Modern farmhouses that embrace the bucolic aesthetic are in high demand. As the title conjures images of American pastoral settings, the pursuit of bucolic living amid modern farmhouse designs is the driving the architectural style. A farmhouse by itself is more than a home design, it’s a way of life.
Red barns and cattle grazing on green pastures represent the farmhouse of old.
Today’s farmhouse embraces technology and modernity instead of eschewing such qualities while in pursuit of temperate living.
What Is The Modern Farmhouse Style?
Maybe you’re imagining fresh pies and porch rockers. At the bare minimum, many might be thinking of farmhouse specialists Chip and Joanna Gaines. If you desire a spoonful of sanctity or ice-cold lemonade, you can remain calm as we know what you want regarding farmhouse living.
Although farmhouse styles have changed, their original spirit hasn’t. Remaining intact are the Puritan values of yesteryear when hard work and prudence were the highest virtues.
What Is The Difference Between A Classic And Modern Farmhouse?
The classic farmhouse style is centered on a simple aesthetic. Its features include warm, earthy tones joined with aged or reclaimed wood or patina accents. A classic farmhouse invokes a magnanimous family lifestyle immersed in a pastoral setting.
Modern farmhouse designs feature puritan aesthetics accentuated with contemporary and industrial themes. Highlights include minimalist components like stainless steel appliances and mid-century modern furniture.
Pedestrian but not dull, the modern farmhouse centers on reductive living while achieving a utopian lifestyle. Monochromatic interior color schemes wrapped in neutral exterior hues personify the kindred qualities of rural living.
History Of The Farmhouse Style
Europe gave us the farmhouse. Taking its inspiration from open fields of Germany and Scandinavia, a farmhouse wasn’t a home but a family driven enterprise. Each element had a productive purpose. Farmhouses were made of wood and built on flat surfaces with a nearby water source like a lake or river.
Many farmhouses featured front porches, wrapping their full perimeter. Unlike their decorative purposes today, porches were dry wood storage areas and makeshift locker rooms for work boots and field outerwear. At the end of a long day, the porch was a congregational space for family, neighbors, and visitors.
Modern Farmhouse Interior
Dash Landing farmhouse in Freeport, Maine is from Whitten Architects. Drawing inspiration from New England architecture, the home uses advanced building technology while maintaining its traditional roots.
The solar-calculated overhangs offer cooling shade during warm seasons and solar gain when it’s cold. Double-doors feature on the front porch. A standing seam metal roof protects the home from heavy snow. And a reading nook on the second-floor, which has become a popular modern farmhouse feature.
Low ceilings and narrow doorways were the standard for original farmhouses. People spent their time outside or in the kitchen. During the 1700’s, this farmhouse style spread West to Canada and then the US. It inspired the Cape Cod and Colonial styles that you see today.
Modern Farmhouse Exterior
From New Canaan, Connecticut, this design is a product of Hobbs, Inc. Similar to original farmhouses, the front porch almost runs the length of the home and features wood stain French double doors.
Northwest Modern Farmhouse
This modern farmhouse in the Oregon’s Willamette Valley epitomizes Northwest comfort and rustic architecture styles. A wrap-around porch and French double-doors follow traditional farm home designs. The yellow side door is an example of a solid color can accent your home’s white exterior.
New England Colonial
First built in 1784, this Newton, Connecticut colonial farmhouse restoration project features two large stone chimneys and reclaimed wood.
Modern Cottage Design
Even if you don’t live in a modern farmhouse you can add features to your home to help make it fell like one. A French rustic 4-lite door or wooden window awnings like the ones you see here offer country living charm.
As the cottage core aesthetic sweeps across the the US, the modern farmhouse was ready-made for the rural-based design trend. Rustic board and batten shutters with a country-style French door pay homage to early-Puritan living grace.
Congregational is a theme which explains why many modern farmhouses resemble churches.
A modern farmhouse with a red barnyard design is a tribute to the colonial homes from the Industrial Revolution.
Since the traditional farmhouse is built with wood, it’s the predominant element found on exteriors today. It doesn’t mean you can’t add other accents to beautify the facade. Stone lime wash in light shades provide stunning texture to a classic farmhouse front.
If you’re wanting to keep your farmhouse classic, consider using stone for your walkways and drive rather than on the house itself. You’ll still get the texture and color from the stone but you don’t have to mess with your house’s siding. That makes this project much more likely to save you time and money in the classic farmhouse way.
Modern Farmhouse Decor
Cream-colored farmhouses offer a break from traditional white hues. The blue board and batten vinyl exterior shutters complement the front porch windows. With farmhouse styles, alpha shutters add curb appeal.
As a porch centerpiece, a mahogany 6-lite wood entry door with matching sidelites features a mulberry wine-colored stain. Mahogany is a modern farmhouse aesthetic choice as the wood offers protection from termites and wood fungus.
The paneling is an option if stone is too rustic for your sensibilities. If your home is in a suburban setting it might need to comply with neighborhood styles. A brick entry sidewalk would accent the entryway and provide extra color and texture to augment the view.
This colonial brick farmhouse is proof of why limewashing is popular among farmhouse restoration experts. The twin-chimneys offer balance and control and were a popular farmhouse feature before the advent of the oven. One fireplace was for heating, while a second was for cooking.
Throughout its two-story frame, you’ll find traces of Greek Revival, Federal and Victorian home architecture.
Speaking of shutters, most farmhouses have them. For decorative purposes, there is something to be said for functional shutters. They’re larger to actually cover the windows and you get to choose pretty hardware.
In some of the old farmhouses, the front porch was a major part of life, stretching around much of the house. With our modern needs, you might need a little more square footage and a little less porch.
Don’t be afraid to turn part of that space into indoor space instead. A small porch can be just as useful as a large one.
Hello deep and rich wood. Just because your house is made of it doesn’t mean you can’t decorate with it too. Strip the porch beams and stain them to stand out against the white siding. Exchange your front doors for something wood and paned. These accents will bring just enough rustic charm to your farmhouse to give it personality.
Looking for the ultimate rustic farmhouse to welcome you home? Let’s forget the white altogether. A plain wood house will be a unique find among the white farmhouses and it will match your wood barn like no other.
Nothing says traditional living like white picket fence. It might be fencing in your front yard or maybe it’s protecting your garden. Either way, the picket fence provides double the space for landscaping and gives your home’s exterior a distinct charm.
Modern Farmhouse Living Room
While the old homes might have had low ceilings, that’s not the case with farmhouses today. Many times you’ll find that someone took the feeling of vastness and space from the outside and brought it in with a vaulted ceiling.
When you have more headspace in your home than the traditional farmhouse, it’s only natural that you would style that space too. Wooden beams, whether real or practical, can be a lovely addition above your head as well as some pretty hanging lighting.
Barn doors are popular eye catchers in the farmhouse home. They might be their natural wood or maybe painted a color but either way, they make a statement in any room you put them in. Plus they are an easy DIY project.
When your style leaves clean and simple but you live in an old farmhouse, you have to find ways to bring the two together in a way that won’t clash. Small traditional touches like a painting in a gold frame or a piece of heavy carved furniture will give weight to your living area while not taking up too much space.
What about the shiplap walls. You can find those beautiful white lines in farmhouses old and new. It’s a reliable way to master the white walls technique in older spaces.
Modern Farmhouse Kitchen
Open floor plans are one of the top coveted home elements today. For a farmhouse, that requires knocking out a few walls to join the formal and informal areas of the home. But once you do that, you’ll have an open floor plan that everyone will envy.
While we’re talking about light and airy, you have to give a nod to the farmhouse windows. Most modern farmhouses take advantage of natural light. If you want more light, switch a window to a french door onto a new patio or outdoor area. You can also add a dormer or two on your roof.
As we mentioned above, farmhouse kitchens have always been spacious, due to the amount of work and gathering that happen here. So it’s rather surprising to find a lack of cabinets in one of these kitchens but the traditional farmhouse just didn’t provide them.
When there just wasn’t enough storage space, it was common to find open shelving in farmhouse kitchens. Lucky for you that the open shelving is still on trend so you can use it all you like in your own kitchen. You might even consider replacing your upper cabinet doors with paned doors that will make everything open to the eye.
Don’t think that all that floor space is going to waste. A real farmhouse kitchen has some kind of island. Not only does it provide extra workspace and extra storage, it gives you a spot for bar stools that will invite people you love to hang out with you while you cook.
In any house, storage is important, but many farmhouses are dwellings for families which means storage is essential. You can’t underestimate a good entry area for shoes and coats to live in between adventures. Especially when there are four or five pairs of boots.
Kitchen Decor
Kitchen decor is how you turn the most important space in your home into a reflection of your personality. Sometimes our old homes just don’t have enough cabinets or closets to suit us so we have to get creative.
Wall shelves instead of a bookshelf, plate rack instead of a cabinet, the options are endless to give yourself more space for your treasures.
A wood table provides bottom storage space and a place to prepare food. Wood is a sure-fire way to infuse rustic accents into your farmhouse. An old wooden coffee table will look against a velvet sofa. Some wood cutting boards in the kitchen will be both beautiful and practical. All of these brown shades will give your space warmth and history.
Modern Farmhouse Bathroom
The stone Japanese freestanding soaking tub adds Far East style to modern home living. When remodeling, one must consider pattern and texture for depth and purpose. In a farmhouse, you want to optimize natural light and allow open spaces to breathe when working with tile designs. A subtle bathroom pattern offers an intuitive grace that you crave without even knowing it.
Bedroom Decor
Wood beams and a rustic French country chandelier accent this master bedroom layout. Wood is one texture you should consider when finishing your farmhouse. Metal brings an industrial vibe to a space while woven blankets add coziness.
Velvet is chic and linen is rustic. Mix and match based on your goal for your space to create a farmhouse home that looks like Joanna Gaines’s design.
What do you do when all your furniture and decor is neutral in your farmhouse? Now it’s really time to embrace the texture. Opt for gray shades of wood instead of brown and layer on the pillows in all the beiges you like. You can still get farmhouse style without all the color.
Yes, even a farmhouse can kill it with wallpaper. Stick to a classic pattern that will compliment the age of the home and you’ll create a winning room that you’ll never want to leave, even if it’s a kids bedroom.
Classic farmhouse decor definitely had some color built in. How can you resist adding yellow to the bedroom that the sun brightens first thing in the morning? Quilts are a must as well as some chippy furniture. You’d better get thrifting.
Reading Nook
Nooks and crannies are common among farmhouses. They offer solace and respite in a busy home. You might add a window seat for a reading nook or a desk for your home office. When you make use of these spaces instead of leaving them empty you’ll discover your home’s full potential.
Modern Farmhouse Entryway
A farmhouse entry is more than a place to remove your shoes. Take advantage of the space and use it for storage. It can be mini-locker room for your family and guests.
After painting and staining, find a long farmhouse table. The homes are centered on family unity and having space that can accommodate large groups. Eating and congregating together promotes healthy living. With this notion in mind, a farmhouse home serves as a platform to bond and grow together, values that the Puritans brought with them in the 1600s.
Modern Farmhouse Style
Painting your traditional brick house white can provide all kinds of opportunities to give you the farmhouse you always wanted without having to move. After that major change, the other elements are rather simple like shutters and lighting.
The Grange modern farmhouse in Palo Alto, California is an example of what clean lines look like. The layout provides structure and balance to its backyard space. Do not underestimate the power of windows. The dormer window in the middle accents the home’s outdoor appeal.
This modern farmhouse in Dallas, Texas mimics Napa Valley sensibilities. Its board and batten gabled design provide balance and harmony amid a modern rustic setting.
Modern Farmhouse Backyard
Nowadays, people revamping the classic old farmhouse, you’ll find more inspiration for a modern farmhouse. They are dual tones with vertical white siding and black lined windows. Metal roofs are common and the exterior often manages to look modern and farmhouse at the same time.
Yet what these houses achieve in upgrades they by no means lose in charm. Even the most modern looking farmhouse still presents a welcome that might surprise you.
Backyard spaces for entertainment and outdoor BBQs are a hallmark of the modern farmhouse. Outdoor living spaces, pools and playgrounds fall in line with the family friendly farmhouse theme.
When you have an outdoor space, you want to make it as accessible and welcoming. Many modern farmhouses have large doorways that make a seamless transition from indoor to outdoor entertaining.
When the outside of your home is the modern version of a classic, the inside can be too. Sleek marble against warm wood seems the epitome of this lesson and as you can see, it definitely works in the modern farmhouse kitchen.
A modern farmhouse also has pops of clean Scandinavian touches as well. Black is the boldest accent color and furniture remains quite linear. But atop wood floors, you still get a sense that this is a farmhouse, a place for family and gathering and home.
Contemporary Farmhouse Style
Not all farmhouse-style homes are the same though they share many traits. The home can be customized and complemented by other styles to create a unique aesthetic. Here’s are few inspiring projects that showcase this idea:
North Carolina Traditional Farmhouse
This is a beautiful example of a traditional farm house that has been updated with a hint of modern flair. It’s located in North Carolina and it’s the result of a collaboration between studios Platt Architecture and Gary Daniel Builders. The exterior of the house has a nice color which allows it to blend in with the surrounding landscape. The cedar siding also gives it an inviting and rustic look without overpowering it.
The interior design of this place was done by Alchemy Design Studio and focuses mainly on traditional furnishings and natural and pure materials and finishes. The wooden support beams, the stone and wood floors, the stone-clad fireplace and the way in which everything has been put together helps this place come t life and feel like a welcoming home.
At the same time, there’s a nice simplicity to the design and great use of natural light and height throughout the home which is characteristic of modern and contemporary architecture.
Massachusetts Modern Farmhouse
Rustic and pastoral is the way. The modern ranch farmhouse is a combination of the past and the future.
An industrial kitchen with stainless steel features and antique trim are popular design features of the modern farmhouse.
Large picture windows frame beautiful views of the surrounding fields and showcase the natural beauty of an actual working dairy farm. The palette of colors, materials and finishes are defined by raw elements like the solid beams across the ceilings or the stone fireplace surround.
If you’re curious to see how a modern farm house could look like, this place designed by studio Kathleen Welsh Interiors is such a lovely example. It retains a lot of the warmth and charm that traditional farm houses have but in a more simplified and refined form.
Here are many little details and accent pieces that infuse this place with authenticity and charm but what stands out is how open and airy all of the interior spaces feel.
Each space has a unique character and is different and unique but in the end they all fit together.
Napa County Farmhouse
A modern farmhouse in St. Helena, California showcases dark aesthetic farmhouse design. From studio A.D.D. Concept + Design, this cutting-edge structure is a mix of board-formed concrete, blackened timber, and glass. The exterior layered elevations define each space while conjuring a Napa Valley puritanical vibe.
Bonelli custom commercial grade anodized aluminum black exterior windows and doors, low e dual pane; casement and awning windows with screens
The exterior finish utilizes clear cut cedar siding with a transparent stain. Aged patina vertical exterior cedar planks are the result of fine wood treatment. The visible wood grain accentuates the dark colors. A black composition and corrugated steel roof offer a sharp industrial look
The outdoor lounge area has a Malm wood burning fireplace in a Zen-like garden setting.
The outdoor lounge is ideal for neutral tone chaise lounges and Japanese-style greenery.
A view of the main living quarters has an open-floor layout with polished concrete floors. The ceiling height is a homage to industrial loft living. White gallery walls make it easy to achieve an art-deco vibe.
Modern Farmhouse Style Frequently Asked Questions
What Is The Difference Between Limewash And German Schmear?
Limewash is made with crushed limestone. It offers protection and adds texture to brick surfaces. It’s also cheap and eco-friendly. It works best on vintage homes with a matte finish.
German schmear otherwise known as smear, has mortar in it. Instead of brick, the smear covers the mortar. The advantage with smear is that it uses cement. After it’s applied to a home exterior, it’s permanent.
Smear doesn’t require maintenance, nor will it erode. It’s the go-to product among modern farmhouse renovators who want add European flare to their home’s exterior.
How Do I Apply For Safe Room Funding?
For those living in regions where harsh weather conditions are an annual threat, a safe room might be necessary. If you want to build a safe house to protect you and your family from hurricanes, for example, government funding is available.
When applying for safe room funding, you need to contact Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA). You will find if your state is eligible. For those who are eligible, funding to local governments to assist in reducing risk to people and property is available.
Modern Farmhouse Style Conclusion
The modern farmhouse style is developing at the speed of advanced technology. Although many changes have been implemented in their designs, the homes function the same that they did centuries ago.
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