Peek inside the incredible homes from the 2018 World Architecture Festival Awards shortlist

Sometimes you’re looking for clever ways to upcycle your Ikea furniture or create a neat yet personality-filled #shelfie. And sometimes, all you want is straight up property porn. Well, this is definitely the latter. Ahead of the World Architecture Festival next week, we are taking a look at the shortlist across 34 categories and we’re drooling over all of the realised and future projects from some of the world’s greatest architects.

And while we love the commercial, educational and cultural buildings, we’re really here for the residential homes and villas. There’s even an Irish nominee in David Leech’s Dublin project. Here’s a selection of our other favourites.

Kiama House, Australia

Kiama House / Architect AJ+C /Shot by Michael Nicholson

Designed to take advantage of the panoramic views of a Syndey stud farm, this home is made up of a series of pavilions and courtyards. Don’t be fooled by the rustic stone and wooden slatting, which was designed to reference the nearby landscape, this house has plenty of modern features, including a system to harvest, conserve and recycle all its own water.

Peninsula House, Brazil

Peninsula House / Bernardas Arquitetura / Shot by Fernando Guerra

This cliff top sanctuary was designed with its spectacular sea view in mind, with three split levels that maximises the experience of the ocean crashing into this Guaruja neighbourhood. bernardesarq.br

Panopticon House, Australia

Panopticon House / Bild Architects

On a rural hilltop in Victoria, the “panopticon” is designed to have a complete 360º view across the landscape, with windows all around centred on a pool and courtyard. Raised off the ground for some privacy, the concrete and glass structure is a masterclass in merging modern and neoclassical design. bild.com.au

House in Fuzeta, Portugal

House in Fuzeta / Miguel Arruda Architects & Associates

The concept for this home was inhabitable sculpture, created by a series of semi-circles that not only define spaces but also allow for an open-plan style while still offering intimate rooms. miguelarruda.com

Patio House, Greece

Patio House / Ooak Architects

We have to confess that of the houses nominated, in the hypothetical if-we-won-the-lotto conversation, this is the house we’d buy. A summer house in Karpathos, its spartan architecture means that the spectacular view takes front and centre stage at every angle. And there are so many considering the building hangs precariously off a cliff edge over the Adriatic. ooakarchitects.com

King Bill, Australia

King Bill / Austin Maynard Architects

Nestled into the wealthy Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, this, if you can believe it, is a renovation and extension of an old Victorian terrace. Wanting to extend into a separate garden, the front remains untouched, while out back a snaking glass corridor leads to a curvaceous conversion of the stable in a way that works with the existing landscape. maynardarchitects.com

Rotorua House, New Zealand

Rotorua House / RTA Studio

Wanting to capture the heritage of this home in Rotorua, which has belonged to the same family for 16 generations, RTA Studio created a house that acts as a ‘cloak’ for its inhabitants, wrapping the house in an oxidised steel edging of the family’s cloak pattern, while the timber posts reflect the surrounding forest. rtastudio.co.nz

The winners of the World Architecture Foundation Awards will be announced on November 28. Check out all the full shortlist here.