The sculptural, white volumes of this Nigerian beach house effortlessly nod to the white sands beyond, as it sits idyllically placed on the coastline of Ikaare Island, off the Lagos lagoon. The project, designed by architect, curator and past Wallpaper* Awards nominee for Best Private House 2023, Tosin Oshinowo, blends crisp modernity, local design language and a site-specific approach; welcome to OA House.
Explore a new Nigerian beach house by Tosin Oshinowo
The project is a private retreat, a four-bedroom Nigerian beach house, conceived specifically around its seaside setting. The entire home's orientation - from windows to the outdoor areas, including a generous swimming pool deck - is designed to look out towards the plot's clean vistas of the Atlantic Ocean.
The same goes for the house's heart, its living space, which opens up to the outdoors and was approached as an 'open, breezy pavilion,' the architect explains. A hot tub and outdoor seating areas all cleverly, slowly create a 'gradual transition from the house to the shoreline,' Toshinowo adds.
The architecture is 'deliberately restrained.' This brings a welcome freshness, as it sits across the minimalist landscape - white sands, green palms and blue sea. It also creates a pared-down, flexible and calming backdrop for living and relaxing for its residents.
This simplicity becomes a key feature, defined by simple, smooth, matte off-white walls, timber floors and an aqua-green pool. The region's bright sun and distinctive vegetation frame the volumes' presence on the beach.
The ground floor hosts the main living spaces, opening up towards the water views. Bedrooms are also located on this level, but placed towards the plot's rear (yet still facing the pool) for privacy and a more cocooning feeling, facing away from the vastness of the ocean.
Upstairs, more bedrooms feature their own private terraces, offering moments of contemplation as residents can take in the coastal landscape.
'This project is particularly special because its narrow site became an opportunity to create an engaging visual transition through the property. The house remains true to our minimalist aesthetic, with a calm, cohesive palette of subtle off-white tones across the floors, walls, and exterior ceilings, complementing the surrounding landscape and the aqua colour of the pool,' Oshinowo says.
'No two homes are ever the same when designed for private clients. Residential architecture lets us explore the extraordinary diversity of possibilities within the world’s most fundamental architectural typology, shaped by each client's individuality, lifestyle, and relationship with place.'