The resulting Vault House is a smooth, pure-white rectangular block, cut through with arches, vaults and curving skylights that open up oblique and overlapping views
Though the building looks like monolithic cast concrete, it's actually synthetic stucco over a wood-frame construction. Wood was chosen over cast concrete because of cost, weight and seismic considerations
The ocean is visible from every room in the house, however far back, but the grand panorama of sand, waves and surfers practically inhabits the living room
The broad vaults, from which this house gets its name, shape the character of every room in this house. Even the ceilings are slightly curved
The inclusion of the central courtyard was a key architectural strategy. This sheltered patio, doubling as an entry court, opens the way for layered transparency and allows sunlight to penetrate deep inside
Sometimes sharp, often curved and occasionally oblique, the house's sculptural forms nearly always surprise, evoking the arched sequences of a de Chirico painting
Skylights often perforate the heavy vaults and arches, lightening the construction and brightening the interior
Although the front of the house is raised on stilts, the rear sits flat on the ground. The resulting asymmetries inspired a shifting play of interior levels around the court
A simple and stylish interior uses the house's abundance of natural light to maximum effect
A sense of layered transparency is felt throughout the house, transcending the boundaries of space often set by multiple floors
The parking garage, at the building's opposite end, had to sit directly on the ground, over walls engineered to collapse under huge-wave pressure
Special permits allowed the owners of Vault House to build six metres closer to the surf than any of their neighbours. With its vaulted underbelly, the house appears to perch lightly on the sand. But it's a lightness secured by massive underground pylons, designed to withstand high waves, wind and erosion
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Finland has been named the happiest country in the world, again – here’s what to do in this Nordic utopiaIf you want a taste of life in a country deemed the happiest in the world for eight years running, be sure to check out Wallpaper* editors’ favourite spots while you’re there
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At Bar Etoile, Scandi-chic meets leisurely Los AngelesThis new Melrose Park joint mixes art-world references, French bistro vibes and an out-of-this-world martini
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These fringed Prada slippers capture a lived-in elegancePart of Prada’s S/S 2025 menswear collection, these fringed slip-on mules reflect a wider renaissance of the slipper – suggesting the ultimate luxury is to wear your inside attire outdoors
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Why this rare Frank Lloyd Wright house is considered one of Chicago’s ‘most endangered’ buildingsThe JJ Walser House has sat derelict for six years. But preservationists hope the building will have a vibrant second act
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Buy a slice of California’s midcentury modern history with this 1955 Pasadena houseConrad Buff II Residence has been fully restored and updated for the 21st century
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Step inside a writer's Richard Neutra-designed apartment in Los AngelesMichael Webb, invites us into his LA home – a showcase of modernist living
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Join our world tour of contemporary homes across five continentsWe take a world tour of contemporary homes, exploring case studies of how we live; we make five stops across five continents
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The Architecture of Seduction: how Horace Gifford built a modernist, queer paradiseFire Island is explored through a new edition of Christopher Rawlins’ seminal architectural and social history book on the life and work of Horace Gifford
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Step inside this furniture gallerist's live-work space by Steven Holl in upstate New YorkDesigned by Steven Holl for modern furniture gallerists Mark McDonald and Dwayne Resnick, this live-work space in upstate New York is a midcentury collector’s paradise
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Remembering architect Ricardo Scofidio (1935 – 2025)Ricardo Scofidio, seminal architect and co-founder of Diller Scofidio + Renfro, has died, aged 89; we honour his passing and celebrate his life
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Is the U.S. about to sell dozens of architecturally-significant government buildings?It depends, the Trump administration says
