How the old farmhouse went modern

Design trends for rural homes

The exterior of a new modern farmhouse home features vertical siding, a front porch and natural wood columns. Steel shed roofs over the windows add contrast and interest.
Photo courtesy of Hibbs Luxury Homes

Many are familiar with interior decorating styles known as mid-century modern, contemporary or simply modern. Less familiar may be a more recent approach known as “modern farmhouse,” a trend in home decor and design evoking feelings of warmth and comfort.

The origin of the farmhouse can be traced to Germany and Scandinavia, where they were built to house farm workers. Then it was not a style, but a necessary shelter for their way of life.

Farmhouse architecture arrived in the U.S. in the 1700s. Since then, farmhouses have undergone various iterations, from being purely functional to slowly morphing into a variety of styles of interior and exterior design adopted by everyday families.

Today’s popular modern farmhouse version grew out of the show “Fixer Upper,” hosted by Chip and Joanna Gaines. It aired for five seasons on HGTV, a network known for its home improvement and real estate programing.

Chip was a contractor who was renovating homes in Waco, Texas, and Joanna was a self-taught designer who decorated the homes and authored a blog about what they were doing. Eventually Joanna’s blog caught the eye of an HGTV executive, and in 2014, their show premiered. As their engaging personalities and decorating style aired, their personal appeal and approach to interior design gained popularity.

Because it was an approach that could be used inside a home of any architectural style, it had immediate and widespread appeal. By 2016, the Gaines had unexpectedly created a new trend that soon had its own name — modern farmhouse.

An inspired interior

There are no set guidelines for interior design, just a homeowner’s interpretation of what’s right for them. Modern farmhouse design prominently features architectural elements, like the use of natural materials such as wood and stone, and an open and airy floor plan conducive to a comfortable lifestyle. The overall design is sleek, functional and bright, using an eclectic mix of furnishings and accessories. Color choices include neutral hues that don’t overwhelm a room.

This modern farmhouse kitchen incorporates white Shaker cabinets over light gray subway tile walls and gray countertops, which blend seamlessly with the stainless-steel appliance fronts. The center island features a creative wraparound wooden shelf, bringing a natural element into the decor. An apron sink with a pattered front is visible under the window.
Photo courtesy of Candice Wideman, Youtopia Designs

Candice Weidman, an interior designer and owner of Youtopia Designs based in St. Louis, Mo., asks her clients to gather images of decor styles they like before starting to design the interior of a home.

“Most of the time, they tell me they prefer ‘traditional decor,’ and then they bring in clippings that are decidedly modern farmhouse,” she says. “They like natural accents like stone fireplaces, distressed wood plank floors, copper range hoods, a few vintage pieces mixed in, and elements of industrial and primitive-style lighting. … Farmhouse style is a combination of the best of old and new. It remains rustic, yet it is chic, contemporary, country and modern at the same time.”

The practical part of modern farmhouse design is expressed through open shelves. In family rooms, shelves contain family heirlooms and collectibles. In the kitchen, clear glass cabinet doors display dishes, textiles and practical objects meant to be used and act as decor.

Early farmhouses didn’t have walls made from drywall like homes today. Walls were shiplap, beadboard or tongue-and-groove boards, and the use of the same material is an important part of modern farmhouse decor. Painted in shades of white and installed vertically or horizontally, either approach delivers the coziness found in historic farmhouses.

Draperies are important for any decor, and modern farmhouse style is no exception, says Norma O’Bryan, owner of Discount Draperies and Custom Window Treatments in O’Fallon, Mo. “We like to use long drapery panels to frame the windows. We want them to be clean and simple and impart a nice, relaxed look,” she says. “Modern farmhouse window treatments should feel like they have always been a part of the room.”

O’Bryan explains that drapery panels with solid, lighter colors are best, and that neutral fabrics with minimal textures allow patterns and color to be added to a room with rugs, pillows and paintings.

The most important room in the house

Although stainless-steel kitchen appliances would not seem to fit the modern farmhouse approach to decor, they are easily incorporated into a kitchen that features the clean, straight lines of Shaker cabinets, shiplap walls and other natural elements, like soapstone sinks.

A stainless-steel apron sink works seamlessly in this modern farmhouse. The kitchen also contains a natural wood beam, simple Shaker cabinets and white subway tile. Outside the window, vintage lighting and vertical siding are visible. Photo courtesy of Hibbs Luxury Homes

While modern farmhouse design does not usually incorporate busy patterns, kitchens can be an exception. It’s not unusual for a subtly patterned tile backsplash to be used above the oven. Wallpaper designs including vines, flowers and leaf botanicals, stripes and diamond patterns work when used as a valance over a kitchen sink window.

Variations in surfaces can also work, using natural accents like a hammered copper vent or a farmhouse apron sink in a contrasting color, even if they are more intense and absent elsewhere in the home. The colors in the pattern just shouldn’t be overwhelming.

When looking for basic design materials, look for historical pieces or items that could be found in nature. Examples include wood, slate, marble, soapstone, brick, aged brass, cast iron and tin. Most importantly, both comfort and function are goals in modern farmhouse decor, versus aesthetics or trends.

Modern farmhouse curb appeal

While interior decor for a modern farmhouse design is popular when remodeling existing homes, newly built homes often include elements of a modern farmhouse on the exterior. Kim Hibbs, president of Hibbs Luxury Homes in St. Louis and Park City, Utah, has been designing and building modern farmhouse homes since they gained popularity.

“We find that the style appeals to people because it combines the cozy feel and charm of a traditional farmhouse inside and out, while allowing homeowners to surround themselves with interior decor that makes them feel good,” she says. “True to the use of the word ‘modern,’ it incorporates contemporary design, furnishings and color schemes with natural elements of stone and wood reflective of the times.”

The Plan Collection, which offers more than 22,000 house plans on its website, theplancollection.com, reports that modern farmhouse was the most popular architectural style on its website in 2023, according to Laurel Vernazza, home design expert for the Scarsdale, N.Y., company.

Considerations for an exterior design include the siding and color, roof, lighting and the all-important entrance that greets guests from the curb to the front door. As for color, the same approach applies outside as it does inside.

Neutral hues, such as whites, creams and beiges, are used for a clean and fresh exterior. That palette provides a background which easily incorporates elements such as natural stone on the facade, wooden shutters and wooden porch railings and posts that evoke a rustic feel. For the roof, use metal barn-style roofing to create additional color and texture contrast.

Nothing exudes a modern farmhouse exterior like a comfortable front porch. Embellished with a porch swing or vintage rocking chairs, a porch can create an inviting sitting area. A front door can be contrary to an overall paint scheme. Pale colors work, but almost any color can add texture and interest to the entrance. In fact, it is more welcoming to have a door in a pleasant shade of red, yellow or blue that conveys a happy vibe.

Top it all with a wooden sliding barn door replacing a traditional front door, add a picket fence, throw in some livestock, and turn that house into a modern farmhouse home.