Cool Houses Clinging To Cliffs To Take In All The Beauty

Location is key when building a vacation home so naturally, the top of a cliff seems like an extraordinary and hard to refuse option. Up there you feel like you can rule the world and take in all its beauty at once. Cliff houses are definitely amongst the most amazing and inspiring ones.

Concept Cliff House.

Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls

This one is still a concept. Planned by modscape, this is the design for a holiday home which pretty much hangs off a cliff above the ocean in Victoria, Australia. It was envisioned as a natural extension of the landscape. The entry is through a carport at the topmost level and the expansive ocean views are breathtaking from each and every room of the house.

Artistic Cliff House.

Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls

Featuring a glass and stone exterior, this artistic house takes a cue from the famous Picasso. It’s a contemporary house with curved walls clinging to a cliff near Sydney, Australia. The design is minimalist but also very impressive. When planning the house, Durbach Block Jaggers made sure to also include a stunning pool and a rooftop garden.

Tula House.

Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls

The Tula House is located on a remote island in British Columbia and was designed by Canadian-based Patkau Architects. It sits 44 feet above the beach below, high a cliff and offers uninterrupted waterfront views. The design of the house was inspired by the irregular rocky site, which allows it to perfectly blend in.

Nova Scotia.

Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls

Canadian studio MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects designed a modern house that extends over the edge of a rocky outcrop in Nova Scotia. The house resembles a wooden box and only a small portion is actually connected to the ground, the rest being suspended on steel beams. It was designed as a weekend getaway and it’s intended to make the residents connect with the landscape by inducing a feeling of vertigo.

On The Cliff.

Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls

Somewhere in Alicante there’s a stunning white house stretching out towards the sea. It was designed by Spanish studio Fran Silvestre Arquitectos and they envisioned it as a single monolithic volume built into the cliff and projecting out towards the shoreline. The upper storey contains the living rooms and the bedrooms and offers panoramic views through a glazed facade.

San Francisco Cliff House.

Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls

The Cliff House, also referred to as “The Lake House” was a project by San Francisco-based studio Mark Dziewulski Architect. Completed in 2010, the five-storey house is made of steel, concrete and glass and was built on a waterfront lot overlooking Lake Tahoe in Nevada. The arched volumes and glass facades were designed to capture the extraordinary views throughout the year.

France Cliff House.

Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls

Built on a steep cliff in the south of France, this house is composed of a series of volume that complete each other like a puzzle. It was a project by architect Vincent Coste. The two-storey house offers panoramic sea views and features a large infinity edge pool. The floor-to-ceiling glass walls connect the indoor and outdoor spaces beautifully.

Till House.

Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls

The Till House is located in Chile and was built by WMR Arquitectos. It’s a small week-end retreat built on a coastline of cliffs 200 meters high. Nothing was ever built up here until now. Surrounded by expansive views on three sides, the house is organized into square wooden modules and dark brown wall cladding.

Cliff Tree House.

Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls

Situated north of New York City, this structure was envisioned as a unique tree house. It’s attached to a steep cliff and sits suspended above ground, sustained by the trees. The house offers sweeping views over the hills and pays tribute to the landscape in an unexpected and inspiring way. A maple tree supports the terrace and a bridge connects it to the cliff.

Vestfold House.

Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls

Jarmund/Vigsnæs AS Architects designed a summer house in Vestfold, Norway that was partly built upon the existing stone walls from the previous building. The design was adjusted to the terrain and the shape, scape, materials and colors were chosen to perfectly match the landscape.

Weston Residence.

Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls

The Weston Residence was designed by Specht Harpman Architects and can be found in Connecticut. It clings to the edge of a cliff and communicates with the site and the surroundings in a smooth and organic manner. It has green roof gardens which allow it to completely immerse into the landscape. The bedrooms at the top floor feature glass walls on which let the views wrap around the room on three sides.

Fall House.

Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls

Designed by Fourgeron Architecture, the Fall House is located in Big Sur, California, where it sits perched on a cliff, overlooking the ocean. The spectacular house is anchored in the landscape, embedded within the land. It was designed as a long and narrow volume to better take advantage of the dramatic views.

Casa Once Mujeres.

Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls

Casa Once Mujeres is a vacation home built in Zapallar, Chile, on a site sloping down to the beach and the ocean. The name of the project reveals the fact that the house was built for a couple with no less than 11 daughters. The steep slope allows all three storeys to offer splendid views. The ground level contains the shared volumes, the intermediate volume is where the bedrooms are located as well as two living rooms and the upper floor houses the master bedroom, living room and dining room.

AIBS House.

Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls

Designed by Atelier d’Architecture Bruno Arpicum & Partners or AABE, the AIBS House located in Ibiza, Spain is a massive structure built into a cliff. Large windows and glass walls connect the interior spaces with the exquisite surroundings. To the side of the building the architects built an amazing infinity edge pool that extends outwards and becomes one with the sky and the water.

Cliff House in Muskoka Lakes.

Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls

Set on the cliffside of Muskoka Lakes in Ontario, Canada, this house seeks to enhance the scenery with its simple design and natural materials. It was a project by Altius Architecture who made it look like the house is emerging from the cliff by using the same local granite for its base and exterior. This is a relaxing retreat for the owners who come here to escape the city and to take in all the natural beauty.

Cliffhanger Residence.

Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls

Kevin Vallely Design built the Cliffhanger Residence, a cantilevered house in North Vancouver, Canada sitting on a steep south-facing slope and featuring a clean, simple and expressive design. The three-storey house was built on a 25 ft by 100 ft site and, given the location, the whole process was a challenge. Rated highly energy-effcient, the house is a beautiful adaptation of modern aesthetic to the regional character.

Cliff overlooking Rangitoto and the Hauraki Gulf.

Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls
Hauraki Gulf exposed rooms glass walls

Located on a cliff overlooking the Hauraki Gulf, this contemporary retreat can be found in Auckland, New Zeeland. It’s a two-storey glass volume designed by Fearon Hay Architects to maximize and take full advantage of the views and the location. The rooms are completely surrounded by the unique landscape and the interior is completely exposed.