SubscribeSign In
Collection by Diana Budds
Editor’s Pick

Architects' House Museums

From Luis Barragán's Mexico City residence to the Alvar Aalto House in Helsinki, we share ten architects' dwellings that are now museums.

Know of one that should be added to our list? Sound off and leave a comment below!

View 10 Photos
Casa Luis BarraganGeneral Francisco Ramírez 12-14 Colonia Ampliación Daniel Garza México, D.F. 11840 casaluisbarragan.org Luis Barragan built his house in 1948 and lived there until his passing in 1988. It's currently a UNESCO World Heritage site, the only personal property in Latin America that has achieved such a distinction. Considered a masterpiece in the development of the modern movement, the house is faithfully preserved just as Barragan lived there. It's among the most-visited works of modern architecture in Mexico City. Photo by: Alejandro Chavetta
Casa Luis BarraganGeneral Francisco Ramírez 12-14 Colonia Ampliación Daniel Garza México, D.F. 11840 casaluisbarragan.org Luis Barragan built his house in 1948 and lived there until his passing in 1988. It's currently a UNESCO World Heritage site, the only personal property in Latin America that has achieved such a distinction. Considered a masterpiece in the development of the modern movement, the house is faithfully preserved just as Barragan lived there. It's among the most-visited works of modern architecture in Mexico City. Photo by: Alejandro Chavetta
The drafting room is austere, though well lit and full of impressive joinery. Photo by: Balthazar Korab
The drafting room is austere, though well lit and full of impressive joinery. Photo by: Balthazar Korab
Alvar Aalto HouseRiihitie 20 Helsinki, Finland 00330 alvaraalto.fi In 1934, Aino and Alvar Aalto acquired a site in almost completely untouched surroundings in the Munkkiniemi neighborhood of Helsinki, Finland. They started designing their own house which was completed in August 1936. The Aalto House anticipates the two-year younger Villa Mairea, a luxury residence where Aalto's creativity was able to come into full bloom. But in contrast to its larger sister, the Aalto House is a cozy, intimate building for living and working, designed by two architects for themselves, using simple uncluttered materials.
Alvar Aalto HouseRiihitie 20 Helsinki, Finland 00330 alvaraalto.fi In 1934, Aino and Alvar Aalto acquired a site in almost completely untouched surroundings in the Munkkiniemi neighborhood of Helsinki, Finland. They started designing their own house which was completed in August 1936. The Aalto House anticipates the two-year younger Villa Mairea, a luxury residence where Aalto's creativity was able to come into full bloom. But in contrast to its larger sister, the Aalto House is a cozy, intimate building for living and working, designed by two architects for themselves, using simple uncluttered materials.
The Eames house living room as it is best known, shot in 1994. The light from the window illuminates the tumbleweed the couple picked up on their honeymoon drive from Chicago to Los Angeles; due to its fragility it was the only item not to have been moved to the LACMA exhibition. Photo courtesy Tim Street-Porter.
The Eames house living room as it is best known, shot in 1994. The light from the window illuminates the tumbleweed the couple picked up on their honeymoon drive from Chicago to Los Angeles; due to its fragility it was the only item not to have been moved to the LACMA exhibition. Photo courtesy Tim Street-Porter.
Finn Juhl HouseKratvænget 15 Charlottenlund, Denmark ordrupgaard.dk Experience furniture designer and architect Finn Juhl's open-plan house and masterful integration of space and light.
Finn Juhl HouseKratvænget 15 Charlottenlund, Denmark ordrupgaard.dk Experience furniture designer and architect Finn Juhl's open-plan house and masterful integration of space and light.
Gropius House68 Baker Bridge Road Lincoln, Massachusetts 01773 historicnewengland.org Walter Gropius, founder of the German design school known as the Bauhaus, was one of the most influential architects of the twentieth century. He built his house in 1938 as his family home when he came to Massachusetts to teach architecture at Harvard's Graduate School of Design.
Gropius House68 Baker Bridge Road Lincoln, Massachusetts 01773 historicnewengland.org Walter Gropius, founder of the German design school known as the Bauhaus, was one of the most influential architects of the twentieth century. He built his house in 1938 as his family home when he came to Massachusetts to teach architecture at Harvard's Graduate School of Design.
Lina Bo Bardi's Casa de VidrioRua General Almerio De Moura, 200 São Paulo, Brazil institutobardi.com.br
Lina Bo Bardi's Casa de VidrioRua General Almerio De Moura, 200 São Paulo, Brazil institutobardi.com.br
Taliesin West, 1939.
Taliesin West, 1939.
Schindler House835 N Kings Road West Hollywood, California 90069 makcenter.org Rudolph M. Schindler's Studio-Residence was the first modern house to respond to the unique climate of California, and as such it served as the prototype for a distinctly Californian style of design.
Schindler House835 N Kings Road West Hollywood, California 90069 makcenter.org Rudolph M. Schindler's Studio-Residence was the first modern house to respond to the unique climate of California, and as such it served as the prototype for a distinctly Californian style of design.