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Collection by Kelsey Keith

Modern Gables

You'll never tear us away from the flat-roof modernism so prevalent in Dwell's pages over the last 12 years; nor would we try to eschew touting the glory of mid-century housing typologies. That being said, there's more that one type of 'modern,' and over the years we've seen some great examples of how architects and homeowners have updated the gabled roof with a contemporary feel. Not only do their peaked points make a statement on the exterior, they also carve out some seriously cozy interior space.

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Cedar slats mark the facade of Floating House, Doug and Becca Worple's lake house in Ontario. The architects, MOS, chose materials and shapes that wouldn’t stand out. “They’re really simple, almost Platonic forms,” principal Michael Meredith says. The modest cabin has boat, a gabled roof and a cladding of untreated cedar, a material that shows up on docks and homes along Georgian Bay. “Allowing the buildings to weather seems the right thing to do,” Sample says. And it’s ready for winter: Sliding barn doors seal the place up as an impenetrable box.
Cedar slats mark the facade of Floating House, Doug and Becca Worple's lake house in Ontario. The architects, MOS, chose materials and shapes that wouldn’t stand out. “They’re really simple, almost Platonic forms,” principal Michael Meredith says. The modest cabin has boat, a gabled roof and a cladding of untreated cedar, a material that shows up on docks and homes along Georgian Bay. “Allowing the buildings to weather seems the right thing to do,” Sample says. And it’s ready for winter: Sliding barn doors seal the place up as an impenetrable box.
Renowned designer and architect Jens Risom sourced parts from a catalog for his customized A-frame and had them delivered in pieces to his remote island site off Rhode Island, helped to raise the aesthetic profile of modular construction.
Renowned designer and architect Jens Risom sourced parts from a catalog for his customized A-frame and had them delivered in pieces to his remote island site off Rhode Island, helped to raise the aesthetic profile of modular construction.
Lauren Ewing’s stylish but unassuming shotgun-style house in Vincennes, Indiana, is set into a hill overlooking a field she has known since childhood. The floor-to-ceiling living-room window was inspired by Philip Johnson’s Glass House.
Lauren Ewing’s stylish but unassuming shotgun-style house in Vincennes, Indiana, is set into a hill overlooking a field she has known since childhood. The floor-to-ceiling living-room window was inspired by Philip Johnson’s Glass House.
Durable, economical, and easy to build, the simple A-frame was once the must-have midcentury vacation home. Today, the classic retreat has been propelled back to popularity, thanks largely to photo-centric platforms like Instagram and Pinterest. Read on for 20 charming A-frame homes that caught our eye.
Durable, economical, and easy to build, the simple A-frame was once the must-have midcentury vacation home. Today, the classic retreat has been propelled back to popularity, thanks largely to photo-centric platforms like Instagram and Pinterest. Read on for 20 charming A-frame homes that caught our eye.
“I wanted more of a skeletal look for this house, and less of a chunky, log-cabin look,” says architect Harry Panton of his Texas bunkhouse. He added stark steel bracing across the entire length of the porch’s roof structure and thinks of the getaway as "a bridge into the woods."
“I wanted more of a skeletal look for this house, and less of a chunky, log-cabin look,” says architect Harry Panton of his Texas bunkhouse. He added stark steel bracing across the entire length of the porch’s roof structure and thinks of the getaway as "a bridge into the woods."
Consisting of two barnlike volumes set atop a stone foundation, the Depot House by Gray Organschi Architecture offers a locally rooted vision of New England modernism.
Consisting of two barnlike volumes set atop a stone foundation, the Depot House by Gray Organschi Architecture offers a locally rooted vision of New England modernism.
Along this Great Barrington home’s facades, deep window openings pop through the silvery, white-cedar cladding in bright bursts. “The punches of color are points of personal expression,” says Taylor, cofounder of Taylor and Miller Architecture and Design. “They let the vitality of the residents leak out so passersby can experience the inside from the outside.”
Along this Great Barrington home’s facades, deep window openings pop through the silvery, white-cedar cladding in bright bursts. “The punches of color are points of personal expression,” says Taylor, cofounder of Taylor and Miller Architecture and Design. “They let the vitality of the residents leak out so passersby can experience the inside from the outside.”
Subverting the traditional, conservatively cozy British barn conversion, Carl Turner created a getaway in rural Norfolk for himself and his friends to visit, repose, and consider the beauty of agrarian minimalism. Turner reclaimed most of the timber used for the flooring as he renovated buildings in London. He thought his stockpile was big enough for the Ochre Barn, but the scale of the place defeated him. The solution, surprisingly, was eBay, turning up an old mill’s worth of boards.
Subverting the traditional, conservatively cozy British barn conversion, Carl Turner created a getaway in rural Norfolk for himself and his friends to visit, repose, and consider the beauty of agrarian minimalism. Turner reclaimed most of the timber used for the flooring as he renovated buildings in London. He thought his stockpile was big enough for the Ochre Barn, but the scale of the place defeated him. The solution, surprisingly, was eBay, turning up an old mill’s worth of boards.
Having found a 100-acre farm in Ontario featuring rolling corn fields, the residents asked architect Cindy Rendely to design a place that was "comfortable and modern and appropriate for the country." Though technically all one space, the living room, dining room, and kitchen are separated by the double-sided fireplace.
Having found a 100-acre farm in Ontario featuring rolling corn fields, the residents asked architect Cindy Rendely to design a place that was "comfortable and modern and appropriate for the country." Though technically all one space, the living room, dining room, and kitchen are separated by the double-sided fireplace.