For anyone who has ever shopped for a new home, the feeling that they’ve entered a parallel Truman Show universe of cookie-cutter conformity – a sort of beige carpet, faux-finished hell – is almost universal. What happened to the sense of integrity that went into the architecture of Denver’s past? Where have you gone, oh vaguely-Frank Lloyd Wrightish bungalow? And why do I have to settle for crap design, anyway?

So imagine our pleasant surprise to find the 80211 Modern Home Tour. Presented this past weekend by brokers Liz Richards and Deviree Vallejo of Kentwood City Properties, the Tour featured some of the most innovative residential architecture in the Highland, West Highland, and Sloan’s Lake neighborhoods.

Mike Mathieson of CFWest Construction, the developer behind several of the featured properties, says his own take on modernism isn’t just about looking good, it’s about being green. That why his properties feature locally produced bricks and metal, no-tank water heaters, and even solar panels, available upon request.

Prices ranged from $525,000 to just shy of a cool million. While that sounds like a lot of coin, the price per square foot is comparable to the neighborhood’s traditional homes, says broker Deviree Vallejo.

So if you’re not quite ready to trade your hipster-yuppie lifestyle in for a charmless box in the ‘burbs, rest assured, there is hope.