With many of us spending more time at home than ever before, a new publication by design and architecture author and long-term Wallpaper* contributor Dominic Bradbury explores the irresistable blend of modern and domestic architecture. Titled The Secret Life of the Modern House and published this April, this book is a timely survey of more than 150 years of homes, from art deco mansions, to minimalist piles, modernist houses and beyond.
Starting with the Victorian home and ideals brought about by societal and economic advances of the time, Bradbury goes through the dramatic changes that took place within the humble, domestic space and how these have translated into architectural expression. Bringing spaces that were once considered back-of-house to the forefront (kitchens are a great example), replacing opaque surfaces that signalled privacy with swathes of glass, and shifting from divided spaces to open plan and then potentially back again – the whys and hows that shaped our homes are all pondered.
‘Our homes are our most precious safe havens,’ writes Bradbury. ‘In good times, they offer the focal point for so many of our personal pleasures and delights. In difficult times, they become refuges and one of our greatest sources of reassurance… House and home represent the point where architecture and design impact most prominently upon our lives.’
The book is structured around 19 thematic chapters. These go through a variety of more and lesser known case studies, and topics including modernism, minimalist, high tech, and more. There is iconic architecture, such as works by Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright, and a range of trends and interiors approaches too.
Informative and entertaining, this publication is a feast for the eyes, while also thought provoking, and offers excellent inspiration for daydreaming about what makes the perfect, modern house.
Hopkins House, London, UK
Shearers Quarters, Australia
INFORMATION
The Secret Life of the Modern House, by Dominic Bradbury, Ilex, £26
-
Highlights from the transporting Cruise 2026 showsThe Cruise 2026 season began yesterday with a Chanel show at Lake Como, heralding the start of a series of jet-setting, destination runway shows from fashion’s biggest houses
-
Behind the design of national pavilions in Venice: three studios to knowDesigning the British, Swiss and Mexican national pavilions at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 are three outstanding studios to know before you go
-
Premium patisserie Naya is Mayfair’s latest sweet spotHeritage meets opulence at Naya bakery in Mayfair, London. With interiors by India Hicks and Anna Goulandris, the patisserie looks good enough to eat
-
Ukrainian Modernism: a timely but bittersweet survey of the country’s best modern buildingsNew book ‘Ukrainian Modernism’ captures the country's vanishing modernist architecture, besieged by bombs, big business and the desire for a break with the past
-
Croismare school, Jean Prouvé’s largest demountable structure, could be yoursJean Prouvé’s 1948 Croismare school, the largest demountable structure ever built by the self-taught architect, is up for sale
-
Jump on our tour of modernist architecture in Tashkent, UzbekistanThe legacy of modernist architecture in Uzbekistan and its capital, Tashkent, is explored through research, a new publication, and the country's upcoming pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025; here, we take a tour of its riches
-
At the Institute of Indology, a humble new addition makes all the differenceContinuing the late Balkrishna V Doshi’s legacy, Sangath studio design a new take on the toilet in Gujarat
-
How Le Corbusier defined modernismLe Corbusier was not only one of 20th-century architecture's leading figures but also a defining father of modernism, as well as a polarising figure; here, we explore the life and work of an architect who was influential far beyond his field and time
-
How to protect our modernist legacyWe explore the legacy of modernism as a series of midcentury gems thrive, keeping the vision alive and adapting to the future
-
A 1960s North London townhouse deftly makes the transition to the 21st CenturyThanks to a sensitive redesign by Studio Hagen Hall, this midcentury gem in Hampstead is now a sustainable powerhouse.
-
The new MASP expansion in São Paulo goes tallMuseu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand (MASP) expands with a project named after Pietro Maria Bardi (the institution's first director), designed by Metro Architects
