With a surge in super modern architecture, structures with this new boxy and sleek aesthetic are starting to push the boundaries. These cleverly designed homes, museums and cabins exemplify the trend of cliffside architecture.
It's no longer sufficient to have an impeccably designed home, consumers want the surroundings of their abode to be equally as awe-inspiring and in some cases, even have the nature surrounding them incorporated into their home. Some of the examples in this compilation show homes that work with the surrounding landscape instead of against it -- a true testament to the growing power of the green movement and the concern for the environment.
Cliffside architecture is one way to have your eco-friendly cake and eat it too. After all, you can't top the view of a home perched cliffside!
14 Examples of Cliffside Architecture
14
Individualized Hilltop Hideaways
Intimate Architecture by David Garcia Studio Overlooks Vineyards
13
Undulating Cliffside Cabins
Mountain House by VDMMA is an Architectural Response to Topography
12
Rocky Beachside Abodes
Casa Finisterra by Steven Harris Architects is Surrounded by Nature
11
Spanish Cliffside Abodes
The 'Casa Nuria Amat' by Jordi Garces is Nestled on Exotic Terrain
10
Cliffside Architecture
Peru's Lefevre House Lives on the Edge of Desert & Ocean
9
Charcoal Cliffside Abodes
The Nettleton 195 House is Nestled in Cape Town, South Africa
8
Seven-Level Cliffside Villas
Nettleton 198 by SAOTA is a Beautiful South African Sanctuary
7
Spaceship Cliffside Cabins
Infinity Pavilion by Margot Krasojevic is a Modern Mountain Perch
6
Cliff-Hanging Cottages
The Greg Wright Architects ‘Las Palmeras’ Home is Mysterious
5
Kiwi Countryside Pads
The Yates Residence Was Designed With Family in Mind
4
Cubic Cliffside Shacks
The Panorama and WMR Home in Chile Sits Atop a Mountain
3
Cliffside Museum Concepts
Charlotte Wilson Reimagines an Old Bunker for a Women of War Museum
2
Charcoal Cliffside Abodes
The 'Nettleton' 195 House is Nestled in Cape Town, South Africa
1
Cliffside Kids' Abodes
The Hill Hut is a Picturesque Children's Villa
Related Ideas
A-Frame Alpine-Inspired Cabins
The Adventure Whare Retreat by Studio Well is Demure
Nest-Inspired Urban Houses
This Vietnamese Dwelling Offers Respite From the Concrete Jungle
Plant-Based Cabin Constructions
Moontower Design Build Creates the Cross Cabin in Austin
Plant-Filled Latticed Buildings
Wallflower Architecture + Design Creates the Touching Eden House
Origami-Inspired Sleek Cabins
A.L.P.S. Designs the Infinity Mobile Architecture System
Serenely Stilted Houses
This Sustainable Tiny Home is Situated On An Elevated Platform
Plant-Based Timber Cabins
Moontower Design Build Has Created the Cross Cabin in Austin
Minimal Japanese Home Designs
FujiwaraMuro Architects Designs the House in Kyobate
Treehouse-Inspired Norwegian Residences
This House Aesthetically Connects With its Surroundings
Discreet Architectural Polish Homes
Mobius Architekci Designs the Loop House in Rural Poland
Sustainable Off-Grid Minimal Cabins
Marc Thorpe Presents the Fremont House in New York
Gabled Split Trapezoidal Homes
Studio KUNZ Designs the Casa Trapézios in Rio Grande do Sul
Modern Luxury Holiday Cabins
Compact Housing and Studio Sluijzer Design the Yiruma Cabins
Tranquil Elevated Tiny Homes
Jan Tyrpekl Designs the Cozy Zen House in Austria
Eco-Friendly Luxury Villas
Kengo Kuma Designs the Land Villas for Red Sea Global
Trapezoidal Concrete Forest Homes
Ksa Studený Designs a New Home Looking Over a Forest
H-Shaped Structural Mountain Homes
Studio B Architecture + Interiors Designs the Villa H
Contemporary Ski Home Projects
Alfredo Paredes Reimagines the Traditional Ski Chalet
Extended Timber-Clad Home Designs
Britsom Philips Designs the Villa VD Extension
Local Culture-Honoring Beach House
The Skagen Klitgaard Beach House by PAX has Historic Background
Self-Sufficient Housing Solutions
The 'Hillcrest House' is Entirely Solar-Powered
Lush Surroundings Glass Homes
Room 11 Designs the Glass House in Koonya Overlooking the Bay
A-Frame Forest Tranquil Houses
Pérez Palacios Arquitectos Asociados Designs a New Forest Home
Warm Timber Coastal Homes
Parsonson Architects Designs the Lookout Home on a Stilted Base
Dynamic Volume Hillside Houses
HW Studio Designs the Casa Shi in Morelia by Mexico City
Cedar-Clad L-Shaped Beach Homes
Oza Sabbeth Architecture Created the Osprey's Landing Home
Swiss Army Knife-Resembling Homes
Mork-Ulnes Architects Designs the Crest Guesthouse
Farm-Inspired Guest Houses
Kaja Kühl Designs Two Guest Houses in Upstate New York
Sheep Wool-Insulated Guest Houses
DUB Arquiectura Created the Casa La Escocesa on a Farm
Traditionally Formed Gabled Homes
Studio Circle Growth Designs the Casa De Mi Luna
High Concrete Walled Homes
Cesar Mancillas Creates a Linear Home with Tranquil Elements
Modern Desert Architecture Projects
Toll Brothers Debuts an Amenity Center & Cottages in Arizona
Countryside Woodland Cabin Designs
BABELstudio Creates the Aralar Cottage in the Forest
Fortress-Like Dynamic Residences
McLeod Bovell Designs the Liminal House in Vancouver
Highland Building-Converted Studios
Moxon Architects Renovates a Cluster of Farm Buildings
Juxtaposing Minimal Artful Homes
Hino Studio Designs the Oceana Retreat in Florida
Upward-Pitched Roof Homes
O'Neill McVoy Architects Designs a New Z-Shaped Home in Houston
Dynamic Y-Shaped Glazed Houses
Saunders Architecture Designs the Y House in Alberta
Farmland-Inspired Rural Hotel Cottages
Kooo Architects Designs the Ningshan LuZhai Cottage
Limestone Plinth Holiday Homes
Kontextus Architecture Studio Designs the Clifftop House
Fiji Ocean-Front Estate Homes
A Tesm of Designers Join Forrces to Create the Reef House
Landscape-Integrated Hill Homes
Elías Rizo Arquitectos Designs the Casa AV in the Hills
Minimal Philosophy Toronto Homes
Burdifilek Designs the Sleek Forest Hill Residence
Terraced Garden-Surrounded Homes
Arkitito Arquitetura Designed the Lechuza House in Brazil
Sleek Contemporary Brazilian Homes
Tetro Arquictectura Designs the Laguna House in Nova Lima
Monolithic Metal-Formed Homes
Boyd Architects Designs the Summerville House in South Carolina
Elevated Timber-Clad Homes
Habitable Form Designs the Victory Bay House on Kiawah Island
Slopped-Base Green Tiled Homes
Bak Gordon Arquitectos Integrates a Home with Surrounding Buildings
Greenhouse-Topped Residences
Moe Architecten Adds a Greenhouse on Top of the Wooden House
Modern Minimal Concrete Homes
Pérez Palacios Arquitectos Asociados Designs the Copas Home
Wooden Screen Stacked Houses
DB Arquitectors Designs the Casa VJC Iporanga In Brazil
Relaxing Wooden Holiday Homes
Norm Architects Designs the Heatherhill Beach House
Nature-Leveraging Home Designs
PAE Designs the Casa Coaba Tucked in the Hillsides
Meadow-Overlooking Sleek Homes
StudioAC Designs a Holiday Home iwth a Cedar-Clad Build
Low-Lying Mid-Century Belgian Homes
Stef Claes Designs the House in the Fields in Belgium
Sandy Landscape-Reflective Homes
SIA Arquitectura Designs the Casa da Encosta n Grândola
Green Cladding Modified Homes
Martin Fenlon Architecture Modifies the Denton House in LA
Bamboo-Clad Residential Homes
i29 Designs the Open Park Villa to Connect with Nature
White Wood-Clad Cubed Houses
Stanaćev Granados Designs a Chilean Holiday House
Nature Blending Modern Homes
MODU Designed the Mini Tower One Residence in Brooklyn
Contemporary A-Frame Cabins
Heliotrope Architects Creates the Buoy Bat A-Frame Cabin
Recycling-Centric Waterfront Homes
Measured Architecture Designs the Shor House Project
Black-Metal Angled Holiday Homes
The Ranch Mine Designs the Shadow Box House in Montana
Robust Monolithic Walled Homes
H Arquitectes Completes the Casa 1736 in Barcelona
House-Layered Structural Designs
DCA Architects of Transformation Designs the Chodge
Blackened Timber Tranquil Cabins
The Hideaway House is Nestled in the Abundance of Nature
Contrasting Facade Clad Apartments
Messner Architets Designs the RVTK Apartments in Italy
Suspended Off-Grid Treetop Homes
Snøhetta and Tor Helge Dokka Designs the House Dokka
Mountaintop Cantilevered Residences
Alejandro Vazquez Designs the Levitar House on a Mountain
Futuristic Curved Islandic Homes
The Collective Studio Co., Ltd Designs the Nest Residence
Picturesque Modern Holiday Homes
Young Architects Designs the Ligar Bay Bach Holiday Home
Concrete Boxes-Overlapping Homes
FujiwaraMuro Architects Designs the House in Tsurumi-ku
Natural Material-Crafterd Holiday Homes
Johan Sundberg Arkitektur Designs the Sommarhus E
Mid-Century Modern Historical Homes
SHED Architecture & Design Creates the Lark House
Contemporary Nature-Inspired Homes
Fuller/Overby Architecture Designs the Nebo House
Log Cabin-Inspired Minimal Homes
Gartnerfuglen Arkitkter Designs the Årestua Home in Telemark
Scattered Boulder-Inspired Homes
Omar Gandhi Architects Designs the Rockbound House
Elevated Treetop Modern Cabins
NAMO Architecture & i29 Architects Create the Buitenverblijf Nest
Exposed Concrete Stealthy Homes
OFIS Aritekti Designs the Villa Eternal Way in Slovenia
Contrasting Facade Panoramic Residences
SO? Completes the Two Face House in Turkey
Juxtaposing Garden Home Designs
Studio North Designs the Custom Garden Garage in Calgary
Curvaceous Brick Forest Homes
Blurring Boundaries Designs the Asmalay Home in a Forest
Live-In Art Gallery Homes
Casa Galeria is a Home That Doubles as an Art Gallery
Juxtaposing South Californian Homes
Studio Gutow Designs the Emerald Bay House in Laguna Beach
Compact Calming Homes
Batay-Csorba Architects Masterfully Designed a Modern Brick Home in Toronto
Perched Grassy Hillside Homes
Harding Huebner Architects Designs the Tranquil Meadow House
Hillside Cantilevered Concrete Homes
Anonymous Architects Designs the Olancha Drive House
Juxtaposing Contemporary Homes
Bates Masi Designs the Stony Hill Project with Various Volumes
Beach-Overlooking Picturesque Homes
teamSTAR Designs the Villa A in Japan's Yokosuka-City
Angled Concrete Forest Homes
Nendo Designs the Block Wall House in a Japanese Forest
Long Geometric Hawaiian Guesthomes
Hahn Lavsen Creates the Vipp Cold Hawaii Guesthouse
Organically Modern Coastal Homes
Albert Kalach Designs the Casona Sforza with Tradition
Cutout Roof Cement-Clad Homes
Edition Office Designs a Home with a Focus on Tree Views
Green Zinc Paneling Homes
Westerdahl Designs the Folded House Located in Cambridge
Orange Tonal Concrete Homes
Álvaro Siza Designs the Colien House on a Sloped Site in Spain
Footbridge-Inspired Hillside Homes
Stempel & Tesar architekti Design the Villa Sidonius
Rammed Earth Coastal Houses
Wood Marsh Designs the Peninsula House Along the Australian Coast
Thick-Walled Coastal Buildings
KLG Architects Designs the Hytte Riverview in South Africa
Log Cabin-Inspired Modern Homes
Balbek Bureau Renovates a Home in Ukraine with Steel and Concrete
Natural Landscape-Surrounding Homes
All(zone) Designs the Under the Rain Trees Holiday Home
Minimal Bird-Watching Cabins
Inclume Architects Designs the Cozy Hide Cabin in England
Coastal View Island Residences
Linehouse Designs the Cape Drive Residence Interiors
Pale Yellow Minimal Townhomes
i.B. Archstudio Designs the VVV Townhouse with Pastel Hues
Minimal White-Plastered Hillside Villas
Nomo Studio Designs the Bundle House in Menorca
Mountainous Elliptical House
MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects Designs the House at 9,000 Feet
Pyramidal Roof Steel-Framed Homes
Niall McLaughlin Architects Designs the Saltmarsh House
Heritage Timber Rowing Clubs
Henning Larsen Designs the Klaksvik Row Club in Faroe Islands
Local Stone-Clad Coastal Shelters
Izat Arundell Designs the Caochan na Creige in the Bay of Harris
Gabled Cedar Paneling Homes
Robert Gurney Architect Designs the Cotton Patch Hills House
Gabled Forest-Side Homes
Théque Atelier Designs the Frame House in Hungary
Roman Architecture-Themed Pavilions
Pratique and Fanum Design the Forum des Vestiges Pavilion
Interconnected Brick-Clad Buildings
David Chipperfield Architects Blends Three Housing Typologies
Sustainable Custom Luxe Homes
Schenkar and GA Arquitectura y Construcción Join on a Structure
Boat Design-Inspired Modern Homes
Bates Masi + Architects Designs the Three Mile Harbor
Courtyard-Style Californian Homes
Schwartz and Architecture Designs the Modal Home in Cali
Blocky Structural Coastal Homes
Åsa Hjort Architects Completes a Home Design in Sweden
Contemporary Stacked Residences
StudioAC Designs the Everden Residence with Minimal Details
Elegant Gabled Coastal Homes
Walker Warner Designs the Hale Kiawe Home with Elevated Flair
Trapezoidal Coastal Beach Houses
Emergentes Architectures Sàrl Designed the Dreal House in Chile
Bright Renovated Seaside Apartments
Toledano + Architects Renovates an Apartment in Biarritz
Textured Concrete Tiered Homes
Nomo Studio Designs the Shift House Holiday Residence
Rustic Contemporary Bunkhouses
SHED Architecture & Design Unveil the Guemes Island Bunkhouse
Holiday Mountain Village Chalets
Giona Bierens de Haan Architectures Designs the Perfect Day House
Wood Cladded Modern Homes
Fredrik Nilsson Originally Builds the Grafton House in LA
X-Shaped Nature-Interacting Gabled Cabins
Tall Architects Designs the Fowl River Cabin in Alabama
Cork-Clad Madrid Residences
Estudio Albar Designs the Casa Eñe by a Spanish National Park
Juxtaposing History-Preserved Homes
PRO-STORY Designs the Double Gable House in Czech Republic
Landscape-Overlooking Modern Cabins
Wendell Burnette Architects Creates the Telescope House
Dynamic Concrete Modern Buildings
Atelier Matias Mosquera Designs the Shire Building
Colorfully Bright Hillside Homes
SelgasCano and Diego Cano Design the Canary House in LA
Stone Ruin-Transformed Spanish Homes
H Arquitectes Designs the Casa 1627 in Spain
Creative Work-Encouraging Homes
Mork-Ulnes Architects Designs the Silver Lining House
Coastline Liminality Canadian Homes
McLeod Bovell Modern Homes Designs the Liminal House
Stacked Pebble-Inspired Towers
Atelier 9.81 Designs the Calaid Port Tower Building
Distinctive Airlifted Structures
Arête Architects and Makers Fabrication Design the Karka Tower
Nature-Merging Geometric Homes
Reigo & Bauer Designs the Neville Park Residence in Toronto
Timber-Clad Canadian Holiday Homes
Naturehumaine Designs La Cime Home in Lanaudière
Architectural Tranquil Cabin Retreats
Snøhetta Designs the Bolder Lodges in Lysefjord
Terraced Naturally Lit Homes
Unknown Works Designs the Bright Oasis Home in London
Philosophically Designed Modern Homes
c.dd Designs the Boundaless Residence in Guangdong