The Channel 4 show is presented by Kevin McCloud (Picture: Channel 4)
Grand Designs has once again captivated architecture enthusiasts by unveiling the six contenders for the highly coveted House of the Year 2025 award.
The accolade spotlights some of the UK’s most architecturally groundbreaking and innovative new homes.
Presented by charismatic host Kevin McCloud on Channel 4, with the first episode airing on Wednesday, November 19, the ceremony is produced in collaboration with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), and the winner will be announced next month.
This year’s shortlist demonstrates a remarkable diversity of style, scale, and design philosophy, reaffirming the award’s reputation for recognising homes that challenge norms while remaining sensitive to their environmental and social contexts.
Caochan na Creige – Isle of Harris, Scotland
Located on the rugged and windswept shores of the Outer Hebrides, Caochan na Creige (meaning ‘little hidden one by the rock’) is a masterclass in minimalist coastal living that blends tradition with contemporary style.
Constructed primarily from locally sourced stone, the compact home melds the material with sleek, modern lines, creating a structure specifically engineered to withstand the relentless storms and harsh climate.
Caochan na Creige is made from locally-sourced stone (Picture: Channel 4)
It’s located on the Isle of Harris (Picture: Channel 4)
The design harnesses panoramic vistas of the North Atlantic through an innovative open-plan living area, inviting spectacular natural light and landscape views into the intimate interior space.
The project’s backstory is as compelling as its design: the builders endured nine severe storms during construction, underlining the resilience and dedication essential to realising such an ambitious remote build.
This home embraces the dramatic coastal environment and minimises impact on it, while maximising occupant comfort and sustainability.
The builders endured nine storms while constructing the home (Picture: Channel 4)
Hastings house – Hastings, South Coast
Hastings House is a transformative refurbishment of a 19th-century detached home perched on a challenging sloping site overlooking the town of Hastings.
The project draws light and spatial fluidity into what was once a segmented and underutilised historic property.
By embracing the home’s three-storey level change, the designers crafted a series of interconnected, light-filled living spaces that flow seamlessly across levels.
The Hastings build restored a 19th Century home (Picture: Channel 4)
The project spanned three levels (Picture: Channel 4)
The home’s fabric was addressed with equal care. Utilising advanced concrete repair techniques and timber framing, the design resolved structural challenges while preserving the building’s character.
A standout feature is the kitchen garden on the front terrace, blurring the boundaries between indoors and outdoors and allowing produce to soak up the sunshine.
Two-family cliffside house – Cornwall
Nestled on a dramatic cliff face in Cornwall, this innovative dual-family home ‘demonstrates an intimate understanding of its highly sensitive site and coastal environment’, according to RIBA.
The Cornwall home has space for two families (Picture: Channel 4)
There is a communal pool, dining terrace and children’s play areas (Picture: Channel 4)
The house comprises two discrete living units designed side-by-side, each independent yet sharing communal amenities including a heated pool, dining terrace, and children’s play areas – an ideal balance between privacy and sociability.
The structure’s 400 large timber panels were craned individually into position, and the design’s sensitivity to its coastal context is evident not only in its material choices (timber and glass to reflect and complement the environment), but also in its careful orientation to exploit natural light and shelter from the wind.
Accessible home – Clayworth, Nottinghamshire
A single-storey, T-shaped dwelling, this home prioritises accessibility without compromising on style or spatial richness.
Floor-to-ceiling glass walls frame the garden vistas, blending interior and exterior spaces and encouraging seamless indoor-outdoor living that is both uplifting and practical.
The T-shaped home is one storey (Picture: Channel 4)
It has an accessible, open plan design (Picture: Channel 4)
Beyond aesthetics, the house features a suite of functional zones including an exercise gym, playroom, and utility space, all integrated within an open-plan kitchen and living area. Such layout flexibility promotes independence and ease of movement.
The project’s success lies in the marriage of accessibility considerations with architectural artistry, setting a new standard for inclusive home design that is both welcoming and aspirational.
Bury Gate Farm – South Downs National Park, Hampshire
Replacing a dated 1950s bungalow, Bury Gate Farm is a meticulously crafted statement of sustainable family living set within the pristine landscape of the South Downs National Park.
The build replaces a 1950s bungalow (Picture: Channel 4)
It is located within the South Downs National Park (Picture: Channel 4)
Over six years in development and construction, the expansive interiors are centred around a dramatic double-height hallway and include five bedrooms, a residential lift, and an annexe designed for multi-generational occupancy or guests.
The dwelling balances modern styles with its national park setting, showing how sustainable design and family needs can coexist without sacrificing aesthetic or comfort.
Brick Bungalow – Haringey, London
In the dense urban fabric of North London’s Haringey, the Brick Bungalow stands out as a masterclass in optimising limited space through clever architectural solutions.
The Haringey home is compact but stylish (Picture: Channel 4)
Residents have access to two private courtyards (Picture: Channel 4)
Tucked discretely behind a butcher’s shop and accessed via a narrow alleyway, this single-storey home embraces its challenging site constraints with creative flair.
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Boasting two intimate private courtyards and a living area crowned by striking pyramidal ceilings, the design maximises natural light and spatial impressions within a compact footprint.
The home shows how urban infill projects can deliver thoughtful, livable spaces that defy expectations of cramped city living.
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Judges have hailed it as a ‘delightful home’ for its inventive employment of light, volume, and outdoor connection, making it a standout example of adaptive city dwelling.
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