RIBA House of the Year 2018 longlist

Looking at awe-inspiring residential designs is a daily task here at the Wallpaper* architecture desk, but there’s one event that is guaranteed to give us instant house envy; the annual RIBA House of the Year announcement. The architecture institute has just announced its longlist for 2018, which proves, once more, that no matter how many gorgeous residences one can visit, there’s always something new to delight and inspire.
Indeed, in this list, there’s something for everybody; from wood-clad cottages to modern country homes and urban retreats, to sensitive restorations and small-but-beautiful city homes, the list is wide-ranging and diverse. This year’s nominees include well-known names such as 6a Architects for its Black Stone Building and Coastal Home, and Carmody Groarke and its Fitzrovia House; but also younger, dynamic practices, such as Soup Architects and Open Practice Architecture with their imaginative transformation of a Victorian Gin Distillery into a family home.
The list totals 20 contemporary homes which are either newly built, anywhere in the country, or have been recently refreshed in creative and adapted reuses of existing space. Materials are as varied as ever, spanning brick, timber, concrete and stone – material being a feature that the winning design has traditionally stood out for. Past winners have included Richard Murphy Architects for Murphy House (2016), Skene Catling de la Peña for Flint House (2015), Loyn & Co for Stormy Castle (2014) and Carl Turner Architects for Slip House (2013).
The coveted spots on the shortlist will be announced this autumn, with the winner revealed later in the year during a TV series exploring the homes in detail. Watch this space.
Berkshire House by Gregory Phillips Architects.
Black House by AR Design Studio.
Black Stone House by 6a architects.
Coastal House by 6a architects.
Dartmouth Park House by AY Architects.
Duncan Cottage by James Grayley Architects.
Gin Distillery by Open Practice Architecture
Lochside House by Haysomwardmiller Architect.
No 37 by Famiy Architects.
Oatlands Close by SOUP architects.
Old Shed New House by Tonkin Liu.
Pheasants by Sarah Griffiths + Amin Taha.
Red House by 31/44 Architects.
The Makers House by Liddicoat & Goldhill LLP.
The Old Court House by Harrison Brookes Architects
Vex by Chance da Silva
INFORMATION
For more information visit the RIBA website
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Promemoria’s new furniture takes you from London to Lake Como, with love
Ahead of its Milan Design Week 2025 debut, we try out Promemoria’s new furniture collection by David Collins Studio, at founder Romeo Sozzi’s Lake Como villa
By Laura May Todd Published
-
Fluid workspaces: is the era of prescriptive office design over?
We discuss evolving workspaces and track the shape-shifting interiors of the 21st century. If options are what we’re after in office design, it looks like we’ve got them
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
This collection of slow furniture is a powerful ode to time
A serene exhibition of David Dolcini's 'Time-made' collection has fast-tracked its place into our hearts and homes
By Ifeoluwa Adedeji Published
-
Are Derwent London's new lounges the future of workspace?
Property developer Derwent London’s new lounges – created for tenants of its offices – work harder to promote community and connection for their users
By Emily Wright Published
-
Showing off its gargoyles and curves, The Gradel Quadrangles opens in Oxford
The Gradel Quadrangles, designed by David Kohn Architects, brings a touch of playfulness to Oxford through a modern interpretation of historical architecture
By Shawn Adams Published
-
A Norfolk bungalow has been transformed through a deft sculptural remodelling
North Sea East Wood is the radical overhaul of a Norfolk bungalow, designed to open up the property to sea and garden views
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
A new concrete extension opens up this Stoke Newington house to its garden
Architects Bindloss Dawes' concrete extension has brought a considered material palette to this elegant Victorian family house
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
A former garage is transformed into a compact but multifunctional space
A multifunctional, compact house by Francesco Pierazzi is created through a unique spatial arrangement in the heart of the Surrey countryside
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
A 1960s North London townhouse deftly makes the transition to the 21st Century
Thanks to a sensitive redesign by Studio Hagen Hall, this midcentury gem in Hampstead is now a sustainable powerhouse.
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Manchester United and Foster + Partners to build a new stadium: ‘Arguably the largest public space in the world’
The football club will spend £2 billion on the ambitious project, which co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has described as the ‘world's greatest football stadium’
By Anna Solomon Published
-
'Bold and unapologetic', this contemporary Wimbledon home replaces a 1970s house on site
This grey-brick Wimbledon home by McLaren Excell is a pairing of brick and concrete, designed to be mysterious
By Tianna Williams Published