Ultra-Modern Architecture: The Art of Glass, Angles and Nature

Angles and windows are hallmarks of modern homes, dating back half a century.

The first examples appeared in the mid-20th century, and they're suitably called mid-century modern. These homes were built simply and with an eye toward the outdoors, like works of art among the mountains, trees and even suburban gardens.

Natural settings remain important to modern architecture, and many modern homes now use materials that show off or incorporate their surroundings.

Mid-century roots

Most newer modern homes are derived from a mid-century type called international, the brainchild of European architects including Richard Neutra and the Bauhaus School's Mies van der Rohe and Marcel Breuer. Bauhaus architects fled Hitler for the United States and continue to have a strong influence on the look and feel of modern homes on this continent.

In the 1980s and '90s, modern homes took on a slick, white stuccoed appearance that Virginia Savage McAlester's "A Field Guide to American Houses" says stemmed from architects' early use of CAD (computer-aided design) and CAM (computer-aided manufacturing).

Some modern homes in the new century have stucco, but they're more likely to have Italian plaster walls floating a few inches above hardwood floors. Natural materials rule the ultra-modern day, often creating "a decoupage effect rather than a smooth united surface," McAlester wrote.

The decoupage can include stone, cement, distressed and reclaimed woods, as well as porcelain tiles and sliding barn doors on the inside.

Unusual material (see: rubber-wrapped homes) also appear for their experimental and attention-getting value, and to create "rain screens" to help shed water and improve air circulation.

Ultra-modern designs used to be reserved mostly for skyscrapers, but ultra-modern residences have come into their own and are even influencing elements that appear in more traditional home styles.

Slightly askew

Flat roofs, steel beams and miles and miles of windows are still in, but they're often slightly askew, "just enough to tease the eye and show off how easy this is to do today," McAlester wrote.

The owner of a modern home outside Los Angeles boasted that although "there's no curve in this house -- everything is linear, everything has a sharp edge -- there are also no real corners." Right angles disappear when surfaces come at each other from unusual angles.

Odd angles remain the domain of modern homes, whereas walls of windows, open floor plans and environmentally friendly elements show up in all sorts of styles now, just as farmhouse sinks are as likely to appear in Mediterranean homes as colonial ones.

Blending styles

There's a touch of "I know it when I see it" about modern architecture, and people often mix up modern, contemporary and "architectural," said Anthony Marguleas, an agent with Amalfi Estates in Los Angeles.

The terms are so broad that a home can easily be all three: the angles of a modern home, the exposed beams of a contemporary and the unique touch of a well-known architect.

Modern architecture also morphs every few years to bring on the latest fads and favorites. For example, doors that pivot on one long bolt are all the rage now.

The degree of modernity can also vary, often depending on local tastes.

"It also changes for each area. It's fascinating," Marguleas said, explaining that the family-friendly Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles used to have more conservative styles preferred by attorneys and bankers but is shifting as more celebrities move in. "You can see it change from Cape Cod to 21st-century modern."