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Once upon a time, gothic castles, luxury palaces and woodland cottages dominated the animated skylines. Villains resided in dark, heavily guarded fortresses, while heroes often inhabited charming lodges, embedded in magic and hope. But what if these characters wished to dwell within our own contemporary world? What type of architecture would replace Peter Pan’s treehouse or the Evil Queen’s castle?
Below are seven built projects rethought as the homes of the silver screen’s most beloved characters. Because behind every iconic character arc, there is an even greater floor plan design.
Bumpers Oast
By ACME, Kent, England, United Kingdom
If Snow White were to trade her cottage for a contemporary retreat, Bumpers Oast would be her storybook reimagined in brick and timber. Located amidst apple orchards and oast houses, the residence is designed as a 21st century interpretation of the formal language of Kentish architecture.
Five tower-like structures are built slightly apart from each other, creating an array of private, in-between spaces. The house features a central, triple-height living space, while the exterior reinterprets the traditional façade materials (brick and clay-shingled roof tiles), creating a more contemporary and heavily insulated rainscreen façade.
Darak Darak
By THE SYSTEM LAB, Seoul, South Korea
What if the Evil Queen commissioned a residence today? What would it look like? Darak Darak is a contemporary home, reminiscent of gothic architecture, made of concrete, steel and glass – the perfect home for a queen who prefers intimidation over invitation. The spaces partially overlap, creating playful, vertical circulation routes throughout the building. In contrast, the structure’s main façade is fully open, while the remaining volume is draped by a dark roof punctured with small, irregular apertures, subtly allowing light to enter the interior.
PAN-tretopphytter (PAN treetop-cabins)
By sivilarkitekt espen surnevik as Pan Hytter, Åsnes, Innlandet, Norway
Jury Winner, Architecture +Metal, 11th Architizer A+Awards
PAN-tretopphytter (pun not intended) feels like the only address Peter Pan would ever agree to inhabit. Customized to fit the specific topography, a series of steel legs lifts a triangular-shaped cabin high above the forest floor. The interior layout follows a simple, open-plan logic that includes the basic living amenities and is made mainly out of pine wood. Finally, the exterior skin is comprised of black oxidized zinc and black steel for proper insulation.
The Periphery
By Locus.studio, Boulder, Utah
Embedded within the desert terrain, the house’s austere linear geometry evokes a solitary contemporary temple — the perfect retreat for Hercules after finally completing his twelve labours. The residence is elevated above slickrock and wetlands at 6,300 feet, exploring the threshold between habitation and exposure.
Strategic material selection, as well as the level of craft required to complete the project, showcases a thoughtful response to the immediate context, climate and cinematic scenery. Specifically, oak, steel, and concrete form the project’s primary palette, while detailed millwork and exquisite carpentry elevate the house to an object of “handmade modernism.”
Shell House / The language of the forest
By Tono Mirai architects, Japan
Jury Winner, Private House (S <1000 sq ft), 7th Architizer A+Awards
Gently embedded within its landscape, Shell House captures the ecological sensitivity befitting Pocahontas — discreet enough that even someone like John Smith might miss it entirely. The small earth house is made of local wood, clay and traditional techniques that aim to achieve a high environmental performance.
The organic volume is supported by seven exposed wooden beams, while the interior walls are finished with rammed earth and local wood species. Designed with passive heating in mind, the building’s roof and exterior cladding work in tandem to regulate temperature, optimizing solar gain and minimizing heat loss.
Vault House
By Johnston Marklee, Oxnard, California
With its sculptural curves and proximity to the Pacific, Vault House feels like a terrestrial evolution of the underwater world Ariel left behind. The design challenges of the traditional single-view typology beach house, creating an assembly of stacked and unidirectional vaulted rooms within a simple rectilinear volume, extending the oceanfront view.
The rooms are distinguished via an array of material finishes and volumes, each one assigned to a different interior function. Furthermore, custom-made elements turn the house into a dynamic “entity,” often acting as a shutter throughout the day and filtering the surrounding landscape, light and immediate views.
CASA MYM
By Numero 26 Studio, Murcia, Spain
Organized around light, shadow, and inward-facing courtyards, CASA MYM unfolds like an architectural playground for a character who made an art form out of navigating tight corners and hidden passages — Aladdin. Drawing from the culture of Spanish traditional houses, typically found in orchards, the building is designed through a contemporary code that values spontaneity, versatile materiality and local identity.
The house is divided into three separate squares, each one reserved for a different spatial activity. The positioning of each square creates a series of nooks and thresholds, establishing a playful transition throughout the space. Finally, the material palette is colourful and local, made of ceramic tiles, reeds and wood, imbuing the residence with a high level of tactile richness.
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Featured Image: Bumpers Oast by ACME, Kent, England, United Kingdom
