The modern farmhouse home style has been extremely popular among home designers, but striking a balance between these two styles can be challenging, as they often clash. The secret isn’t a perfectly even balance of both contemporary and rustic features; you just need to layer textures, materials, and architectural styles together that allow you to enjoy both comfort and convenience in the home. Blending the comfort and charm of rustic farmhouse style with the convenience and cleanliness of modern styles can allow you to enjoy your home’s architecture and design to the fullest extent. If you’re stuck on where to begin, learning about other popular approaches to the modern farmhouse can serve as excellent inspiration.
Consider the Classics
Rustic architectural features have a lot of charm, and you can showcase those benefits when you opt for some of the classic options. Gabled roofs provide a traditional silhouette for the home’s structure, forming a triangle that comes together at a single point at the top. Adding a wraparound porch or a covered front porch can provide a comforting Southern touch that many modern farmhouse owners love. Inside, you can add some vertical siding elements, such as board and batten, to achieve a traditional farmhouse feel. Large, symmetrical windows allow for ample natural light, a feature often enjoyed in modern homes, while also contributing to the classic farmhouse style. Exposed wood beams, particularly showing signs of distress, are also a marriage of both contemporary and farmhouse architecture. You can add a barn on your property if you really want to go above and beyond in terms of classic features. A pole barn can give you a cost-friendly storage solution while allowing you to maintain both classic and contemporary farmhouse elements. I was able to find a pole barn builder near me to customize the look of the barn I wanted.
Prioritize Sustainability
Both modern and rustic homes enjoy sustainable features and eco-friendly materials. Rustic styles prioritize repurposing and reclaiming materials, including wood, steel, or stone, which helps reduce resource waste. An energy-efficient home structure, including insulation, siding, and roofing, can help homes waste less energy and lower utility costs. When selecting the home’s materials, consider using recycled, reclaimed, repurposed, and natural options. If stuck between two different layouts or structure styles, choose the most energy-efficient option.
Layer the Minimalism
Modern farmhouse architecture seamlessly blends modern touches with classic features, often employing a minimalist aesthetic. Most of the time, contemporary features are subtle but work well with the rustic style. Industrial lighting with exposed bulbs or wires meshes well with the farmhouse-style home. Neutral colors, such as white, black, and gray, help balance the rustic accents with contemporary color schemes. Flat-panel cabinetry, paired with a farmhouse-style sink, works wonders in blending both rustic and modern elements in the kitchen. Framing your symmetrical farmhouse windows with black adds a dramatic modern touch without completely abandoning the rustic feel.
Balance Textures and Materials
When choosing features in your home’s construction, you’ll want to balance varying textures and materials to complement both rustic and modern styles simultaneously. Try pairing reclaimed wood with polished concrete for a clean, yet natural, look. Utilize both shiplap walls with smoother drywall ones, too. Pair natural stone accents with glass or steel for a modern look. Aged metal looks excellent with more modern matte black or chrome finishes, especially for sink fixtures or lighting. Combining two different home styles is all about balance and symmetry.
Choose a Cohesive Color Palette
A home’s style is largely represented by color palettes alone. Both rustic and contemporary color palettes overlap in many ways, particularly when it comes to incorporating natural colors, such as white. You can effectively combine the two when you choose a similar color palette for the entire home. White and wood colors make an excellent color foundation. Black also works excellently with natural colors, such as brown, yellow, or green. Grey and green palettes also work well with both rustic and modern styles. Incorporate these colors into your walls, windows, furniture, porch, and roof to create a seamless style.
Conclusion
Blending modern and rustic architectural features is a highly popular home design approach worldwide. While these two styles can differ significantly, finding harmony between them creates a comforting, cohesive, and stylish home. Combining sustainable and reclaimed materials, for example, allows both rustic and contemporary design choices to shine. Natural color palettes, featuring white and wood, enable the clean lines of modern designs to blend seamlessly with the natural, exposed look of farmhouse homes. By incorporating classic farmhouse architectural features, such as gabled roofing and board-and-batten siding, you can create an excellent foundation for layering in minimalist elements, like industrial lighting. Choose looks and styles you enjoy on both ends of the spectrum and balance these textures and materials for an intentional and seamless home style. Don’t be afraid to work with an architect or designer to help your modern farmhouse vision become a reality.