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Architectural Inspiration: 12 Modern Houses with Black Exteriors

02.06.13 | By
Architectural Inspiration: 12 Modern Houses with Black Exteriors

It was once about a modernist cube with weathered vertical siding. Or a clapboard Colonial complete with white picket fence, depending on your taste. But these days, the cool kids are going dark. Black houses are, dare way say, a trend. A quick journey through contemporary architecture Pinterest boards will confirm. Well, yes, we’re smitten. Would you live in one?

Above : H House, designed by Budapesti Muhely, is a gabled farmhouse of the Hungarian peasant variety, updated for modern day living. The side you see is faced with metal, while the rest is done in traditional wood.

Although you can’t tell from this photo by Jonathan Scheder, Zwei Kleine House by Architekturbüro Scheder is actually two small prefab houses, one in front of the other.

This horizontal home by Dahle Dahle Breitenstein is part of a housing development in a suburb of Oslo comprised of eight buildings, including a detached house, row house, and apartments. Photo by Nils-Petter Dale.

Japanese architecture firm Atelier TEKUTO designed this super skinny home, called OH House, built on an irregularly shaped lot. The good news: they fit in space to park a car too.

This notched square residence, designed by Japanese firm THREE.BALL.CASCADE Architects, is called, rather unbelievably, Harley in Da House. Hmm.

The facade of Corpo Santo House designed by Rui Cerqueira Barros blends in a bit of the traditional with the window gate design, making for a nice compromise on a city street in Portugal.

The black-glazed shingle panel façade lends an earthy feel to this contemporary summer house in Sweden by Tham & Videgård Arkitekter. This photo by Ake E’son Lindman shows just one side. The next image illuminates the interesting angles of the deck side.

Another shot of Archipelago House by Tham & Videgård Arkitekter. The zigzag design creates outdoor areas that are protected from the wind.

Swedish firm XTEN Architecture designed this LA hillside home, dubbed Nakahouse, based on a 1960′s design. Look up in the left corner of this photo by Steve King—you can see the Hollywood sign!

Storm Cottage by Fearon Hay Architects is located on the east coast of Great Barrier Island in New Zealand. The black rough sawn timber box sits looking north to the sea. A slice of heaven.

We wrote about Agudela House, designed by Rui Cerqueira Barros, back in December. Situated by the sea in Portugal, the sunlight makes its black exterior sparkle.

This futuristic pod-like home was designed by Judd Lysenko Architects in Melbourne, Australia. The bright orange stain on the curved plywood interior wall makes the house glow like a giant ember in the night.

Aatrial House by Polish firm KWK Promes Architects is a cubist concrete structure.

Want more? Check out StyleCarrot for 38 Modern Houses with Black Exteriors.

Marni Elyse Katz is a Contributing Editor at Design Milk. She lives in Boston where she contributes regularly to local publications and writes her own interior design blog, StyleCarrot.