Modern Farmhouse Exteriors

A modern farmhouse exterior is often a perfect blend of modern and traditional elements. Whether it's a fabulous farm porch or siding made with reclaimed wood, homes that hearken back to simpler times can be expertly styled with an of-the-moment feel.

Modern Touches to a Traditional Farmhouse Exterior

This gorgeous, peaceful home in rural North Carolina seamlessly combines both traditional and modern elements. The wrap-around porch is an undeniable vestige of days of old, when rocking chairs and lemonade dominated a family's free time. But the ample windows and open floor plan (along with the entire interior decor of the home) incorporate elements that easily bring this home to the modern day.

“Our goal was to strike a good balance between traditional and modern in a way that did not result in simply a traditional exterior and modern interior,” says architect Erin Sterling Lewis. A pressure-treated wood deck extends from the property under a stained pine, V-groove ceiling. Steel and wood comprise the columns.

Sizeable and Chic in Vermont's White Mountains

A winter vacation retreat for a private client in Vermont, this four-bedroom home sits nested on a hill facing north toward the White Mountains. On this modern farmhouse exterior, vernacular materials such as HardiPlank siding, sheet metal, board-formed concrete and timber framing are reinterpreted with a modern focus.

Tall windows are strategically placed around interior spaces to provide optimal views out toward the mountain ranges in the distance and provide natural light to key living areas. The house also allows for strong ties to its surrounding landscapes with a bridge that connects its users to a network of paths leading up through the mountains.

A Stately Farmhouse in Upstate New York

Inspired by hilltop views and traditional New England farm and barn structures, Marvin Architect's Challenge winner Michael Waters of LDa Architecture & Interiors set out to strike the perfect balance between time-tested tradition and sophisticated, clean lines.

The ultimate goal was to create a home that would have an authentic presence in the surrounding agricultural landscape and strong visual and physical connections to the site.

The design incorporates an existing colonial residence, re-situated on the site and preserved along with contemporary additions on three sides. The resulting home strikes a perfect balance between traditional farmhouse architecture and sophisticated contemporary living.

A Maine Farmhouse Built With Salvaged Materials

Caleb Johnson Studio combined materials recovered from a vintage farmstead, as well as a midcentury modern teardown, to create the ultimate modern farmhouse. By incorporating such materials into the new home's design, they were able to create a modern farmhouse with soul. Large Marvin windows and an unpainted galvalume-coated steel roof complete the modern farmhouse exterior.

Modern Farmhouse Kitchens

A kitchen designed in a modern farmhouse style is functional, free of clutter, and always chic. Scroll to read about some of our favorite modern farmhouse kitchen designs.

A Baker’s Rustic, Industrial Kitchen

When beginning construction, Austin–based contractor Royce Flournoy hoped that the simple, gabled structure of the farmhouse-style home he now shares with his partner would blend seamlessly into the urban space around it.

The result? A simple, modern layout with ample light thanks to the open floor plan. In keeping with that, their modern farmhouse kitchen is a marriage of rustic warmth and industrial simplicity, with open shelving and a sleek marble countertop.

A Stunning Farmhouse Kitchen on a Wooded Property in Colorado

Inspired by historic American farmhouses, this modern dwelling is sited at the base of the Rocky Mountain Foothills in West Boulder, Colorado. Designed by Boulder–based firm Surround Architecture, the 6,800-square-foot property features a modern farmhouse kitchen with a unique feature: a countertop that extends beyond the home’s four walls to create an outdoor bar area.

At the heart of the main level is the stunning kitchen, which expertly incorporates both light and dark elements for added visual interest. And expansive windows draw the eye (and the counter!) outside to a peaceful gathering place.

A Simple but Colorful Kitchen Sits at the Heart of This Wisconsin Farmhouse

Dotted with barns aplenty, the agricultural stronghold of Door County, Wisconsin, was the perfect place for Beth and her husband’s vision of a modern farmhouse. Enlisting the help of Minnesota–based Salmela Architect, the clients worked closely together with principal architect David Salmela, as well as project architect Malini Srivastava to craft a custom rural home inspired by the local weathered barns.

The couple chose a minimalist design approach for their home, due to both budget constraints and desired outcome. The style is mirrored in the diminutive modern farmhouse kitchen, which makes use of deep blue tiling set apart by stainless steel appliances.

A Fully Renovated, Monochromatic Kitchen in Poland

When a dilapidated farmhouse went up for sale in Jacek Kolasiński’s dream neighborhood in Szczecin, Poland, he didn’t hesitate to buy it. ““I had been looking for a place here for a very long time,” the interior designer explains of the urban area, which retains the countryside charm it had before World War II. "I’ve liked it since I was a child.”

He brought the 1,500-square-foot structure back to life by tearing down light-blocking walls and cramped ceilings and salvaging unique features like columns and old brickwork. Its reconstructed bones were then bathed in white in true modern farmhouse style.

In the kitchen, an exposed brick wall stands out against the milky smoothness of the marble tile floors. “I wanted the house to be raw and interesting,” Kolasiński explains.

Modern Farmhouse Decor

When choosing decor in the modern farmhouse style, keep in mind that simplicity and functionality were at the heart of the farmhouses of old. It's about carefully choosing pieces that speak to you, and fit beautifully into your space.

Colorado Farmhouse Employs Unique Firewood Storage

The interior areas flow toward the outdoors in all directions, and thanks to the use of bi-fold Dutch doors, as well as movable glass walls in the living room, the home is able to maximize its connection to nature.

In keeping with this, sizable cutouts provide ample indoor storage for firewood. It’s an attractive but functional use of natural decor, which will come in handy during the cold Colorado winter.

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Simple but Colorful Furnishings Pop in This Wisconsin Farmhouse

Here, a small farmhouse employs simple yet effective decor in keeping with the homeowner’s original vision. “Our client, Beth, loves the open farm fields of the area, and this project was in many ways her vision,” note the architects, who named the project House for Beth.

Too much furniture would obscure the sweeping view of the fields. Instead, simplistic pieces were used, many of which offered just the right amount of color to keep things interesting, like this dining table with red chairs from IKEA.

Exposed Beams and Wide Open Spaces

In this stately modern farmhouse, the client was interested in a clean look with large windows and lots of light. The spacious structure is supported by wooden beams, while floor-to-ceiling windows take full advantage of the natural light. Reclaimed materials are perfectly in place in this gorgeous home, which combines a number of styles from minimalism to elements of industrial chic to contemporary.

Furniture is sparse, and employs elements that blend nicely with its surroundings, so as to draw the eye neatly from one space to the next.

A Refurbished Modern Farmhouse in Poland Employs a Monochromatic Palette

White paint with just a hint of gray dominates this modern farmhouse decor, reflecting the owner’s love of bright spaces. The pine wooden floors were also enameled in a white oil imported from Denmark. Even possessions have been placed mindfully so as not to interfere with the dwelling's clean look.

Modern Farmhouse Living Rooms

A modern farmhouse living room can be styled in a variety of ways as you'll see in the photos below. However, regardless of the modern farmhouse decor you choose for your living room, it should always be comfortable and inviting.

Light-Filled Family Home in Copenhagen

White wood-plank floors blend into the walls and ceilings in this diminutive living room in Copenhagen. The family chose to employ a monochromatic color palette to add light and create the illusion of space. A sleek dark grey sofa sits in juxtaposition with the rest of the room’s decor.

A Striking Angular Cottage in Connecticut

Working with project architect Kyle Bradley, the homeowners, along with architects Lisa Gray and Alan Organschi, started with the simplest of designs—a shed-type structure with a steeply canted single-pitch roof—and, as Organschi puts it, “started blowing it open and filling it with large areas of glass.”

And there’s no want of it in this stunningly simple modern farmhouse living room, where an obvious connection to nature takes center stage.

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A Retiree’s Chic but Effective Modern Farmhouse Living Room

The versatile living room is the focal point of this narrow but stately Virginia home. After the client bought a one-acre plot in a close-knit community, Wiedemann and project architect Felix Gonzalez designed her a house there that embraces the community spirit as well as the country scenery.

Expansive windows on both sides of the open living area bring the outside in. Marvin doors, the Ultimate Swinging French door, flank the mahogany-wrapped fireplace and provide easy access to the screened porch.

Striking Slatted Wood and Glass Home in San Francisco

Teaming up with architect Craig Steely, an industrial designer and a mechanical engineer find just the right design for a striking home on a San Francisco hill. Floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room allow for a sweeping view of the city, while a 606 Universal Shelving System by Dieter Rams for Vitsoe hangs tough on the only opaque wall. Russell-Clarke and Moolsintong designed the coffee table, and Marcel Wanders gets credit for the Bottoni sofa for Moooi.

Modern Farmhouse Lighting

Modern farmhouse lighting serves to illuminate the space without drawing too much attention. Whether it's a suspended pendant light or understated recessed lights, the lighting you choose should make sense with your space. Take a look at some examples below.

Texas Homeowners Curate Unique Modern Farmhouse Lighting

No detail was overlooked on this modern farmhouse in Texas. The owner’s favorite aspect of the design is that “every space in the house is used and appreciated.” This light-filled hallway overlooking the staircase connects the home’s two bedrooms to an upstairs living space.

Perfectly Understated Lights in an Open Corridor

In this stunning Colorado home, lighting is an integral part of the modern farmhouse interior. A fully glazed corridor with recessed lighting allows the owner to enjoy the autumn foliage outdoors.

Simple Home With Farmhouse-Style Lighting

In keeping with this farmhouse’s simplistic style, two gently glowing orb lights in white provide the living space with soft light. Here, it was critical to have lights suspended from above so as not to interfere with the view of the surrounding fields.

This Farmhouse Design Is a Modern-Day Fairytale

In this stunning home, the owner desired a modern farmhouse style that was clean and uncluttered, and full of light rather than dark and gothic. In keeping with that, this modern farmhouse lighting was chosen.

As simple and unobtrusive as they come, these sleek, silver lights are suspended from dramatically long cables in the master bedroom.

Modern Farmhouse Bathrooms

Similar to a modern farmhouse living room, your modern farmhouse bathroom can be just about anything you want it to be. Incorporating natural elements alongside more classic, modern pieces is a great way to pull off a bathroom retreat you'll never want to leave.

A Black and White Modern Farmhouse Bathroom in Texas

The juxtaposition of black and white is perhaps the most notable detail of this home’s interiors, and this element is mirrored in the guest bathroom as well. Here, black and white tiles provide visual interest alongside the freestanding tub, which was painted black on the exterior.

An Elegantly Styled Modern Farmhouse Bathroom

This modern farmhouse bathroom in the same Texas home employs noticeably softer tones, where a gray marble double vanity gives way to a matching floor. An area rug incorporates gentle yellow tones, which are mirrored in the decor as well.

A Pedestal Sink Provides a Rustic Touch

A classic ceramic pedestal sink brings a touch of heritage design to this otherwise modern farmhouse bathroom. It’s an appropriate design element for a traditional, heritage home with modern design details. Seen here with Malaga cement tiles from Town and Country Surfaces and a salvaged antique clawfoot bathtub, this particular pedestal sink was sourced from Waterworks.

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Modern Farmhouse Bathroom Employs Open Storage With a Console Vanity

In this modern farmhouse bathroom, the storage the owner has incorporated is similar in structure to a freestanding cabinet unit but has exposed shelves rather than closed-door cupboards. A console vanity creates a light and elegant look, while still providing ample storage space for towels or toiletry baskets.

Related Reading:

Top 5 Thoughtfully Updated Farmhouses and Barns of the Week

This Breathtaking Ranch Home Was Constructed Without Felling a Single Tree

Soak In New Zealand’s Rugged Beauty at This Remote Farmhouse Retreat

Also Appears In

Striking Slatted Wood and Glass Home in San Francisco