Montage: 20 Modern Barn Homes

Although in one sense, a barn is the quintessential, traditional all American dwelling, conjuring images of Old MacDonald and all that. On the other, it’s thoroughly modern, with its wide open interior space, large expanses of façade and clean overall silhouette, primed for loft-like living.

Whether re-inventing original farm out buildings or building from scratch in the early American barn vernacular, modern barn architecture is very appealing. Modern barn homes work in crisp white, natural grays, traditional red, or with the more current black exterior.

Modern barn architecture works in a variety of environments too. Left in unruly meadows or set amidst groomed suburban landscaping, or even as in an example below, in the desert, it’s a shape that’s simultaneous fresh and comforting. Here are 20 examples of residential modern barn architecture in varying degrees of shiny-ness.