Beyond the Façade: Why the Rear of Your Home Matters From A Wolf Architects Perspective.
When it comes to residential architecture, the street-facing façade often takes center stage. It’s the public face of the building, the first impression, the visual handshake with the neighbourhood. Many architects, perhaps too many, focus almost exclusively on this front view, designing homes that look impressive from the curb but quickly lose their architectural integrity once you step around the corner. At Wolf Architects, we believe this approach is fundamentally flawed.
A home is not a billboard.
Imagine a beautiful mask that may be striking from the front, but once turned, reveals an awkward, disconnected mess behind. That’s the unfortunate reality of many modern homes where the rear and sides are neglected. The result is an incoherent structure where the front façade feels like a costume rather than a true reflection of the building’s design language. You’ll often find mismatched materials, exposed downpipes and poorly considered mechanical services. These are all things that detract from the beauty and harmony of the home.
Now consider where most of life happens in a home: the rear.
The backyard, terrace and alfresco areas for example are spaces where families gather, entertain, relax and live. Ironically, this is where homeowners spend the most time looking back at their house. And yet, it’s often the most neglected view in traditional design. Why make the front look good for passing strangers while ignoring the perspectives that enrich daily living?
At Wolf Architects, we challenge this conventional thinking. We treat the entire building with front, back, sides and even the roof as a cohesive, sculptural whole. Every angle matters. Every view counts.
In fact, we are so proud of our architectural backsides that many of our featured projects on the website begin with images of the rear view. Our rear elevations often look better than the front façades of most other homes. That’s how confident we are in our commitment to total design integrity.
Would you wear clothing that looked stylish from the front but fell apart in the back? Unlikely. Similarly, great car design considers every angle with the front, sides and rear because cars are visible from all directions. While buildings don’t move, they are still experienced in 360 degrees, especially in today’s world of drone photography and elevated views. The roof, once an afterthought, is now another design opportunity that we never overlook.
This commitment to total design is what sets a Wolf Architects home apart.
With the advanced 3D modelling technology at our fingertips, there’s no excuse for one-dimensional thinking. Our design process involves constant review from every angle both internally and externally to ensure that the home is not only functional and beautiful, but visually harmonious from all perspectives. It takes more time, expertise and more care but that’s exactly what we provide.
Because we don’t just design buildings, we sculpt them.