20 Best Cool Houses That You Can Own Too

Last updated on March 6, 2024

Looking for some cool houses to get inspired? Perhaps you’re building a new home, or you’re after ideas to choose a house of your dreams. These 20 cool house design ideas will astonish you.

What makes a house design cool? It’s a difficult question to answer. It all depends on the onlooker. Some people like modern, crisp designs, others are after cozy, rustic cabins in the woods. And then there are those houses that make your jaw crop, although you might not necessarily want to live in one.

No matter what kind of ideas you’re after, these 20 cool houses will pique your interest. We have seen a lot of different designs while writing this blog, so it is not easy to surprise us. But these house designs are something. Check them out for the best inspiration!

Tiny Cabin in the Woods

This tiny cabin is so small, too small to provide much inspiration, but it’s a cool house design none the less. If you’re into minimalism, such a small house in the woods can make a great getaway place.

Castle Tree House

Have you had a tree house as a kid? This cool house is what dreams are made of. A castle-inspired small building on a tree is a very creative project. It makes another whimsical getaway place.

Harborside Nautical Cool House

Cool nautical house design — Source: www.countryliving.com

This house on the harborside looks brilliant on the outside just as well as the inside. Check out this house tour for some nautical packed decor inspiration. It shows that even a small house can be a home to so much interesting decor. From the collection of vintage items and furniture to the eclectic choice of room colors – everything is interesting and done right in this house.

Cool Wood House on Stilts

Here’s another cool house on stilts and it’s a real rustic dream getaway. Check out this tour for a lot of inspiration. Even if you don’t have a getaway cabin in the woods yourself, you can take a lot of decor ideas from this house design. Take notice of how well used is the space under the stilts (which is rarely done in architecture). While the living space is held high, space underneath makes the perfect terrace.

Cool Tropical Summer House

This summer house built from natural wood makes the most of the tropical design theme. It’s cool to look at from the outside, and there are a lot of interesting interior design ideas inside as well. The best of this exterior is in the combination of modern architecture and warm rustic design.

Cool House with Full Wall Windows

Fascinating hybrid design that is based upon a traditional New England church and crossed with another old favorite – the A-frame cabin – then finished off with with a nod to the old saw about people who live in glass houses.

Cool House with Rustic Exterior

The days of the Worker’s Paradise are long gone, as revealed by this stunning country estate outside of Moscow. Very ambitious and highly successful use of multiple geometric shapes in the design, yet also true to traditional design factors as well.

Cool Contemporary Open Plan House

Beautiful open plan home that evokes a look that is almost one of repurposing some industrial building such as an aircraft hangar, yet all new. Smart use of acutely angled decks dilutes the very rectangular aspects of the home itself.

Cool Craftsman Exterior House

Some cool houses are just timeless, and that is undoubtedly the case of this new-built Craftsman. So perfectly done that you almost expect to see a porch swing and a Model A Ford parked in the driveway.

Cool Glass House in the Hill

Cool glass house on the hill — Source: www.houzz.com

Vast improvements in window technology have heralded the return of Space Age-style window walls. Couple these with a bold asymmetric design profile for a fabulous look.

Cool Tiny Homes

Down East thriftiness lives on in these half-dozen tiny houses that manage to cover the full spectrum of traditional seaboard home designs. Pass the saltbox, please.

Cool Log Cabin

Houses in the woods often feature, well, a lot of wood in their design attributes. Nothing is more evocative of the genre than houses made with generous helpings of beautiful cedar plank siding.

Cool River Residence House

Cool riverside house — Source: brewstermcleod.com & joemcguiredesign.com

The wild child spirit of Frank Lloyd Wright lives on in this daring example of Colorado style. As fabulous as the project is, imagine what the view from those windows must be like.

Cool Modern Chic Beach House

Bold beach chic for those who pine for the sunrise rising out of the Atlantic. Exciting use of non-interleaved wood panels to further enhance the block frame aspects.

Cool Modern House on the Bay

Another exciting beach house constructed in the stylish block pattern, yet the emphasis upon a white exterior makes it look warm and inviting even on a wintry day.

Cool Modern House on the Lake Side

Ultra block home that incorporates a clever breezeway to break up what would otherwise be too much of a good thing. The very versatile layout allows privacy, intimacy, as well as good fellowship.

Cool Contemporary House on Stilts

This nice departure from more ordinary building methods comes from Down Under. Elevation always equals superior view, and the site and ambitious front deck cleverly hide its small size.

Cool Dome House

And now for something completely different, this daring dome home incorporates a lot of glass block detail in its construction for both enhanced security and superior light diffusion.

Cool Farmhouse Style House

This is not a tiny house but rather an invocation of earlier days when life was simpler, and almost all houses were much smaller than their modern descendants. Sometimes you gain much by losing a little.

Cool Barn House

Cool barn style house — Source: www.houzz.com

Simplicity speaks for itself in this unique emulation of an old New England-style barn. True-to-form barn doors add to the charm, but please leave your livestock outside at all times.

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