Canadian architect Alain Carle seems to have a thing for black. Here are six of his studio's minimalist residential projects clad in charred wood, dark metal or painted brick.

La Héronnière
An expansive deck divides the levels of this cliffside residence in the Laurentian Mountains, intended as a sustainable retreat from modern conveniences.
"The house has been designed to be able to function almost completely autonomously," said Montreal-based Alain Carle. "Exempt from a magnetic field or wireless devices, the house reflects the owners' desire to occupy a harmonious and 'symbiotic' way where the site is perceived as the 'host'."
The horizontal plane cuts through the building, with rooms above clad in blackened timber and walls below of exposed concrete. Find out more about La Héronnière ›

Les Rorquals
Alain Carle Architecte's latest house is formed of intersecting gabled sheds, which create split levels and faceted ceilings inside that the studio describes as "abstract and intriguing".
Overlooking the Saint Lawrence seaway from Cap-à-l'Aigle, the home is clad in blackened pine and named after a type of whale that is commonly spotted in the estuary.
"This house has a rustic look," said the studio. "Its architecture is more rural than modernist, closer to the earth than to the sky."
Find out more about Les Rorquals ›

True North
Black metal cladding is paired with board-form...