From futuristic marvels to daring architectural feats, these houses take “living on the edge” to a whole new level—literally.
If you’ve ever dreamed of living dangerously, perched above the abyss with nothing but nature (and a few daring design choices) between you and a dizzying drop, then these five clifftop homes are for you.
I’m a huge acrophobe. My fear of heights appliest to everything but airplanes because I sleep like a baby on them. Anything else? I’m frightened to my core. Needless to say I was on the edge of my seat while looking for these clifftop homes for you.
Are you ready to see them? Don’t close your eyes! If I had to sit through this all by myself, you can do it too!
1. The Summer House by Jan Jensen
The sole fact that they had to deliver material for this house without using any motorized vehicles is stunning. The cliffside is ocmpletely inaccessible, and can only be reached by foot. The architect, Jan Jensen, wanted to build something that will keep the integrity of the location.
Nothing was compromised, and the Summer House overlooking a fjord was born.
The house definitely looks like something out of a SciFi movie. That’s because it really is! They used the interior to film Ex Machina (2014).
When it’s not showing off on the big screen, the house is what it is: a summer house and an adorned place where nature meets the unthinkable.
You know what else is unthinkable? Building a house around a huge rock and incorporating it into the interior as if it was meant to be there. I can’t tell you about it. You have to see it with your own eyes.
2. The Rock by Gort Scott
Instead of an underground lair, The Rock by ort Scott is a house built with modern and sleek vibes, with just a smidge of futuristic design. Still, it’s enough to make us think it’s gonna open in the middle and launch a spaceship.
The clean lines, glass panels, and metal accents give it a futuristic vibe, while the low-profile roof keeps it grounded (but just barely).
Almost the entire house is in glass walls, allowing you to carefully monitor the outside for potential danger. Danger? Yeah, don’t you get the feeling that you should suit up in a sleek jumpsuit, sip your artisanal coffee, and plot world domination?
Because, let’s face it: living here, you’d definitely be onto something big.
3. Casa En El Toron
The designer of the El Toron house really thought of his carbon footprint. Much like the Summer House by Jan Jensen, the El Toron was also built without heavy machinery to preserve the nature around it.
It’s an homage to modern architecture that blends with nature, protects it, and finds a stable connection with it.
I feel like the designer had a mission to fulfill and that mission was to make something that looks cool from every angle, but also makes people wonder if it could be an art installation.
The El Toron is truly impressive, from ground to rooftop. The way it blends in with the greenery surrounding the place is incredible. If you don’t concentrate, the house might look like an abandoned mansion that allowed nature to take over.
However, we’re not gonna let nature take over. The future of architecture is in mashing together styles all while staying sustainable for our own good. Exactly the guidelines this house follows.
4. Malinka Gallery
Welcome to the Malinka Gallery House—where architecture meets art in the most daring, stylish way possible. With its angular design and striking geometric shapes, this house looks like a work of modern art in itself, as if it’s been plucked straight out of a futuristic design magazine.
One of the best things about this place is its exterior, the mirror finish of the facade that has the forest around the house reflecting in it. It’s almost like you’re always outside, connected to the nature.
The bold use of glass and steel invites you to look through the walls while keeping you at a safe distance from reality—because who needs regular walls when you can have living art?
This house will literally have you living on the edge. If not now, then when will you show off your brave side?
5. Bivouac Fanton
For a second I thought it was a plane wreck, stuck high up in the mountains.
Then, my mind was overwhelmed with one single question: HOW?
The answer is simple, but the process wasn’t. The Bivouac Fanton cabin lies high in the mountains at 8751 feet above sea level. The only guests you see here are Alpinists and occasional birds that forget where they’re going.
Nothing but you, the blue sky above you, your tiny nook on the rocks, and the bottomless mountain pit under you. How romantic, isn’t it?
I wouldn’t be caught dead checking out this place, but there are some fearless people who would even spend the night inside.
The concept is brilliant. It took them incredible effort to build a house this high. Even helicopters had to be used to carry the larger bits of the house. The titanium zinc cladding glistens beautifully against the sharp rocks making you find beauty even in the scariest things of all.