What is Contemporary Farmhouse Style?

What exactly is contemporary farmhouse style? You’ve probably seen Chip and Joanna Gaines on HGTV or Magnolia fixing up homes in this rustic yet contemporary style — it’s irresistible and never seems to get old. That’s because modern farmhouse charm comes from light and airy rooms, a clean, open floor plan, a large kitchen with big sinks and beautiful hardware and fixtures. Additionally, you’ll find open shelving, rustic wood accents and beams, hardwood and natural stone flooring, and lots of outdoor light coming from all directions.

As with every style after a while, evolution is inevitable. The updated modern farmhouse is being coined “rustic vogue, Euro cottage.” It’s minimalist meets history (even a little Victorian!). Subtle, timeless patterns replace plain, light replaces dark, and cool tones and warm paint pigments replace white. For example, try checked tile floors, sparkly chandeliers, brushed brass and light metals, deep baseboards, crown molding, unique millwork, tinted paint, and a slat wall accent.

Modern Farmhouse Exterior Features

• A mix of siding materials: horizontal and vertical, board and batten, shakers
• Stone and brick accents
• Pitched, black or metal roofs with timber gable brackets and gable emphasis
• Copper awnings and metal lighting fixtures that draw the eye
• Large, black-framed windows, some with rustic shutters, others clean and plain
• Beautiful entrance doors, wood or paned glass
• Large porches with dramatic stone or wood-based pillars
• Well-designed garage with barn doors, windows, peaks, and shutters (no more garage as an afterthought!)
• Landscaping that feels like you’re in wide-open country, even if you’re not.
• Open-plan, minimalist, with a shade feature or trellis
• Outdoor living area using the same materials and fixtures

Where contemporary farmhouse exteriors often incorporate black metal, stable accents, and barn lighting, the Euro cottage trend finds a variety of metal fixtures and contrasting materials. Think brushed bronze, brass, and white finishes, along with wood-framed windows and a blend of warm and cool materials. Craftsman meets ranch and vineyard all in one!

Modern Farmhouse Interior Design

Here’s the really fun part! Designing the interior when building a modern farmhouse. Today’s new-build farmhouse still offers everyone’s interior favorites: an open floor plan, a large eat-in kitchen with a farmhouse sink and island, extra windows for natural light, a spa-like master bath with natural accents, welcoming entryways, and beautiful wood accents blended with a neutral color palette. But there’s even more to look forward to now.

The newest modern farmhouse style — or “Euro cottage” — mixes well with any personal style and a range of furnishings. Its luxury meets down home. As quoted from Southern Living Magazine, Interior Designer Kristin Harrison says, “I do think we’ll be seeing this new wave of [farmhouse] design for a long time to come. Moodier colors, pattern play, rougher textures, and metals. When you truly love an aesthetic, it never really goes out of style for you.”

What’s staying the same in farmhouse style …

• Open floor plan
• Large eat-in kitchen with an apron sink, open wood shelving, and a large gathering island
• Decorative backsplashes using subway tile or rustic patterns
• Extra windows for natural light; bringing the outside in
• Rustic, light-colored, raw wood, beams, floors
• Natural stone/tile floors
• Spindle banisters
• Slat wall
• Neutral color palette
• Bespoke hearth room fireplace with a unique mantle as a focal point
• A blend of textures (i.e., reclaimed wood, glass, metal fixtures, and overstuffed furniture)

What’s new in farmhouse style that makes it more Euro cottage, rustic vogue …

• Cool tones, warm pigments, and softer, historical colors vs. bright white (i.e., colonial white, dusty blues, roses, greens)
• Aged, brushed, and white metal fixtures
• Floor patterns (i.e., penny tile in bathrooms, a diamond tile configuration in the entryway or laundry room, herringbone wood floors)
• Crown molding, custom millwork, deep baseboards (less shiplap and wainscoting)
• Classic crystal, white metal, and pretty pendant lights (fewer industrial light fixtures and lanterns)

Ready to Build Your Dream Home in Timeless Farmhouse Style?

When you’re ready to build your dream home in the timeless farmhouse style, work with experienced interior designers and builders who know how to modernize your newly built farmhouse while keeping it rustic, comfortable, and personal. Keep these design ideas handy and don’t forget the small things that often get forgotten until it’s too late, such as a deep-pour basement, façade details, and built-in interior features that make life easier. Feel confident that the farmhouse trend is nowhere near “out of style” or “old.” If you love it and it makes you feel at home, go for it!

See the Prairie Crest Home Plan & Ask Us About the New Emilia Rose Farmhouse

Homeowners who build with CMS Homes in Troy, Missouri, continue to love our Prairie Crest farmhouse-style home plan. It offers everything mentioned plus maximum customization for a home that fits most exterior and interior wish lists and design tastes. Popular demand for the modern farmhouse and particular repeat requests for certain design elements inspired us to add a brand-new home plan — the Emilia Rose. This new 2450 sq. ft. farmhouse-chic, Euro-cottage design (above) offers such a fresh appeal that we’ve started building them before we’ve even had a chance to advertise.

If wish to live in the greater St. Louis or Lincoln County areas, come see us! Our in-house exterior and interior designers, architects, and builders are at your service. Our consultations and estimates are free. Contact us today.