Crafting a Trendy Modern House Exterior

Half the fun of building a house is making it beautiful. Every decade, a new batch of designs comes into the collective consciousness and with it, new ways to make a dream home dreamier.

Two trends that are especially popular right now in house exteriors are the box look and floor-to-ceiling windows. Each has its own effect and each can give an exterior a really special “pop”.

We’ve all heard the axiom that in art, symmetry is boring. No one has ever called a retailer a “big, box store” affectionately. Our planet is a ball and doing things in squares is artificial.

But supposing a modern house exterior could be boxy and beautiful?

That’s an idea that modern architecture is exploring at length right now, and to the surprised pleasure of sore eyes everywhere.

Some modern house exteriors–especially modular homes –look like what happens when giant angels play with building blocks. Others look like so many square bubbles , growing and swelling out of each other. It’s as if these architects meant for the viewers to think the houses occurred naturally–and only realize they didn’t when they remember that such perfect cube shapes don’t happen spontaneously.

Few things exist that can single-handedly take a modern house exterior from nice to incredible like a window wall. If there is anything to look at outside–anything at all–this simple but beautiful idea can lend a huge amount of serenity and natural light to its room.

A wall of floor-to-ceiling windows can make a room feel more a part of the environment it was built in. That’s partly because its inhabitants can see the outdoors at any moment with a glance, and partly because it can let in so much light that electricity isn’t even necessary until after sunset.

A wall or two or five of floor-to-ceiling windows isn’t perfect for every modern house exterior or for every homeowner’s style. But it’s always worth remembering to consider, even if the house is anything but boxy.

When you’re looking for inspiration and ideas to help plan an especially modern house exterior, two early stops along the way should be the box look and floor-to-ceiling windows.

That being said, it’s important to not forget that you’re planning a home. This is first and foremost a place to feel safe and relaxed. If squares feel rigid and sterile to you,  forget about them. Much better to find your perfect house exterior than to just reflect the trend of the day.

Likewise, if a window wall makes your house’s interior feel too exposed, it doesn’t deserve another thought. So often, you run across houses that are striking to see from the outside but uncomfortable to live in.

A modern house exterior is supposed to make its inhabitants feel excited to go inside and pick up their delightfully modern life, whatever that happens to mean for them. A modern house exterior–or interior–can have the effect of alienating someone from their home. The point of planning something like this out is to make your eternal, innate need for coziness meet your modern sensibilities.