Modern house exterior ideas: materials, colors, roof lines

Modern exteriors share a few traits: simple geometric forms, flat or low-pitched roofs, large windows, little ornament and a restrained palette. They rely on proportion and materials rather than decorative detail.

A modern home exterior can still be warm. The usual route is a quiet base color paired with one natural material, so the house feels crisp without feeling cold.

Many modern houses also relate closely to the garden: large windows, a covered terrace and a level step from inside to out. If the garden is part of your plan, garden design ideas is a good companion.

Walls in white, warm grey, greige or charcoal; frames in black or dark grey; and a single natural accent such as timber cladding, an oak door or a brick. Try to keep the facade to three colors. A dark house reads dramatic, a light one calm, and both work when the details are clean.

The hero pairs grey-beige render with vertical timber and an oak door. The example below goes dark: charcoal vertical cladding, black frames and an oak door, with a clipped hedge and grasses at the front.

A modern exterior usually uses two or three of these, not all of them.

• Vertical timber for warmth and texture.
• Smooth render for clean, uninterrupted planes.
• Panels for flat, crisp surfaces in a single tone.
• Standing-seam metal for roofs and cladding with clean lines.
• Brick in one color, laid simply, for texture without decoration.
• Black aluminium window frames for a thin, graphic outline.

Flat, skillion (single-slope) and low gable roofs all suit the look. In Omriss you can change the roof shape and material, and compare roofs such as flat, gable and hip on the same photo.

Keep windows aligned and in a consistent style, with slim dark frames. A plain slab door in oak or black reads as modern; an ornate one does not. A well-chosen front door is the cheapest way to change a facade, and an easy one to test in a picture.

Modern is simple to describe and easy to get slightly wrong.

• Too many materials. Two or three, each used generously, look confident.
• Rustic details on a clean volume. Decorative shutters and carriage lamps fight the form.
• Mismatched windows. Different frame colors and styles break the rhythm.
• A bare front. Modern facades need planting and lighting, or they feel sterile. See front yard landscaping ideas.
• Ignoring local rules. Materials, colors and roofs can be restricted. Check before you commit.