Published April 14, 2025
Boho, artsy, modern, edgy, wacky—never a dull moment. We’re talking Berkeley homes and the style in which they are designed.
Let’s vibe out big time, on the non traditional, non conformist, anti cookie cutter, wild and wonderful architecture of Berkeley homes and buildings. An exterior expression of artistic rebellion, like the brick and mortar version of being heavily tattooed, so many cool Berkeley houses serve as an artist’s medium of stunning visual presentation.
Sometimes, weird might come to the tip of your tongue before beautiful, but always artistic and always fun to behold, there is some wild stuff out there! There are contemporary homes, often tricked out with the latest technology and floor to ceiling windows, these houses are perfect for people who like a modern feel. Berkeley has a lot of Tudor homes. This style is from the late 1800s, involving a triangle roof and brick building and chimney, these houses are stand out because the are the highest level of charming. Definitely not your typical suburban home. Ya’ll know the bungalow, suitable for people of all ages, family friendly, cozy and practical, there’s nothing not to like. Brown shingle homes can be found through out Berkeley neighborhoods. These are great for people who like darker home features like dark wood floors and trim. The exterior of these houses are covered in brown stained shingles. The famous Julia Morgan used to like to build these bad boys. I think a lot of people picture Mediterranean style when they think Berkeley houses, and dog gone it, they’re right! This style of house has those vacation feelings, that Italian and Spanish, red roof, white brick, arched door way action. It’s very lovely, very California. Those are all popular, safely with in the bounds of acceptable while providing ambience, home architecture styles. Now let’s dive into the weird stuff.
Architect Eugene Tssui designed one of the more controversial houses, that might top the weird Berkeley house list, called the Fish house. He designed it based off a tardigrade, a nearly non destructible micro animal. In 1995, the Berkeleyside published an article called Not in my Backyard, where neighbors expressed their displeasure with the weirdness. Apparently, his parents had wanted a home designed that was earth quake safe, and that was the direction he went with it. Nothing about that spot looks normal, some people think it’s great local color. It’s just not everyone’s cup of tea.
In 2018, Jessica Tong built the first permitted cob structure in the city of Berkeley. Cob is very earthy looking, and appears very true to what it is- mud. Really, it’s a mixture of straw, sand and clay, often formed into bricks. Cob is said to have excellent temperature control, it stays cool inside those buildings. The cost of building is much lower than traditional building materials. It is also highly sustainable. There is evidence that cob is more structurally sound than adobe, and that’s relevant information in earthquake country. If you were walking by a cob structure you might stop and be like, wait, is that place made of dirt and hay? And the answer is yes my friend, yes it is.
There are a lot of famously weird structures around the Bay, the rainbow house, the bike house and the old church house in San Francisco are worth looking up. Or check out the Spite house in Alameda, that’s a cool one!
These places are special because in a country of urban and suburban sprawl, in the age of the town home and the McMansion, these buildings reflect the stand out artistry and fierce anti establishment independence of the Bay Area. It’s special here, there’s a theater kid, hippy boho undertone that flows through everything. We love how that shows up in the wonderfully strange homes of Berkeley, and the greater Bay.
Sometimes, weird might come to the tip of your tongue before beautiful, but always artistic and always fun to behold, there is some wild stuff out there! There are contemporary homes, often tricked out with the latest technology and floor to ceiling windows, these houses are perfect for people who like a modern feel. Berkeley has a lot of Tudor homes. This style is from the late 1800s, involving a triangle roof and brick building and chimney, these houses are stand out because the are the highest level of charming. Definitely not your typical suburban home. Ya’ll know the bungalow, suitable for people of all ages, family friendly, cozy and practical, there’s nothing not to like. Brown shingle homes can be found through out Berkeley neighborhoods. These are great for people who like darker home features like dark wood floors and trim. The exterior of these houses are covered in brown stained shingles. The famous Julia Morgan used to like to build these bad boys. I think a lot of people picture Mediterranean style when they think Berkeley houses, and dog gone it, they’re right! This style of house has those vacation feelings, that Italian and Spanish, red roof, white brick, arched door way action. It’s very lovely, very California. Those are all popular, safely with in the bounds of acceptable while providing ambience, home architecture styles. Now let’s dive into the weird stuff.
Architect Eugene Tssui designed one of the more controversial houses, that might top the weird Berkeley house list, called the Fish house. He designed it based off a tardigrade, a nearly non destructible micro animal. In 1995, the Berkeleyside published an article called Not in my Backyard, where neighbors expressed their displeasure with the weirdness. Apparently, his parents had wanted a home designed that was earth quake safe, and that was the direction he went with it. Nothing about that spot looks normal, some people think it’s great local color. It’s just not everyone’s cup of tea.
In 2018, Jessica Tong built the first permitted cob structure in the city of Berkeley. Cob is very earthy looking, and appears very true to what it is- mud. Really, it’s a mixture of straw, sand and clay, often formed into bricks. Cob is said to have excellent temperature control, it stays cool inside those buildings. The cost of building is much lower than traditional building materials. It is also highly sustainable. There is evidence that cob is more structurally sound than adobe, and that’s relevant information in earthquake country. If you were walking by a cob structure you might stop and be like, wait, is that place made of dirt and hay? And the answer is yes my friend, yes it is.
There are a lot of famously weird structures around the Bay, the rainbow house, the bike house and the old church house in San Francisco are worth looking up. Or check out the Spite house in Alameda, that’s a cool one!
These places are special because in a country of urban and suburban sprawl, in the age of the town home and the McMansion, these buildings reflect the stand out artistry and fierce anti establishment independence of the Bay Area. It’s special here, there’s a theater kid, hippy boho undertone that flows through everything. We love how that shows up in the wonderfully strange homes of Berkeley, and the greater Bay.
