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Collection by Kelsey Keith

Imaginary Artist Houses (And Their Dwell Counterparts)

Federico Babina's Archist City imagines what artist's own houses might look like—and while the resulting architecture is only imaginary, we've rounded up a few Dwell homes that fit the bill.

See Federico Babina's entire Archist series on the artist's website; you can also purchase prints via Society6.

View 11 Photos
Monumental sculptor Richard Serra's imagined house, from Federico Babina's Archist series.
Monumental sculptor Richard Serra's imagined house, from Federico Babina's Archist series.
The woven wire steel mesh presents a semi-transparent sheath to the interiors.
The woven wire steel mesh presents a semi-transparent sheath to the interiors.
Contemporary painter Gerhardt Richter's imagined house, from Federico Babina's Archist series.
Contemporary painter Gerhardt Richter's imagined house, from Federico Babina's Archist series.
Rising high above booming Edmonton, this multi-hued penthouse has the best view in the province.
Rising high above booming Edmonton, this multi-hued penthouse has the best view in the province.
Catalan painter Antoni Tàpies's imagined house, from Federico Babina's Archist series.
Catalan painter Antoni Tàpies's imagined house, from Federico Babina's Archist series.
This renovated flat in Moshe Safdie's iconic Habitat '67 prefab apartment building in Montreal employs similar massing that looks like stacked concrete boxes.
This renovated flat in Moshe Safdie's iconic Habitat '67 prefab apartment building in Montreal employs similar massing that looks like stacked concrete boxes.
Minimalist Dutch artist Piet Mondrian's imagined house, from Federico Babina's Archist series.
Minimalist Dutch artist Piet Mondrian's imagined house, from Federico Babina's Archist series.
Sliding doors disguise the small Pullman kitchen. "Painting the sliding doors meant that my daughter could paint and repaint the apartment just by positioning the doors into new combinations," says Giovannini.
Sliding doors disguise the small Pullman kitchen. "Painting the sliding doors meant that my daughter could paint and repaint the apartment just by positioning the doors into new combinations," says Giovannini.
Spatialist artist and sculptor Lucio Fontana's imagined house, from Federico Babina's Archist series.
Spatialist artist and sculptor Lucio Fontana's imagined house, from Federico Babina's Archist series.
Christophe Berdaguer and Marie Péjus named their building “Gue(ho)st House” after Marcel Duchamp’s aphorism “A guest + a host = a ghost,” which appeared on a piece of ephemera he made in 1953. The duo translated the artist’s wordplay into architect-ural form, and said: “A house is a place where the hosts and guests share spaces. This project is like a third person, who in this context, looks like a ghost.”
Christophe Berdaguer and Marie Péjus named their building “Gue(ho)st House” after Marcel Duchamp’s aphorism “A guest + a host = a ghost,” which appeared on a piece of ephemera he made in 1953. The duo translated the artist’s wordplay into architect-ural form, and said: “A house is a place where the hosts and guests share spaces. This project is like a third person, who in this context, looks like a ghost.”