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Striking & Unusual Modern Home Exteriors

These 20 homes set the tone with exceptional, showstopper façades

Shristi Nangalia
Shristi Nangalia21 December 2020
Houzz India Contributor, Architect, Architectural Writer and Content Writer. Painting, craft work, pets and good food are my getaways. Cultures and colours always inspire me. Email: shristi012@gmail.com, Business profile: @decoretteindia.
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Advancements in the materials and construction industry are opening up newer doors for designers to create standout exterior designs with a distinct dramatic presence. Here is a round-up of 20 exterior designs with a unconventional yet charming kerb appeal.

You can find out more details of a project and see more of a professional’s work by clicking on each photo.
JD Stairs Inc
1. Firm: assemblageSTUDIO
Location: Las Vegas, USA
Custom fittings of huge woven steel wire-mesh screens envelope the upper floor of this 8000-square-foot home. The triangular screens not only make for a visual delight, but also induce passive cooling by reducing radiant heat gain. The textural layering of mass represents the stratification of the nearby Red Rock Mountains, offering an extraordinary edge to the contemporary design.

Find a designer to help design your home facade
Anagram Architects
2. Firm: Anagram Architects
Location: Delhi, India
This joint family home’s white stone facade sports slanting profiles and a deep crevice that runs through the length of the volume. The cleft that produces the look of a ‘broken monolith’ draws ample light and the wind-tunnel effect brings thermal comfort inside the home.

See more striking home exteriors here
Nobbs Radford Architects
3. Firm: Nobbs Radford Architects
Location: Glebe, Sydney
This two-storey house features a fenestrated textural cement-concrete exterior. The cool grey surfaces, sharp rectangular forms and play of lighting add to its unique charm.

Dare to bare those exposed cement walls?
steimle architekten
4. Firm: steimle architekten
Location: Dresden, Germany
A colonnade of wooden slats on the lower floor gives this contemporary home a special personality. It embodies elegance and timelessness owing to its simple lines and pristine white colour.

Why say yes to a white building facade?
Bruns Architecture
5. Firm: Bruns Architecture
Location: Milwaukee, USA
Sitting amidst a backdrop of lush greenery, this modern home’s slanted roofs and patterned screens elevate the exterior design to create a memorable look.

Möhring Architekten
6. Firm: Möhring Architekten
Location: Berlin, Germany
This home’s steep pitched roof wraps multiple windows and a portico cut from the mass on one side. While the materiality make the house look like a traditional barn, the modern details and sharp lines give it a contemporary advantage.


How to integrate wood into a building’s exterior
Burr & McCallum Architects
7. Firm: Burr & McCallum Architects
Location: Berkshire, USA
Located on the crest of a slope, the exterior faces of this contemporary home are clad in Vermont slate over steel framing. The sombre colour scheme subdues the sharp lines of the elevation and the stilted volume captures beautiful views of the meadow around.
na architects
8. Firm: na architects
Location: Hyderabad, India
Thoroughly contemporary, this three-tiered home dons sleek edges and modern finishes. However, the waterfall and the cantilevered roof on the top floor break up what would be a monotonous facade.
Preeti Singh
9. Firm: Architecture Paradigm
Location: Bengaluru, India
Atypical angles and strong lines are softened by greenery in this modern home exterior design. Wood accents are used to create focal points and stabilise the dynamic composition.
Brickworks Building Products
10. Firm: Matyas Architects
Location: Sydney, Australia
Thanks to the dark bricks and timber, this home exterior oozes an intriguing allure, where the colours and textures of the different materials and shapes come together in a balanced whole. The patch of slanted brickwork creates interesting shadows and adds personality to the home’s design.

See how brick accentuates these 6 contemporary Indian homes facades
アトリエオーブ
11. Firm: アトリエオーブ
Location: Mie, Japan
The grey siding on the wall at the right understates itself, allowing the finished wooden surface in front to stand out on this industrial-style home.
Fabi Architekten BDA part gmbb
12. Firm: Fabi Architekten BDA part gmbb
Location: Regensburg, Germany
A modern colour palette embraces this two-level house with a black structure cantilevered on another cuboid. The unique geometry negates the need for decorative embellishments to create a striking exterior.
zanon architetti associati
13. Firm: zanon architetti associati
Location: Venice, Italy
The creeper-covered country home’s exterior is further enhanced by installation of a living area extension in glass with Corten steel frames.
The reflective panels are installed in such a way that it makes the block seem see-through.

Need ideas to grow climbing plants and vines at home?
Ace Associates
14. Firm: Ace Associates
Location: Ahmedabad, India
While the cement-grey and wood tones keep the colour palette consistent, the sliding screen panels that mask the upper floor give this contemporary home an eye-catching identity.
Ace Associates
See how beautifully it lights up at night.

Find out about 6 common outdoor lighting features and the right ways to use them
Gabhart Investments, Inc.
15. Location: San Diego, USA
The pop of peach colour on this home exterior makes a strong statement from the street. While the basic geometry echoes a laid-back vibe, the soft, bright colour subtly makes a presence.

Check out these 7 unusual exterior paint colour combinations for homes
Malik Architecture
16. Firm: Malik Architecture
Location: Alibaug, India
This asymmetrical, faceted exterior is nothing like any standard modern home design. Concrete and stone surfaces nod to a brutalist appeal, while the unusual shape and orientation captures panoramic views of the surrounding valley.

Take a tour of this home here
Architect Show Co.,Ltd
17. Firm: Architect Show Co.,Ltd
Location: Fukuoka, Japan
To achieve a sculptural design, this modern house’s exterior is finished in white deep-slanting eaves over two blocks clad in red cedar.
Kevin Daly Architects
18. Firm: Kevin Daly Architects
Location: Los Angeles, USA
The fully glazed elevation of this two-storey home is shaded by an interestingly shaped, perforated metal skin on an aluminium frame. The screen not only adds to the wow factor of the exterior design, but helps maintain privacy and thermal comfort in the interiors.

Here are many ways to shade a building from the sun to ensure natural cooling
Warren Techentin Architecture
19. Firm: Warren Techentin Architecture
Location: Los Angeles, USA
The two-toned contemporary structure of this garage-turned-home features timber cladding, white surfaces and glazed panels. The volumes fold and stretch strategically to tailor a green design that is friendly to the existing site.
TASCHEN
20. Firm: Sou Fujimoto architects
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Breaking away from the customary RCC structure, this 914-square-foot transparent home is made of white steel frame. The reformist house brings 21 individual floor levels together to pull off the concept of ‘living within a tree’. Fenestration and curtains are tactically placed to allow privacy and ventilation.

Read on:
What Contemporary Facades Do
9 Cladding and Design Ideas for Facades

Tell us:
Which home exterior did you like the most and why? Share your thoughts in Comments below.
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