6 Modern Farmhouse Design Trends And How to Pull Them Off in Your Home

Casual yet pulled together, the Modern Farmhouse trend has people swooning over its clean and seemingly effortless style. A good mix of Rustic, Industrial and Mid-Century Modern will help to achieve this perfect look!

With more drama and minimalism than the kitschy, classic farmhouse style the last decade has popularized, Modern Farmhouse still manages to achieve a similar outcome. It’s comfortable, relaxed and totally livable.

What exactly is Modern Farmhouse Style?

This style started trending in a big way in 2015. As a balance between the past and the present, Modern Farmhouse found a way to mix Country, Traditional and Mid-century Modern by adding neutral colors and smooth lines to create a style that’s cozy, calm and personable.

To get the look, think comfortable furniture, salvaged materials like reclaimed wood, antiques that can actually be touched and used, metals and natural wood. It’s bright, contemporary and warm, invoking the desire to kick up your feet and stay a little while.

If you want to get the Modern Farmhouse style, check out our list of design trends and ideas that can be used to achieve this unfussy look.

1) Go neutral and use contrasting patterns

A neutral and cohesive color palette is where you’ll want to start. While bright yellow buttermilk kitchens might work for a classic farmhouse design, it’ll come across as eclectic in a Modern Farmhouse. Think varying shades of whites, creams, beiges and grays. Be sure to keep all the tones used in one space in the same color family. Don’t be afraid to use pops of black against a stark white backdrop for a bit of edge.

As for contrast, play with different materials and textures. Such as:

• Linen
• Cotton
• Jute
• Stone
• Wrought Iron
• Leather
• Natural wood
• Reclaimed Wood

Photo by Collov Home Design on Unsplash

Also, mix styles. Try adding a mid-century lamp, a natural wood chair and a smooth metal-framed table to a room. Because the Modern Farmhouse style is predominantly neutral in color, these different elements add depth and dimension so the space doesn’t appear flat.

2) Choose furniture designed for the Modern Farmhouse

Modern Farmhouse furniture should be comfortable while maintaining a sleek, modern shape. It should be stylish with a cozy invite. Practical in form and function with a bit of a distressed, worn-in look to it.

Mixing a modern piece with a vintage one or placing wood alongside stainless steel are all part of this seemingly less-planned style. But keep the vintage or distressed elements minimal so as not to cross from Modern to Rustic or Classic Farmhouse.

If you’re looking for some guidance, Modern Bungalow offers six collections of beautifully designed, Amish-made furniture built specifically for the uber-popular Modern Farmhouse style.

• Montauk - Described as the “Farmhouse” in Modern Farmhouse style, this collection is inspired by sliding barn doors. Pair with modern, rustic and everything in between!

• Parkdale - Slightly more feminine with its tapered legs, this collection offers symmetry between modern and traditional.

• Ironwood - The perfect marriage of industrial-style metal and beautiful solid wood. Exactly what Modern Farmhouse craves by playing with contrast while mixing Rustic with Modern.

• Wildwood - Described as the “Modern” in Modern Farmhouse, this collection offers the best balance between masculine and Modern with crafted mitered edges and perfect scale.

• Crawford - The cornerstone of the Simply Amish Modern Farmhouse collections, you’ll find classic lines with sharp details exemplifying a refined but relaxed look. Not too country and not too contemporary.

• Auburn Bay - Square legs with softer details, this collection makes you feel relaxed. The right balance of rustic and refined is exactly what Modern Farmhouse is seeking.

3) Add industrial accents and mixed metals

A favorite Modern Farmhouse trend offering just the right amount of contrast. Industrial design on its own feels cold and raw, but paired with vintage pieces and delicate textures, it takes on the perfect Modern Farmhouse look. One way to give it a slightly softer feel is to add accents with lots of color. Like yellow metal barstools at the kitchen island or a red metal chair at a small wooden writing desk.

Photo by Anne Nygard on Unsplash

As for metals, mixing some combination of brass, copper, steel, iron and chrome give the space a new lease on life. Even with the different shades, it’ll look intentional as long as there is a consistent finish throughout. As a general rule, use no more than three metals per room.

4) Incorporate weathered finishes

Investing in something that already looks worn might seem counter-intuitive, but it’s all part of Modern Farmhouse style and decor. A leather couch with a patina finish, woods that are either unfinished or made to look weathered like reclaimed wood and barn board, or accent pieces and decor that have a vintage finish are all ways to achieve this look.

Be sure to balance just a few weathered pieces with sleek, modern ones so that you don’t veer into a Rustic Farmhouse style.

5) Keep styling and decor minimal

Less is definitely more. Use oversized couches and chairs to make the room seem more full as opposed to lots of accessories and decor.

What you do to decorate should be simple and well-placed. A fun way to soften hard lines is to add a quilt to a bed or couch that has pops of bold color as opposed to the more country paisley and florals. Keep the rest of the decor simple and neutral allowing the quilt to speak for itself.

Photo by Collov Home Design on Unsplash

6) Find the right lights

You’ll have quite a bit to choose from when deciding on the best light fixtures for the Modern Farmhouse style you’re hoping to achieve. Industrial is often a popular choice like with this Guilford Island Chandelier below.

But you’ll also find oversized “lantern” shaped pendants, woven pendants and even wagon wheel chandeliers with a contemporary twist. Because the style is all about contrast between light and dark, most lighting fixtures in Modern Farmhouse design will have dark fixtures and clear bulbs. Gold has also been trending as of recently.

What’s on the way out...

Can there be too much of a good thing? Maybe. While the Modern aspect of Modern Farmhouse has been on the rise in the last handful of years, elements of Classic or Rustic Farmhouse style have started to peter out according to some interior designers and decorators.

One element that doesn’t seem to be present in Modern Farmhouse? The cutesy signs reminding you to “Live, Laugh Love,” “Be a sweetie and wipe the seatie” and everything in between. According to Texas interior designer Audrey Konkel, “You can totally go too far in farmhouse. Modern Farmhouse is more streamlined, more simplistic. Then there’s Hobby Lobby Farmhouse with signs for everything.”

Barn doors are another piece of farmhouse design that have seen a decline in Modern Farmhouse trends. While rustic, they’re expensive, heavy and don’t actually offer as much privacy as you’d think. If you’re going to have them, stick to one. Any more and it’ll be over the top.