All About Modern Farmhouse Style

Comfy, cozy, and full of charm, modern farmhouse is not going out of style anytime soon. Designers like Joanna Gaines of "Fixer Upper" have showcased this chic style in all its comforting glory, and people are flocking to the look. In many ways, it grew as a response to the popular minimalist trend in the 1990s and early 2000s. Modern farmhouse design allows people to embrace tradition and surround themselves with decor that makes them feel good—but with a modern twist reflective of the times. 

Here's what you need to know if you want to get the modern farmhouse look.

What Is Modern Farmhouse Style?

Modern farmhouse style blends traditional farmhouse decor with contemporary design, furnishings, and color schemes. Modern farmhouse evokes feelings of warmth and comfort. It's classic without being fussy and makes elevated designs comfortable, making you want to put your feet up and stay a while.

While the classic farmhouse style evokes homesteads with plenty of vintage furnishings and traditional fabrics, the modern farmhouse style is a bit less rustic. It adds more contemporary touches, such as a neutral color scheme and smooth lines. Modern farmhouse is all about mixing comfortable furniture with salvaged materials, such as reclaimed wood. 

Antiques are at home in modern farmhouse interiors, though they shouldn't be too delicate to touch. Everything should be tactile and tangible. Most of all, the modern farmhouse style is cozy without being cluttered.

Modern Farmhouse Color Schemes

Modern farmhouse colors are easy on the eyes, effortless, and blend in with the room around it. The best colors are warm and cool neutrals, like cream, beige, brown, gray, white, and natural, earthy tones, like blues, greens, yellows, and dark orange.

• White: Modern farmhouse homes often incorporate white paint, furniture, or accents to make the rooms feel bright and open.
• Warm neutrals: Warm neutrals like cream, beige, and brown feel comfortable because they invoke natural skin tones, all with a little yellow undertone. They feel natural, and many can self-identify with these tones.
• Cool neutrals: Cool neutrals like gray, silver, blue, and light green have a blue undertone. These colors are naturally soothing and serene.
• Earthy accents: Nature gives us wood, greenery, changing foliage colors, and ocean and sky blues. These warm woods and deeper reds and oranges are not bold or jarring; they're relaxing, reassuring, and grounding.

Common Elements of Modern Farmhouse Style

In every modern farmhouse home, you'll find some combination of these decor elements:

• Reclaimed wood
• Barnboard details 
• Big comfortable furniture
• Architectural salvage
• Pine furniture
• Wrought iron accents
• Wide plank floors
• Vintage accessories

Get the Modern Farmhouse Look

The key to achieving a modern farmhouse interior and exterior is comfort. Furniture should invite you to sit down; nothing should look like it's too fragile to touch. Modern farmhouse decor has a down-home feeling that should invite a sense of laughter and fun.

• Use light neutrals as a base: Start with a color palette of warm or cool neutrals (cream, beige, silver, sage, and gray all work well), then layer in some natural wood tones. Look for salvaged woods that have some wear and tear whenever possible. Scratches, knots, and nicks add to the authenticity of the look.
• Add accent colors: Feel free to use colors you like as accent pieces. But to stay true to the look, keep the overall color scheme neutral with light colors. Contrasting black elements can add a bit of edge.
• Incorporate texture: Use a variety of textures to give the look some depth. Mix woods and metals. And combine fabrics, such as cotton, canvas, wool, chenille, or whatever else you like. Because the modern farmhouse style is primarily made up of neutral colors, you'll need a mix of textures to keep the space from looking flat. For example, in a modern farmhouse living room, you could add texture with upholstered furniture, pillows, curtains, and even wall art made of wood or metal.
• Mix in metal accents: Layer in some mixed metals through light fixtures, hardware, and architectural details like railings. Generally, using no more than three metals per room is best. For instance, you might have complementary metals on your appliances, cabinet hardware, and lighting in a modern farmhouse kitchen.
• Pull inspiration from nature: Use organic materials to make the space feel as though it's connected to the outdoors. Wood floors and architectural details are best, but consider introducing stone, wicker, rattan, sisal, and other natural materials wherever it makes sense.
• Introduce accessories sparingly: Accessories are essential, but you should not overdo it and try to squeeze in too many. A few well-placed accessories that are given room to breathe are all you need to complete the look.

Modern Farmhouse Interiors vs. Exteriors

A modern farmhouse exterior often has some combination of the following elements:

• White paint (can be painted brick, siding, etc.)
• Potentially board and batten or x-shaped trim that's reminiscent of barns
• Simple front door—often a double door and a door with windows or sidelights to let in extra natural light—that's commonly stained wood or painted in a subtle color
• A black, gray, or metal roof
• Not overly ornate trim
• Potentially shutters
• A simple rectangular structure, possibly with additions that are also rectangular
• A large, covered front porch
• Many windows
• Modern versions of rustic lighting, such as a streamlined lantern
• Neat and simple landscaping

The modern farmhouse exterior complements the contemporary farmhouse interior in several ways. For one, the windows let in lots of natural light to make the interior feel bright, inviting, and comfortable. The exterior's simplicity also sets the tone that the house isn't too fussy or stuffy, which is carried through inside with the uncomplicated modern farmhouse decor. And the typically large front porches—or wraparound porches—show that the home is a place to gather. Plus, the clean lines of the exterior also complement the uncluttered nature of the interior, which helps to modernize the whole look.

How Modern Farmhouse Compares to Other Styles

Modern farmhouse is similar to country style. However, while country tends to lean a little toward kitschy, modern farmhouse retains a certain level of sophistication. Country also relies heavily on accessories, while modern farmhouse keeps them to a minimum.

Industrial farmhouse style has become an offshoot of modern farmhouse. As its name suggests, it draws inspiration from farmhouse and industrial styles. The industrial style plays up raw architectural elements, including metals, wood, bricks, glass, and concrete. And it uses relatively dark neutral tones.

The main difference between modern and industrial farmhouse is that the industrial version uses darker finishes, mixed metals, and live-edge wood. Modern farmhouse, on the other hand, tends to be whiter and brighter.