‘Star Trek’ Home Hits the Market in Malibu For $5.7M

Circular Skylights Let the Landscape Grow Through This Concrete Home in India

This Former Garage Is Now a Functional, Colorful Flat With Bubbly Built-Ins

A Creative Brick Extension That’s Designed to Adapt With a Growing Family’s Needs

A Cork-Covered Retreat in South Africa Is Built Using Mass Timber

A Convoluted Midcentury in Texas Gets a Family-Friendly Overhaul

This Beach House in Mexico Frames the Landscape With an Orderly Concrete Grid

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Multiple Modern Cabins Make Up This French Holiday Home