Inspiration for a modern two-storey green house exterior in Other with wood siding, a gable roof and a metal roof.

Visit Our Showroom 8000 Locust Mill St. Ellicott City, MD 21043 Masonite: Classy and chic, the Pear glass is the perfect solution to a homeowner's desire for a simple front door that allows natural light while maintaining the home's privacy.

Seahurst Waterfront Residence, Seattle WA

Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects

View from Puget Sound.
This is an example of a large modern three-storey green house exterior in Seattle with mixed siding, a flat roof and a mixed roof.

North West corner

Mountain Sun Building & Design

Photo of a mid-sized modern two-storey green exterior in Other with concrete fiberboard siding.

Woodland House: Northwest Modern

ROM architecture studio

Chrome Oxide Addition

Marc McCollom Architect

View of the Dining Room addition with the existing house visible beyond. The addition is taller and crisper than the original house, a complete change of character. Photos by Marc McCollom A I A

北欧・ポートランドカフェスタイルのお宅

kinfolk design works

Inspiration for a mid-sized modern two-storey green house exterior in Other.

casita exterior

E5 Design-Build

exterior landscape view of casita accessory dwelling unit (adu)
This is an example of a mid-sized modern one-storey brick green exterior in Phoenix with a gable roof, a shingle roof and a brown roof.

Orange Grove

Brooks + Scarpa Architects

Located in a neighborhood characterized by traditional bungalow style single-family residences, Orange Grove is a new landmark for the City of West Hollywood. The building is sensitively designed and compatible with the neighborhood, but differs in material palette and scale from its neighbors. Referencing architectural conventions of modernism rather than the pitched roof forms of traditional domesticity, the project presents a characteristic that is consistent with the eclectic and often unconventional demographic of West Hollywood. Distinct from neighboring structures, the building creates a strong relationship to the street by virtue of its large amount of highly usable balcony area in the front façade. While there are dramatic and larger scale elements that define the building, it is also broken down into comprehensible human scale parts, and is itself broken down into two different buildings. Orange Grove displays a similar kind of iconoclasm as the Schindler House, an icon of California modernism, located a short distance away. Like the Schindler House, the conventional architectural elements of windows and porches become part of an abstract sculptural ensemble. At the Schindler House, windows are found in the gaps between structural concrete wall panels. At Orange Grove, windows are inserted in gaps between different sections of the building. The design of Orange Grove is generated by a subtle balance of tensions. Building volumes and the placement of windows, doors and balconies are not static but rather constitute an active three-dimensional composition in motion. Each piece of the building is a strong and clearly defined shape, such as the corrugated metal surround that encloses the second story balcony in the east and north facades. Another example of this clear delineation is the use of two square profile balcony surrounds in the front façade that set up a dialogue between them—one is small, the other large, one is open at the front, the other is veiled with stainless steel slats. At the same time each balcony is balanced and related to other elements in the building, the smaller one to the driveway gate below and the other to the roll-up door and first floor balcony. Each building element is intended to read as an abstract form in itself—such as a window becoming a slit or windows becoming a framed box, while also becoming part of a larger whole. Although this building may not mirror the status quo it answers to the desires of consumers in a burgeoning niche market who want large, simple interior volumes of space, and a paradigm based on space, light and industrial materials of the loft rather than the bungalow.

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*studio LOOP 建築設計事務所

photo by Kai Nakamura
Design ideas for a modern two-storey green house exterior in Other with metal siding and a flat roof.

Our Work

CertaPro Painters of Northern AZ

Expansive modern three-storey green house exterior in Phoenix with wood siding, a shed roof and a shingle roof.

sacramento residence

serrao design/architecture

exterior view at living room
This is an example of a mid-sized modern one-storey green exterior in Sacramento with mixed siding and a flat roof.

Buck Trail Job

Stephens Roofing

This is an example of a small modern one-storey stucco green exterior in Austin.

新城の家

イッカ建築設計事務所／西野一義＋稲田菜穂子

新城の家　Photo by 畑拓
This is an example of a modern three-storey green house exterior in Other with mixed siding, a gable roof and a metal roof.

Custom Tudor Style Home With Modern Twist- Stewart Ridge

DJK Custom Homes

DJK Custom Homes
Design ideas for a large modern two-storey green exterior in Chicago with vinyl siding.

Mill View House

Enduring Domain Architecture

Autumn and Winter sun enters into the house through large North facing windows- hitting the slab concrete floor and using it's thermal mass to retain the heat and keep the house at a comfortable even temperature over the course of the colder months. The Summer sun is blocked- keeping the house cool over the hot months. Note the building is made of Structural Panels- providing no thermal bridging- solid insulation through the walls, double glazed, wood frame windows and clad in Weathertex- an eco product.

Football Field

DIDSA International

Synthetic Football Field installation.
Design ideas for an expansive modern one-storey green exterior in Salt Lake City.

Green Lake

Coates Design Architecture + Interiors

Backyard exterior dining. Taken by Lara Swimmer.
Design ideas for a mid-sized modern two-storey green house exterior in Seattle.

Cole Valley Three for All

Mark Brand Architecture

We were approached by a San Francisco firefighter to design a place for him and his girlfriend to live while also creating additional units he could sell to finance the project. He grew up in the house that was built on this site in approximately 1886. It had been remodeled repeatedly since it was first built so that there was only one window remaining that showed any sign of its Victorian heritage. The house had become so dilapidated over the years that it was a legitimate candidate for demolition. Furthermore, the house straddled two legal parcels, so there was an opportunity to build several new units in its place. At our client’s suggestion, we developed the left building as a duplex of which they could occupy the larger, upper unit and the right building as a large single-family residence. In addition to design, we handled permitting, including gathering support by reaching out to the surrounding neighbors and shepherding the project through the Planning Commission Discretionary Review process. The Planning Department insisted that we develop the two buildings so they had different characters and could not be mistaken for an apartment complex. The duplex design was inspired by Albert Frey’s Palm Springs modernism but clad in fibre cement panels and the house design was to be clad in wood. Because the sit e was steeply upsloping, the design required tall, thick retaining walls that we incorporated into the design creating sunken patios in the rear yards. All floors feature generous 10 foot ceilings and large windows with the upper, bedroom floors featuring 11 and 12 foot ceilings. Open plans are complemented by sleek, modern finishes throughout.

Forest Hill Residence

Kaplan Architects, AIA

LED House numbers detail
Small modern two-storey stucco green house exterior in San Francisco with a flat roof.

Modern Green Exterior Design Ideas

The front exterior of your home – the driveway, front yard, verandah and entrance – is a fantastic place to start making that all-important first impression on house guests. Even mailboxes and house numbers can have a wonderful way of grabbing people’s attention. The architectural design should reflect the overall modern style of your house and the family that live there; while your choice of materials will help your house blend in with its surrounds. Browse the photos on Houzz for ideas and inspiration for the exterior of your modern house, and strike up a conversation with the architects and designers of your favourite picks. You’ll find house designs for contemporary, eclectic, modern, traditional styles and more.

How do I decide on the exterior style of my home?

Your location, overall sense of style, budget and current home layout will dictate the style of your exterior. If you’re renovating a period home, the materials and features you use should reflect the date in which it was built, while a unique colour scheme could add contemporary flair. New homes may prefer to look to modern or contemporary designs with structural simplicity, whereas, if you live by the ocean, a beach-style design may better suit your locale. That’s not to say you can’t build a new home that has period influences. If you’re a traditionalist, you can borrow architectural details from the Art Deco period, for instance, or use finishes that reflect more of a Scandinavian style, too.

What exterior house colours and materials should I use?

Traditional homes typically use brick and timber building materials, while stone, board-formed concrete and metal cladding are popular contemporary options. Again, the materials you use will depend on your location and the statement you want to make. Your budget will also affect your choice. Vinyl siding is affordable and easy to install, while stone is more expensive but durable and low maintenance. If you’re not ready to renovate but want to update the exterior of your home, you can still paint it. Look to your neighbours when choosing exterior house colours. Consider the streetscape and what type of colours are already in use, firstly, so you don’t replicate next door’s shade; and secondly, so you don’t stand out like a sore thumb. If you’re renovating a period home, you could paint features or intricate details in a bold, standout hue. Front doors, garage doors and window trims also look great in eye-catching colours, even if the rest of the house’s facade is neutral.

How can I maximise my home’s street appeal?

To spice up your home’s architectural design, landscape the surrounding area with plants and pathways that accent the modern style of your home. If you just need a quick revamp, look at your cement and pavers – these can split and crack over time; and repairing or replacing them can do wonders for your street appeal, especially if it’s a large area like your driveway. Plants, garden paths or low walls can can also add structure to your front yard. Light up your home with sufficient outdoor lighting to make walking up to the front door easy at night. You could use bollard lights along your entry path, or replace tiny wall sconces with statement pendant lighting at the entrance or on your verandah. Decorative elements such as house numbers, mailboxes and doormats will also add character. And if you're looking to sell your house, it may be worth hiring a stylist to help make the most of your property.