OA House, Tosin Oshinowo's minimalist beach house on Ikaare Island, Lagos

Lagos architect and curator Tosin Oshinowo has built OA House on the coastline of Ikaare Island, just off the Lagos lagoon. It is a private four-bedroom retreat shaped entirely around its setting: white sand, palms and open views of the Atlantic. Oshinowo calls the architecture "deliberately restrained", and the smooth, matte off-white volumes sit easily against the landscape rather than competing with it.

The heart of the house is the living space, which she describes as an "open, breezy pavilion". It opens onto a generous pool deck, then a hot tub and outdoor seating that step gradually down towards the shoreline. Inside, the palette is kept calm and consistent: off-white walls, floors and exterior ceilings, timber underfoot and the aqua-green pool as the main splash of colour.

The narrow plot shaped the layout. Ground-floor bedrooms sit towards the back, still facing the pool but turned away from the ocean for a more sheltered feel, while upstairs bedrooms each get a private terrace looking out over the coast. Oshinowo says the tight site became a chance to create a visual journey through the property.

This is a private home, so there's nothing to visit, but it's a lovely study in how a light touch and a careful plan can make the most of a beach.

Our summary of a story from Wallpaper*, published 19 October 2026. Read the original

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