Opaque glass cladding on this south London house by Ian McChesney reflects the brick and stucco facades of neighbouring Victorian properties and foliage from a park next door (+ slideshow). More about Black glass facade mirrors scenery at south London home by Ian McChesney
Charred Japanese cedar clads the exterior of this split-level house in Izumo, Japan, by Kanazawa studio Harunatsu-Arch (+ slideshow). More about Blackened timber house by Harunatsu-Arch is divided by a stepped floor
Naruse House by MDS has been clad using the traditional Japanese technique of Yakisugi, which involves charring cedar wood to create a blackened, weather-resistant surface that resists decay (+ slideshow). More about MDS designs blackened timber house on a sloping junction in Tokyo
Japanese architect Shintaro Fukuhara has completed a glass-fronted house with a steeply angled roof in Kobe, as a home for himself and his family (+ slideshow). More about Shintaro Fukuhara's family home has a glass facade like "a showroom"
This house in Osaka by Japanese studio Coo Planning hides a warm plywood interior behind an austere black facade (+ slideshow). More about Black house in Osaka by Coo Planning features a basic plywood interior
Canadian architect Alain Carle added cedar panelling to selected parts of this black-painted brick house in Quebec, highlighting terraces, window reveals and entrances (+ slideshow). More about Sprawling Quebec house by Alain Carle contrasts black brick with warm cedar
Behind the dark facades of these farmhouse-inspired cabins in northern Italy, designed by local studio Pedevilla Architects, is a pair of bright homes that combine traditional elements with modern detailing (+ slideshow). More about Alpine cabins by Pedevilla Architekten build on traditions of Tyrolean farmhouses
Two clients joined forces to commission one building with two separate homes by Buenos Aires studio Hitzig Militello Arquitectos, which has been coloured grey to contrast with its neighbours (+ slideshow). More about Hitzig Militello Arquitectos combines two homes in one building in Buenos Aires
This black-stained timber house in Auckland, New Zealand, by local studio Monk Mackenzie features a gridded plywood screen that allows filtered light to enter the interior (+ slideshow). More about Waiatarua House by Monk Mackenzie incorporates a wooden lattice
Larch cladding has been painted black to create a uniform appearance for this seaside home on the Isle of Wight, England, by Dow Jones Architects (+ slideshow). More about Black-painted seaside house by Dow Jones mimics local fishermen's sheds
This house in the Scottish Highlands by London office Raw Architecture Workshop is partly buried into its sloping site and features a kinked plan that directs views towards the sunrise and sunset. (+ slideshow). More about House at Camusdarach Sands by Raw Architecture Workshop has a kinked facade
A black house designed to "look like a shadow" was popular last week, so we've collected some of our favourite black residences from the pages of Dezeen onto a new Pinterest board. See our black houses Pinterest board »
More about New Pinterest board: black houses
Three mature trees were rooted to the centre of this site in Western Australia, but architecture firm MORQ managed to convince the owners to build their family house around the peeling trunks and burgeoning foliage (+ slideshow). More about Karri Loop House by MORQ folds around three indigenous Australian trees
This all-black house in the Yucca Valley desert was designed by Los Angeles office Oller & Pejic to look "like a shadow" (+ slideshow). More about Oller & Pejic's Desert House designed to look "like a shadow"
This black wooden house in Austria by Hammerschmid Pachl Seebacher Architekten is raised off the ground on wonky metal stilts to frame views of the landscape and allow room underneath for a sheltered garden (+ slideshow). More about Black-painted S House by Hammerschmid Pachl Seebacher raised up on stilts
This black house by German studios Fabian Evers Architecture and Wezel Architektur is raised up over a translucent base where the client's truck can be stored (+ slideshow). More about House Unimog stores a truck within its translucent base
Black-painted timber contrasts with clean white window frames on the walls of this cube-shaped weekend home in Normandy, France, by Paris studio Beckmann-N'Thépé Architectes (+ slideshow). More about House in Normandy with blackened timber walls by Beckmann-N'Thépé Architectes
Architects Takero Shimazaki and Charlie Luxton have renovated a 1960s house outside London to create a modern home that features black-painted brickwork, large windows and a new angular roof (photographs by Edmund Sumner + slideshow). More about Black brick house in the woods by Takero Shimazaki and Charlie Luxton
Paris studio Marchi Architectes layered up timber slats of different thicknesses and proportions to give an irregular texture to the walls of this sunken house extension in Normandy, France (+ slideshow). More about Blackened timber house extension hidden in the forest by Marchi Architectes
London studio Jonathan Tuckey Design has converted a historic chapel in Wiltshire, England, into a house with a blackened-timber extension conceived as the building's shadow. More about Shadow House by Jonathan Tuckey Design