An architect’s home is the ultimate self portrait.  Their clients, be they municipal, corporate or private, all bring constraints on creative freedom.  When an architect sets out to build a home of their own, artistic freedom is truly an unlimited resource.  What, then, is the true measure of an architect?  The home that they themselves call home.  Continue reading for a selection of homes owned and inhabited by some of the world’s most renown modern architects.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West

Like Frank Lloyd Wright’s Home and Studio just outside Chicago (shown above), his winter home in Scottsdale, Arizona is a sight to behold.  The famed Taliesin West is a mecca for students of Architecture and a jewel to the eyes of curious fans.  Wright excelled at building with the landscape and not onto it, and Taliesin West is a prime example of bringing the inspiration of local nature into his design.  Today, Taliesin West is the main building of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, where it is studied and preserved by dedicated caretakers.

Taliesin West Gallery

Eames Home – Case Study House No. 8

While the Eames duo were known more for their furniture than their architecture, the Eames Home in Northern California is a prime example of modern architecture.  One of several collaborative works between the Eames and Eero Saarinen, “Case Study No. 8″ became the home and workplace of Charles Eames and his partner and wife Ray.  Preserved today by the Eames Foundation, Case Study No. 8 is open to public tours of its interior and the signature Eames furniture within.

Eames Home Gallery

Frank Gehry Home – Santa Monica, CA

While his career may not have escaped controversy, architect Frank Gehry escapes to the Santa Monica, California home of his own design.  Having cast aside the rules of functional form long ago, Gehry’s personal residence was an earlier work that hinted at his future accomplishments in style.  Constructed in 1978, Gehry Residence may appear a bit tired today, but it remains one of Gehry’s more popular stateside works.

Gehry Residence Gallery

Casa Das Canoas by Oscar Niemeyer

Famed Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer (who will be a young 102 years old this December) has put a lasting mark on the skyline and culture of his home country.  Among his greatest works is his personal residence, Casa Das Canoas.  The smooth, curving lines of concrete and glass merge beautifully into the wild Brazilian landscape.  Originally built in 1953, this modern home remains on the cutting edge of progressive design to this day.

The Alden B. Dow House and Studio

The son of American chemical industry magnate Herbert Henry Dow, Alden B. Dow became a renown architect for his works throughout the state of Michigan.  Of these is his most famous work, the Alden B. Dow House and Studio.  Now a national landmark of the United States, Dow’s home was designed in the prarie style of Frank Lloyd Wright, an architect whom Dow commonly associated with.  Most noteably significant of the Dow home is that it is built right into a surrounding pond, with the water level just inches above the home’s windows.

The Wogenscky-Pan House

French architect André Wogenscky was first known for his collaborative work with Le Corbusier, France’s most influential modern architect and one of the founders of the movement.  Independently, Wogensky exhibited his own brilliant talent in projects like the home he shared with his wife, sculptor Marta Pan, shown above.

The Ray Kappe Residence

Enterprising photographer modern r us on Flickr captured a shot of architect Ray Kappe‘s private residence.  While not many details are available on his own home, Ray Kappe’s works are among the greatest American designs of the late 20th Century.  His best known works include the Benton House and the LivingHomes RK1, a modern prefab home much celebrated by online media (including us, in the StyleCrave feature titled Prefabulous: 9 Amazing Modern Factory Built Homes).

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Thanks for reading, and thanks for visiting DesignCrave!  Is there a home of a modern architect you would have included here that we did not?  Let us know in the comments.  If you had to choose any of these homes to live in yourself, which would you prefer?