The world is full of beautiful residential architecture with really great designs, and there are so many beautiful contemporary home design choices out there that we couldn’t possibly organize and show you all of them. Instead, we have gathered here a few contemporary home designs that we find interesting. Although this is just a list-like article, we hope it’s enough to inspire you to seek out beautiful buildings and structures and give you an appreciation for what great design is all about.
Contemporary House Design in Chile
Sandwiched between a series of large trees, this Chilean vacation home looks as if it has been there for a very long time, and the natural environment around it is what has grown up around it. It has a very special connection to its surroundings, but it doesn’t try to blend in. On the contrary, its modern design and geometric shapes make it stand out proudly.
We can’t say that we’ve seen many modern houses with two swimming pools, so in that sense, this Lisbon home is very special. The house is a beachfront villa, built of stone, glass and wood. It has two pools, one more traditional (if that term applies here as well) and the other with a glass bottom that lets light pass right through, creating patterns on the floor below.
Nature plays an important role in the design of this four-storey family home, and this time we’re not talking about distant views, but vertical gardens, raised plant beds and greenery that help to seamlessly blend the indoors and the outdoors.
Contemporary Residential Design in Girona
Natural stone walls frame this beautiful house, which is located in Girona, Spain, and complement the brown facade. Scalloped edges add a raw touch to the design. Inside, the modern home is very serene and welcoming, featuring minimal, earthy colors that highlight the strong connection between the architecture and the natural environment.
Rugged terrain often prevents architects from pursuing a project, but not here. This contemporary home design embraces the rugged terrain and capitalizes on its unique features. From the outside, this house is imposing, but from the inside, it’s a super cozy and inviting space.
Brazilian Contemporary Home Design
A house can be modern and include design elements inspired by other styles or past eras without looking dated. One example is a single house in Rotterdam. It has a lawn roof, which does a great job at helping the building disappear into the landscape. This unique design transforms rustic architecture into contemporary minimalism.
It looks like a giant jigsaw puzzle made up of individual volumes of different shapes and sizes that fit together seamlessly. Located in Nova Lima, Brazil, one of the most impressive features of the home actually has nothing to do with the architecture, but rather with the stunning 360-degree panoramic views that can be admired from the inside.
The fact that it is a one and a half storey high house is quite interesting and unusual in itself, but there is actually much more to the modern house. The building is organized into two functional areas, each of which has a different height and orientation. Thus, the roof is divided along its length and the space forms two blocks. The result is a small family home that manages to be symmetrical through its irregular appearance.
When the buildings that originally occupied the site were demolished, some of the original architecture was retained, such as the stone walls, the garage or the entrance. These elements were retained and then incorporated into a new modern residential design, the ED&JO Residence. They contrast with the clean and modern aesthetics of the new structure, and while the contrast is certainly strong, the old and new buildings complement each other.
Contemporary Residential Design in South Korea
This serene home from Gapyeong, South Korea has a river on one side and mountains on the other. It enjoys a very calm and serene atmosphere and looks quite modest and humble thanks to its well-planned modern design and choice of materials and finishes.
Melbourne Contemporary Home Design
This is a duplex home located in Melbourne. It has a simple and open layout with many connections to the outdoors. Its exterior is covered in black timber, with a contrasting white frame that separates the two sections, giving each area privacy and character.
How do you design a house and give it everything without making it look luxurious? Well, take a look at this luxury home in St. Tropez and you’ll find the answer. It’s amazing in every way, but somehow it doesn’t make an overwhelming impression. Most of the cool and grandiose features are initially hidden, and the street-facing façade is modest and mostly enclosed.
The relationship between architecture and nature is not always limited to the size of the parcel on which the building sits. Many modern homes, including this townhome, use glass facades to welcome the outdoors, to outline distant views, and to create a connection to beautiful panoramas in the distance.
Contemporary Residential Design in the Netherlands
As you can see from this photo, this is not a typical home. Located in Berlicum, the Netherlands, this is an h-shaped house with a modern extension resembling a conservatory. The interiors are spacious and open, with through-height windows exposing them to the outdoors and letting in plenty of natural light.
Contemporary Residential Design in Lebanon
In this case, the triangular shape of the site inspired an unusual design. Located in Faqra, Lebanon, this curved concrete house has a very distinctive geometry. It is a design that makes for the most challenging location. It helps the building stand out and also cleverly hides a series of outdoor spaces, ensuring that this modern house can be enjoyed all year round.
Although the base is small and surrounded by existing buildings, that doesn’t stop this bright and transparent house from capturing stunning views of the Pacific Ocean. This is possible because of its smart and unique design that helps the interior spaces rise above the rest of the structure.
As the many examples so far show, each project presents a set of challenges. In the case of the side house, these come in the form of a myriad of architectural requirements and constraints. The house had to have a sloped roof with a specific angle, which didn’t fit the clean and modern aesthetic the homeowners wanted. As a result, an eclectic design was chosen for this mixed family home.
No matter how you look at it, this simple concrete house looks exquisite from every angle. From this angle, it appears to float, very balanced and light weight. Walk to the other side and you’ll see how the three interlocking volumes change with the topography of the site.
