Have you ever imagined what it would be like to live in the desert amid the gorgeous dunes underneath the limitless sky? Isn’t it out of this world? However, deserts are not among the most hospitable environments for humans to survive, much less live luxuriously. Modern designers are challenging this perception by designing stunning desert homes that epitomize opulence. These desert homes are remarkable architectural wonders that also serve as functional homes for contemporary residents.
We have listed down 27 spectacular desert houses across the globe that can inspire your next vacation home.
Top 27 Stunning Desert Mansions Around the World
1. The Black Desert House, California, USA
You probably envision rough, earthy buildings when you visualize a desert home. The Black Desert House is the polar opposite of rustic and organic. In the hot desert, the idea was to build a shadow-like oasis. The interior of the home recedes during the day, and the vistas become more prominent.
When the sun goes down, the house camouflages in the dark desert, and the stars outside create a limitless background for relaxation.
2. Hidden Valley House, Cave Creek, USA
Mind staying in a long pavilion with a canopy floating above a plinth in the midst of an arid desert?
This is the essence of Hidden Valley House, which is nestled among thorny bushes and vast deserts. A huge shade canopy which is the primary element that makes this structure a desert house is hovering above the plinth. Most of the energy and part of the water required for this almost net zero house will be harvested by the thicker canopy.
3. Octothorpe House, Bend, USA
Octothorpe House is built on the site of a forest that was destroyed by wildfire two decades ago and is bordered by thorny bushes. The designers intended to incorporate the harsh landscape into the architecture of this desert house. It is based on a basic grid of rectangles that determines the size of the rooms and courtyards. Instead of corridors, the layout is made up of a series of rooms that flow into one another.
4. Desert Courtyard House, Arizona, USA
The best possible way to build a desert house is to build using the existing site conditions. In this courtyard home, rammed earth walls made with soil from the construction site were enclosed in a worn steel shell for protection. Because the location is lower than the neighboring plots, this desert house is cladded in a patinated metal covering that helps it blend in with its surroundings with an inside courtyard.
5. Hidden House, Todos santos, Mexico
Imagine living in a desert house that is completely camouflaged among towering dunes. Hidden House gives breathtaking views of the coastline and mountains that cover the wide desert terrain while being concealed from view due to its roof being oriented at the height of the land. Its contemporary material palette is made up of monolith concrete components and rocks from the site that mixes seamlessly with the rugged terrain. The gradual slope of its desert terrace is supported by glass windows that run the length of the house.
6. Tejocote House, Santiago de querétaro, Mexico
This desert house stands out because of its materials that embody the region’s architectural heritage. The design strives to merge with the semi-arid nature that surrounds it. Light and space themselves become the focal points of the home as a result of the use of discrete materials. All interior areas have a semi-open nature, with the option of opening into an inner patio or garden. The goal of occupying the home inward with some privacy while maintaining a connection with the outside.
7. Casa Encuentro, Tabernas, Spain
The eco-friendly house combines a classic Cortijo, or Andalusian farmhouse, with contemporary spaces. It is a bright, modest, yet pleasant home surrounded by patios, gardens, and hectares of organic olive farms. This desert house uses different levels to sculpt out spaces. The bedroom is located in the center of the slope. Among the terraced gardens is a white, long, and thin water reservoir that doubles as a swimming pool. A shaded space exists beneath the pool’s level.
8. Four Eyes House, California, USA
This modern desert house is just like a sculpture in the middle of a desert. Only the pale blue of the window glass can be seen through the immaculate white walls of Four Eyes House, which is made up of many isolated blocks. The four bedrooms are capped by three-story towers, each of which is angled periscope-style toward a different view, such as the sunrise, afternoon mountains, far-off city lights, or the night sky.
9. Al Khozama, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Al Khozama means “sweet desert flower.” Is interpreted as a royal paradise in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh. The house was designed with three angular wings, an entry lobby with an Arcade courtyard, and an inner garden. The three wings make use of the sun’s location. If the Living Mass allows you to see the sunrise, the Night Mass allows you to see the sunset.
10. Goldwasser House, Israel
In the contrasting landscapes of the Mediterranean area and rough desert terrains, this desert house has the refinement of white orthogonal geometry. Unique forms, materials, and interpretations within the cube render a dynamic experience for its inhabitants and visitors. It also combines local architectural aspects, such as the southern hot facade composed out of concrete Mashrabiya blocks to screen the heat while maintaining ventilation and view.
11. Lava House, Tucson, USA
The Tucson Mountain Lava House is located in the Tucson Mountains’ eastern alluvial flow. It is called a lava house because a crushed volcanic cinder serves as the construction material for the home’s exterior. The desert house is situated in such a way that it borders both desert terrain and waterways. A unique floating roof shelters a tapestry of spaces between existing water courses and the ancient Sonoran Desert.
12. Bighorn House, Palm Desert, USA
The elegant interiors of this modern desert house blend effortlessly with the context’s rustic desert vistas. As one wanders around the house, they will encounter oasis-like characteristics such as big succulents, streams, rustic but modern materials, and so on. This house’s minimalism embraces the mountains, the view, the link to the surroundings, and the waterways.
13. TresARCA House, Las Vegas USA
Vegas is renowned for its eclectic architecture even in the midst of the wild desert. TresARCA is no exception. Each piece in this desert house represents the stratification of the surrounding Red Rock Mountains. Changes in materials contribute to the range of textures found in rock formations. While the material palette blends with the rugged desert, the contemporary and abstract facade makes this house stand out.
14. The Desert House, Desert Hot Springs, USA
The Desert house floats above the desert landscape supported by a sunken platform. With spectacular vistas of mountains, the main living area opens to the west. Expansive frames define the sheltered living spaces that combine indoors and outdoors, while also expanding and linking the home to the north wing, which houses additional functions.
15. Todos Santos Houses, La Paz, Mexico
This desert house consists of two horizontal blocks flowing into each other effortlessly while ensuring function and privacy. You might imagine the house’s surroundings as typical desert settings seen in Hollywood movies, complete with cactus and boulders. As a result, the home itself is made out of two main materials: exposed concrete walls that match the current hue of the sand, and “talavera” tile, which has been regarded as a traditional material in México.
16. Ellsworth Residence, Arizona, USA
What about a unique desert house within a cave? Isn’t it both futuristic and rustic? Due to the end-to-end sliding windows on its front, this home in the arroyo desert, which is situated in a cave stream, has breathtaking views of the rocky terrain. The deceptively weightless look of the structure, poised, floating gently above the landscape, betrays the heaviness of the concrete, glass, and steel composition.
17. Desert House, Alice Springs, Australia
Aside from its eye-catching appearance, desert homes should maximize climatic elements to produce comfortable rooms. This highly insulated desert house, which is shaded by its own fly-roof and has no thermal bridging, draws its cool air from the shaded ground below. When necessary, a robust outer layer protects a glazed inner courtyard which in turn lets out the hot air.
18. Xero Residence, Phoenix, USA
Xeros, which means “dry” in Greek, serves as a reminder that all design solutions should be in direct response to the climate. This desert house is made up of an electric massing of volumes that blend in with the rocky environment of Arizona through the usage of exterior texturing. The elongated form established a small footprint producing more land for vegetatio.
19. Franklin Mountain House, Texas, USA
This three-story desert house is made out of stacked boxes perched on the outskirts of a mountain range, with views of the urban area below. The home’s wall coating made of debris allows it to visibly meld with the untamed terrain. What else? The home has a pool terrace and an outdoor living area, as well as a variety more exterior zones that integrate the terrain with the living spaces.
20. Dancing Light House, Arizona, USA
This desert house is well-named, as its layered walls of rammed earth, metal, concrete, and glass create a whimsical array of organic forms amid a natural desert landscape. The eclectic floating roof produces a combination of smaller, cozier living spaces and expansive vaulted rooms enclosed by the higher roof. Natural light illuminates this home, filtering in through artfully crafted fissures or shining off the strategically placed water body.
21. Desert House, Santa Fe, Mexico
The desert house in Santa Fe reflects the dry landscape’s diverse features through several courtyards and covered terraces. Its rusty metal, concrete, and stucco construction gives it a homely appearance. With a semi-covered porch at either end and an east-west orientation, the main living area captures the different qualities of light as the day progresses.
22. Ecolodge, Siwan, Egypt
With spectacular vistas of the golden desert, Ecolodge was made from materials that could be found nearby, including mud, sun-fired bricks, palm wood, reeds, and stone. The residence blends with the natural surroundings by using traditional Siwan construction methods.
The home, which is dotted with several patios and a terrace, exploits the wind direction to keep the interiors cool. The walls are built of Kershef, a typical local construction material comprised of mud, sand, and salt from neighboring salt lakes.
23. Desert House, Scottsdale, USA
This desert house harnesses the spirit of the local environment to create a home that is sensitive to the sensory features of desert life. Passive design solutions such as courtyards distribute cool air throughout the house while also serving as the household’s melting point. The idea was inspired by memories and thoughts of stones and shadows in the desert.
24. Kawish Court House, Palm Desert, USA
Courtyards are the essence of Kawish house. It optimizes the micro-climate of the house to provide thermal comfort. Also, they offer a poetic and visual feature by distinctly portraying the sunlight and its shadow through different times of the day. It is the home’s harmonious sitting with the desert’s natural forces which allows seamless daily and seasonal patterns to embody every aspect of the client’s life.
25. Marfa weeHouse, Texas, USA
A stepped foundation complements the modest orthogonal design of this desert house. It serves as a proud perch for sweeping views of an incredible landscape. With just 440 square feet of sheltered area, the isolated, modular house features an outside shed, porches, and awnings, making it smaller than the other houses on the list. The interiors, on the other hand, are deliberately designed to provide a calm and peaceful ambiance.
26. Stone Court Villa, Paradise Valley, USA
The Stone Court Villa is designed with layered limestone walls to establish several open and sheltered spaces. It employs monolithic material expression and few distinguishing characteristics, with different degrees of access between the landscape and the building inhabitants. The interlocking stone walls aid in creating a flow between the carved and open areas in this desert house.
27. Bradley Residence, Scottsdale, USA
The distinctive height of this desert house with exposed steel columns and cantilevered beam supports gives the structure the appearance of floating just above the desert surface. This unusual shape is owing to the gentle sloping of the ground, which recedes the home by about 12 feet. Glass partitions separated the interior while providing views of the rugged terrain.
Desert Homes That Tell the Glorious Stories of the Golden Landscape!
Desert homes endure unique climatic challenges, leading to the misconception that they cannot be luxurious. However, this is not the case!
Designers are taking use of the unrestricted context to construct magnificent and expansive residences even in the rough terrain. Each of these structures is in a distinct climate while offering spectacular views of the desert to its residents.
FAQs
Yes. You can design stunning desert homes if you are aware of the region’s components and comprehend both the obstacles and potential.
Desert Modernism is distinguished by features and elements that are appropriate for the dry climate and culture, such as walls of glass and windows that showcase views of the natural landscape. The layouts usually open up to outdoor living spaces and materials that withstand harsh temperatures.
The United States of America is known to host the largest number of premium and luxurious desert houses. Most of these are vacation homes and Airbnb.
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