Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty | Know Your Architecture: Contemporary

Contemporary architecture builds on the modernism that followed the Industrial Revolution. The uniformity and clean linearity of early modernism began to feel impersonal, and contemporary responded by maintaining modernism’s open spaces but invigorating them with warmth, whimsy, asymmetry and regional flair. It embraces natural light and typically interacts strongly with its context. Not to be confused with Midcentury Modern architecture, which spans the early 1930s to the late 60s, contemporary architecture is very much of the 21st century and up-to-the-minute.

Contemporary architecture’s design cues are distinctive: unique or imbalanced façades; geometric shapes; and large windows and skylights. Cantilevering is another hallmark of contemporary style, allowing buildings to interact with their environments and provide an among-the-clouds airiness, while annexing minimal ground space.

A famous example of contemporary architecture is the dramatically cantilevered Hoke House, nestled among the trees of Portland, Oregon, and designed by Skylab Architecture. It was the Cullen family’s house in the blockbuster movie Twilight.

The unique contemporary home at 3305 Bellaire Park Court in Fort Worth is on an oversized lot in the heart of Overton Park/Tanglewood. A center atrium fills the interior with natural light. The living room, with its wood-burning fireplace and wet bar, overlooks an intimate exterior courtyard. A second cozy living space opens to the patio, deck and lushly landscaped private backyard. The home offers a well-designed kitchen with a circular breakfast bar; a private master suite with two dressing areas and a third-level living space that opens onto a rooftop deck.

The home is represented by Pat Pierce and priced $795,000.

To learn more about architecture styles, briggsfreeman.com/architecture is a unique source of information, including available homes in each style. To see all the exceptional homes, ranches and land offered by Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty, across North Texas and around the world, visit briggsfreeman.com.