2/20/20: I’m working around the clock on something this week, so Etsomnia™ is taking the week off. Instead, I’m bringing you a remarkable, kooky piece of residential architecture. Located in Wilton, Connecticut, the Round House may look like just another unusual-shaped residence, but its quirks go much deeper than just its appearance. Not content to design a circular house that looks like a space ship* perched on a tiny pedestal, architect Richard Foster decided the structure should also rotate to be able to take advantage of the different views of the surrounding area. It’s true; the darned thing moves. At its fastest speed, the house takes 45 minutes to complete a full circle, either clockwise or counterclockwise.
*Perhaps it’s because I’m dieting, but all I can see is a Chipwich.
Foster built the house in 1968 to serve as his family’s main residence. They lived there until his death in 2002, when the family sold it. Foster’s wacky design had more to do with preserving the land’s integrity than it did fashion.
“It achieves the intended purpose of allowing the landscape to flow gently under and around the house with a minimal disturbance of nature. The land was a grazing meadow before we built, and that is the way it is today.”
– Richard Foster
In 2010, the house returned to the real estate market, in much worse condition than the interim owners had purchased it. The new owners hired architects Mack Scogin and Merrill Elam to restore the exterior, upgrade the infrastructure, and improve the flow of the interior spaces. The finished project is a true stunner, and is once again being lived in as intended.
You can see more of the Round House on the project’s website and on Instagram.
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My OBT 
August 17, 2025 at 9:50 am
I love this concept! We have a spinning house here in San Diego too, I heard it was up for sale recently.
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August 18, 2025 at 9:39 am
Such a fun idea!
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