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Modern Gable-Style Homes

See how pitched roofs and overhangs can be simple, innovative and modern, too

John Hill January 11, 2012

Houzz Contributor. I am an architect and writer living in New York City. I have Bachelor of Architecture and Master in Urban Planning degrees, and over ten years experience in architectural practice, split between Chicago and NYC. Currently I'm focused on writing and online pursuits. My daily blog can be found at http://archidose.blogspot.com

Houzz Contributor. I am an architect and writer living in New York City. I have Bachelor... More

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At its root, modern architecture is a break from the past, and in terms of the roof, that break is most explicit. Pitched roofs that traditionally serve to shed rain and snow are commonly eschewed in modernism for flat roofs, which sometimes serve as terraces for reclaiming the land the building occupies.

But modern architecture is not exclusively flat roofs. Pitched roofs of various types can follow from the simplicity and innovation that drives the modern style — inspired by the vernacular but also modernist pioneers like Gunnar Asplund, who worked in a context where flat roofs were untenable. This ideabook focuses on gables and what makes them modern and different than traditional ones.

Browse modern home exteriors | Find an architect

The gable in this house is clearly unique in the way the second floor projects beyond the first floor at one end, creating a covered patio in the process. Gray predominates in the exterior's roof and walls, but the gable end is made more distinct by being filled with wood boards.

Birdseye Design

A similar projection happens in this two-story house, but here it extends down to the first floor and works with the canopy to demarcate the entrance. Wraparound windows take advantage of the slight projection.

HP Rovinelli Architects

The prominent gable on this house in Maine sits above a screened-in porch. The tapering horizontal slots create some interesting lighting in the open space and also help to ventilate it.

HP Rovinelli Architects

The garage for the same house in Maine also features a gable top, an almost platonic prism that seems to float above the stone walls and wood columns below. The simplicity of the roof and wall materials above, as well as the sharpness of the edges, make it particularly modern.

HP Rovinelli Architects

The flared gable for this poolhouse appears to be a progression of three scenarios from back to front: enclosed with shingles, semi-enclosed with shingles, and then open rafters at the patio. This progression makes it appear as though the gable is deconstructed from one end to the other.

Don F. Wong

At first glance this residence looks traditional, and for the most part it is, but the gable end has modern touches: the horizontal banding at the base of the first floor and top of the second floor, the asymmetry of the first floor window, and the carved corner entrance. Note how the last is also highlighted by a tree-trunk column.

Vandervort Architects

This gable end follows the rest of the house in being wrapped in corrugated metal. A large opening to inside belies the semi-industrial nature of this small house.

Eck | MacNeely Architects inc.

The large openings of this gable end seem to contrast with the traditional form and skin. The first-floor windows give a glimpse into the large living area inside.

This gable end is a floor-to-roof glass wall that sits behind a chimney; the latter punctures the roof extension, a move that necessitates the addition of steel-tube columns to the side.

Lane Williams Architects

The end of this house also includes a chimney in front of the gable, but here the roof is notched around the circular flue.

Charlie & Co. Design, Ltd

The architect of this house labels it "Modern Shingle Style I," a moniker that seems fitting with the Siamese gables over the long front porch.

Hufft

"Flattened gable" is an appropriate description for the end of this house. The low profile is accentuated by the solid wood infill at the end, a continuation of the wall below, but it's an expression that reads as a triangle with the notched porch and horizontal window below.

Contemporary Exterior Contemporary Exterior

From a distance the various parts of this house take on an exaggerated appearance: the large glass wall at the gable end, the small random openings around the corner, the roof extension overhead, and the canopy that extends from the roof and overlaps with the perpendicular volume. See a closer look next.

This view reveals how the "+" shaped house is rendered in two ways that bring the gable vernacular into the contemporary. This white side, described in the previous photo, is contrasted with the dark metal panels that wrap the walls and roof, and the regular grid of windows that gives a strong logic to the other volume.

More: Updates of Classic Roof Styles

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Comments (3)

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PRO

Stardust + Gravity

The asymmetrical gabled roof on my modern house is it's most distinctive feature. With clerestory windows below, it's mass floats above the living space.

Like January 12, 2012 at 1:51PM

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Laurel Ennis

There is a sad tendency for some contemporary architecture to end up resembling an elementary school. Nothing could be less appealing.

Like January 20, 2012 at 8:37AM

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PRO

User

An interesting case study. I do agree that a modern look can be achieved outside the flat roofed form. The challenge is that as you pull off the 'arts & crafts' detailing that form itself needs to remain strong enough to be appreciated without all the do-dads and curly-ques.

Like January 20, 2012 at 9:56AM