How to Achieve the Modern Farmhouse Look

The modern farmhouse style has been wildly popular, but it can be a tough look to achieve if your home wasn’t built in the modern farmhouse design. We’ve worked with many homeowners here in Colorado who look for a way to infuse their exterior with this unique and beautiful style. So, we want to share all of our tips and tricks. Looking for a way to embrace the modern farmhouse look? Please keep reading to learn how to achieve the modern farmhouse look on you Colorado home! 

Modern Farmhouse White on White

One of the most common misunderstandings we see when it comes to getting the modern farmhouse look is what color your trim should be. Most people understand to achieve the modern farmhouse style you begin with a very light body color, most often white. The confusion comes in when it’s time to select a trim color. Very often we meet with clients that believe that modern farmhouses have black trim. Although this can be true, it’s the exception to the rule. Shockingly, most modern farmhouse style homes have white trim. The reason people often associate black trim with the modern farmhouse look is because most of these homes feature black windows or black gutters. 

If you don’t believe us, we would encourage you to Google modern farmhouse exteriors and see what comes up. You’ll primarily see homes with white trim and a few with black gutters and fascia. This is actually great news for our homeowners who want their Colorado homes to achieve the modern farmhouse look. All white homes suite many styles of houses, not just modern farmhouse.  We feel any use of black trim to achieve this look is best executed when you do have black or bronze windows. However, if you have more standard white windows, check out our next tip for an adjustment that might help!

Try a lower contrast exterior color scheme

If your home really doesn’t have any of the traditional modern farmhouse features, don’t fret. You can still gain inspiration from this style by going for a lower contrast color scheme. One of the key elements of the modern farmhouse exterior style is creating a clean, airy surface. This is done by painting a majority of the house a light, bright color like white. If you have white windows we’ll often suggest going for a very low contrast color scheme that uses two slightly different whites for the body and trim to ensure the scheme works with the color of your windows. You can also bring in a little nod to the darker accent color of a modern farmhouse by using a medium gray on your shutters and front door. This also works well if you have a roof that isn’t black like a typical modern farmhouse home.

Check out some of the homes’ we’ve help achieve the modern farmhouse look: 

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Less is More

In the same vein as our last tip, one thing that makes a modern farmhouse “modern” is its very clean lines. If your home is not the typical modern farmhouse style, you can help achieve the look by reducing how much trim you highlight. Generally, this means you’ll actually use the body color on any horizontal trim or extraneous trim pieces. The goal here is to create a single plane rather than breaking up areas that cause the eye to travel and make the home feel busy. This method of reducing the visual component of trim can have a huge impact on the overall look of your home. This is especially true if you have thicker trim pieces or a lot of trim. You definitely don’t want to highlight all of your trim by painting it black because that is not the modern farmhouse style. 

Color Combinations for Modern Farmhouse

This article wouldn’t be complete without a few recommendations for colors you can use on your home to achieve the modern farmhouse look.  If your home is not a traditional modern farmhouse these are some schemes we think might work very well for achieving a similar look.

1. Shoji White and Black Fox – This is the most “traditional” modern farmhouse color scheme without being a stark white and black contrast. Both of these colors are a little bit softer which helps them to feel a bit more harmonious on many styles of homes.
2. Repose Gray and Alabaster with a Dovetail Accent – This is a great low contrast color scheme that doesn’t feel too on the nose but still has the general vibe of the modern farmhouse look.
3. Natural Choice, Egret White, or Neutral Ground –  Choose one of these whites depending on your homes fixed features. Go for an all white color scheme that adds height to your house and then add a focal point door with a pop of color like Quietude.

Swap out your homes accessories 

Obviously there are things you can do to achieve the modern farmhouse look like changing out siding for board and batten. Fair warning though, this can be very expensive. One easy and cost effective way to sprinkle in the essence of the modern farmhouse style is to update the accessories on your home. Modern farmhouse is clean and simple and you can find accessories like house numbers and light fixtures at all major hardware stores. These might seem small but they can have a huge impact on the overall personality of your home (without breaking the bank).

Achieve the Modern Farmhouse Look

Although this look was designed for a very specific style of home, it’s not surprising to see so many people embracing it and looking for ways to incorporate it into their own space. If you have a Colorado home that isn’t in this style, but you’d like to achieve a similar look, we hope these tips have helped you. Overall, it’s important to understand that there will be limitations, but you absolutely can bring in elements of the modern farmhouse style that will add to your home rather than take away from it.  For more inspiration, be sure to follow us on Instagram where we post weekly. Interested in an estimate or a color consultation? Fill out our Service Request form HERE.