Modern cottages take the warmth of rustic dwellings and combine it with the refinement of contemporary design. On this page, you can browse through architectural projects that showcase a wide range of designs and styles. Whether heavily inspired by traditional farmhouses, renovated thoughtfully to celebrate vernacular architecture, or designed with modern silhouettes, these cottages are all envisioned as cozy living spaces that offer a calm retreat space away from urban environments. Here you can find projects completed throughout the US as well as modern cottages built in Scandinavian countries, Italy, Portugal, or Canada.
Drawing inspiration from barns and farmhouses, many modern cottages keep the easily recognizable gabled silhouette of rural buildings. However, they also feature contemporary elements; among them, larger windows, glass sliding doors, and glazed facades. Other cottages feature polycarbonate or glass walls that immerse the inhabitants into natural settings. Other houses feature contemporary twists on traditional gabled forms, with volumes arranged in a cluster. Flat roofs, minimalist structures, and simple rectangular volumes with arched windows offer a new take on the classic cottage design.
Most of these modern cottages make natural settings their home. Here you can find summer retreats nestled among rock formations in coastal areas; cottages that offer spectacular views of mountains and valleys; or weekend homes built in a forest at the edge of a lake. However, this architectural style can also be found in urban areas. More notably, in residential neighborhoods where architecture firms restore and re-imagine old cottages in a contemporary design language. In terms of materials, most of these projects use solid wood with either natural or blackened finishes. Others feature expansive glass surfaces, steel, or stone. All of these houses put the focus on outdoor spaces, whether it’s a beach setting, rolling hills, or a garden in a city.
A charming red-painted wood house that pays homage to an 1850s soldier's cottage built in the countryside. Built in the…
A 120-year-old brick cottage, carefully renovated and redesigned with contemporary interiors. Located in northern Germany, Nieby Crofters Cottage has a…
A creative twist on rustic hay sheds. Built among large boulders on the slope of a hill, this cottage overlooks…
A camp bunkhouse inspired by nature and children’s drawings. Located in the middle of a conifer forest in Lanaudière, a…
A refined, modern reinterpretation of a Danish cottage from 1905. Built in 1905 in Denmark, this historic Danish cottage required…
A gorgeous renovation and extension of a 19th-century dwelling. Built in 1830 in a conservation area at the edge of…
A colorful house extension inspired by Art Deco. Australian architecture firm Sans-Arc Studio aims to create “fun spaces and good…
Built on a plot of land among tall conifers at the northern point of Archambault Lake in Saint-Donat, Canada, this…
The Ten Broeck Cottage is located in an apple orchard in Columbia, New York. What makes this traditional house unique…
Nestled on a secluded edge of a cedar forest overlooking Gate Lake in Harrington, Canada, the Chalet Lac Gate by…
Built on an elevation above the waterline, the cottage home by Toth Project Architec provides a panoramic view of the…
Originally built in the 1950s and extended in the 70s, this Swedish cottage was renovated by Johannes Norlander Arkitektur back…
Called “Tofta Sand,” this historic cottage in Gothenburg, Sweden, dates back to the 17th century. Most recently, the quaint getaway…
The Light Shed was designed and built by FT Architects for a photographer in Kanagawa, Japan. Located behind the artist’s home,…
This simple Scandinavian garden shed was styled by the Finnish designer Linda Bergroth as her personal summer retreat. Her version…
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