Architectural Voyeurism.

Casa Gamma Issa in Sau Paulo, Brazil by Marcio Kogan. Photo by James Silverman.

Bahia House in Salvador by Marcio Kogan. Btw, get used to Mr Kogan as his work features heavily in this post. What can I say – the man is a genius.

Casa no Geresby by Correia/Ragazzi Arquitectos. The House is located in Peneda-Gerês National Park in Portugal and is the first project from the architecture duo. Su-eet!

Villa Överby in Sweden by Swedish architect John Robert Nilsson.

Funeral home in Alicante, Spain, is by Spanish studio Cor. Ok, so this is not residential architecture, but the window is too good not to include in the post. It goes perfectly with the whole voyeurism thing, no? Yes. Thank you for being so understanding.

The Pohutukawa House in new Zealand by Sydney architect Matthew Gribben.

Twins house in upstate New York by William O’Brien. P.s. This image is a rendering. True story!

Glass house used for Roche Bobois’ bedroom collection campaign. Ummm… I die.

Linear House (Villa Klaathem) at Salt Spring Island in Canada, by Patkau Architects.

House in Santiago, Chile by Schmidt Arquitectos Asociados.

H House in Netherlands. All the internal and external walls are a combination of transparent and opaque glass, with a series of curtains on the interior provide privacy. Designed by Wiel Arets Architects. Photography by Joao Morgado.

Soho Row House Renovation by New York City-based firm Delson or Sherman Architects.

‘Niwanosumika’ house in Toyko by mA-style.

House in Melides, Portugal by Pedro Reis.

Artist’s workshop in Boeotia, Greece by A31 Architecture. When I grow up, I’d like to be an artist and have a studio just like this one…

Querosene House in Sao Paulo by Alvaro Puntoni, complete with a library containing 7,500 books! Photos by Nelson Kon.

Mirindaba House in Sao Paolo by Marcio Kogan.

The post wouldn’t be completed without one of the finest examples of modernist architecture – Glass House, 1949, by Philip Johnson, located in New Canaan, Conn. Photo by Harf Zimmermann.

Townhouses by Rees Roberts.

Villa VH in T, Belgium by Beel & Achtergael Architecten. Photo by Filip Dujardin.

‘The Pierre at San Juan Islands off Washington State, by Olson Kundig Architects. Photo by Dwight Eschliman.

As a self-confessed voyeur, I recently noticed a trend in my bulging and ever-growing collection of images – countless examples of beautiful homes that (quite literally) provide a window into the lives of their owners. Modernism has a lot to answer for!

The idea of voyeurism is a truly fascinating one. At out core, every human being loves observing others without their knowledge. We do it habitually and relentlessly, whether we are conscious of it or not (or whether or not we are willing to admit it to ourselves and others). We observe people on the streets, in cafes, on public transport, on TeeVee, the internet… Anywhere and everywhere. Part of the reason why reality TV, or blogs such as this one have become so successful of late is due to our voyeuristic tendencies. And you see, I’m ok with that.

So today’s post is about indulging you in some fine examples of residential architecture, turning your inner voyeur into a legitimate design research activity! Hooray! After all, every great designer is the ultimate voyeur. This keen interest in the lives of others makes us better designers. We pick things up subconsciously and by osmosis, which ensures our design response is more relevant, has greater depth and that difficult to define x-factor.

Let’s raise our glasses to voyeurism as design research. As long as your voyeuristic practice isn’t creepy and/ or invading the privacy of others – go for gold I say!

And have an ace weekend while you’re at it.

x dana