9 Luxe Homes That Feature Totally Shocking Design

No matter the style, interior design and architecture are industries where experimentation is a must. For instance, when midcentury modernist architect Frank Lloyd Wright debuted his iconic Fallingwater house in 1936, the world was shocked. After all, it is a fully livable, beautifully designed residence that Wright constructed over a flowing waterfall. Since news of Wright’s masterpiece spread throughout the world, architects and interior designers have paid tribute to the American genius with equally—if not more—shocking design.

And, like Wright, they’re experimenting with water in more ways than one. From a Le Corbusier–inspired skylight turned rooftop pool to a hidden arcade in the basement of a neoclassical-style Houston mansion, these radical spaces are proof that architects and designers are flexing their creative muscles. Here, AD surveys nine homes around the world with jaw-dropping interior design elements that would make Wright proud.

Miami Beach, Florida

On Miami Beach’s Palm Island, Choeff Levy Fischman created a mesmerizing 460-square-foot floating atrium within a midcentury-inspired home. With the foyer on one side and the ocean-facing living room on the other, the unique atrium—complete with oversized sandblasted limestone blocks seemingly hovering above a shallow pool of water—is the home’s pièce de résistance. “We want the residents and their guests to have a zen feeling, as if they are walking over water,” design principal Paul Fischman notes.

Read more at: Architectural Digest