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Mar 22, 2023

Mirror Houses: 9 Incredible Properties You Can Barely See

By Katherine McLaughlin Though architectural styles and ideals have changed time

By Katherine McLaughlin

Though architectural styles and ideals have changed time and time again, the pursuit of nature-centric and nature-honoring construction has rarely wavered. Integrating homes with nature has been both a specific design choice (as was the case with modern architects like Frank Lloyd Wright) to a solution for building in difficult terrains (such as these homes built into cliffs). Even homes that aren't specifically designed to blend with nature are crafted with stunning views, manicured gardens, or other amenities that take into account the outside world. Cultural and historic eras have changed the execution, but the goal is almost always there.

Today, architects have devised another way of integrating homes into nature: making them invisible—or as near close to invisible as it gets. Through the use of mirrored façades, houses practically melt in the scenery of their surroundings. Below, AD visits nine stunning mirror houses that prove just how seamless nature and architecture can get.

It's no surprise that Paradise Ranch Inn is operated "by a team of nature and design enthusiasts." On the property is OOD House, a cuboid mirror home outfitted with Scandinavian-inspired decor and enough space for two. Built near the base of Sequoia National Park, the home is set close to the largest living organism by volume on the planet: General Sherman, a 2,100-year-old, 2.7 million-pound giant sequoia.

Designed by Delugan Meissl Associated Architects, Casa Invisible is a prefabricated home currently available for purchase. Constructed with a wood structure, the home can be fully disassembled for minimal environmental impact. The mirror home is designed with an open floor plan around a central chimney and spans 538 square feet.

The base of Lucid Stead, a humble homesteader shack, had been around for 70 years before Philip K. Smith III, an American artist, stepped in. Using LED lights, mirrors, and custom electronic equipment, the home changes both in color and reflection throughout the day. By maintaining the wood framework of the original shack and using the mirrors as accents, the home appears translucent.

Arcana is not a single mirrored cabin, but a collection of reflective structures in the woods of Toronto—though the company assures you won't be running to neighbors like at a traditional campsite. Each cabin includes a kitchen and bathroom and a stainless steel façade that is coated in a wildlife-friendly texture.

Located in South Tyrolean Dolomites, Mirror Houses are a pair of vacation homes designed by Peter Pichler. Each home is oriented towards the east, offering opportunities to watch the sunrise through the floor-to-ceiling windows. For an added nature-immersive touch, the homes include a window above the beds so you can stargaze from the comfort of a climate-controlled oasis.

The second of Pichler's mirror houses doesn't include allover reflection, but it includes deliberate mirrored panels on the back side of the home. The front features a glass curtain wall, which seemingly dissolves the barrier between inside and out.

Perhaps one of the most well recognized mirror houses in the world—partly thanks to its many celebrity visitors over the years—The Invisible House in Joshua Tree was designed by Tomas Osinski and its first owner, Chris Hanley. Outside, the façade reflects the surrounding Mojave Desert, while the inside walls are constructed with glass, offering endless views for visitors. In addition to its unique shape and exterior, the home also includes a 100-foot indoor pool. The property was put on the market in January of this year for $18 million and is currently available to rent for overnight stays.

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Part of a Treehotel (a collection of unique hospitality offerings suspended in the trees), Mirrorcube is exactly what it sounds like: a cube covered in mirrors. Sized at 13 feet by 13 feet by 13 feet, the cozy room has enough space for two people. The accommodations were designed by Tham & Videgård and include a double bed, a toilet, and a small seating area.

Unlike other mirror houses, which are often cube-shaped, Mirage, created by artist Doug Aitken, features a gabled roof. First installed in Palm Springs, California, the home was then moved to Gstaad, Switzerland, where it is seen here. The property is not technically designed for shelter, but is rather a large-scale sculpture and art installation. "Mirage is reconfigured as an architectural idea: the seemingly generic suburban home now devoid of a narrative, its inhabitants, their possessions," the project description explains. "This minimal structure now functions entirely in response to the landscape around it."

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