Embrace the clean lines of modern decor and add a rustic farmhouse touch to create a house exterior that impresses your guests (and the entire neighborhood) right from the start.
Whether that's to introduce your interior style or to optimize the structural components of your building, a modern farmhouse exterior can translate into majestic yet cozy results.
The trick is to take certain elements from each style: the neutral colors and smooth, contemporary lines with a more minimalist feel from modern decor, and some natural inspiration from farmhouse homes.
Rather than an abundance of vintage and decorative items, modern farmhouse exteriors are more about adding subtle rustic touches like choosing reclaimed wood and other salvaged materials, but you can find your own way of making this style work for you.
Start by drawing inspiration from the stunning modern farmhouse examples that our design experts have scouted for you.
1. Create some conscious contrast
White and off-white are the most popular primary colors in modern farmhouse decor. Overall, this style tends to rely on neutral hues such as gray and black, as well as accents in natural colors.
A handy way of making neutral shades work on your house exterior is to use them to create some contrast, like this light-colored house with a darker gray section complementing the roof.
2. Have a cohesive front door area
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Front door area in neutral colors
Front door area in neutral colors
Front door area in neutral colors
Front door area in neutral colors
Front door area in neutral colors
Front door area in neutral colors
While your walls, courtyard, and larger elements are the first to make an impression, your front door area has the power to make your guests feel welcome straightaway while creating a smoother transition between your house exterior and your living room.
You could opt for a cohesive feel like in this charming example, perhaps by having a mat or some wall decor in the same color as your front door.
3. Keep it neutral, but have a bold accent color
Neutral hues are the most obvious color base for your modern farmhouse exterior, from your roof to the main walls.
To highlight certain elements and make others pop, however, you could consider introducing a bolder accent color.
See how this bright yellow door immediately stands out against the gray walls?
4. Make your home cozy right from the start
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Cozy front door with a welcome mat
Cozy front door with a welcome mat
Cozy front door with a welcome mat
Cozy front door with a welcome mat
Cozy front door with a welcome mat
Cozy front door with a welcome mat
As well as keeping your modern farmhouse inspiration consistent, don’t forget to make your house exterior—and especially the front door area—look cozy and inviting.
Some wooden elements can inspire a rustic and familiar feel. You could also include some traditional or even vintage lanterns, and—of course—a welcome mat with an inviting or heartwarming message.
5. Use natural stone to accentuate certain elements
Introducing a natural element like stone is a beautiful way of achieving the right blend between modern and farmhouse while also elevating the style of your entire house exterior.
For example, you could use it on a smaller wall, on the bottom part of the entire facade, or to accentuate a specific structural element like in this balanced example.
If budget is your main concern, swap it for stone veneer instead.
6. Include a cozy porch
Picture yourself sitting in the shade while still making the most of a sunny day, perhaps while reading a book or catching up with a friend.
If you’re tempted by the idea of a porch, use it as an opportunity to reinforce your modern farmhouse decor: keep it minimalistic, choose chairs with clean lines, and include a couple of functional or decorative elements with a slight nostalgic touch, like a lantern.
7. Showcase some curated hedges or trees
Some hedges or shrubs could help you section off your courtyard without blocking its visual flow.
With modern farmhouse decor, it’s usually a good idea to stick to simple shapes and lines while maintaining a symmetrical feel, like these trees carefully lined up against a wooden fence.
8. Add some tables and chairs to eat under the stars
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Wide courtyard with a seating area
Wide courtyard with a seating area
Wide courtyard with a seating area
Wide courtyard with a seating area
The best modern farmhouse homes tend to combine a stylish but casual and convivial feel, particularly when it comes to gathering areas.
To harness it while also enjoying the outdoor inspiration behind traditional countryside homes, you should definitely include an outdoor seating area if you have enough room for it.
Once again, choose chairs, a table, or a coffee table with clean lines, a contemporary silhouette, and neutral colors.
9. Light up your modern farmhouse exteriors
From the walls to your porch, some outdoor lighting will help you maintain the right ambiance when you hang out with your friends and family after the sun’s gone down.
The most popular modern farmhouse lighting fixtures include cage designs blending wood and metal with fake candles, lanterns, and factory wall lights or short pendants with sleek lines.
10. Consider some horizontal or vertical siding
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White and blue house with vertical siding
White and blue house with vertical siding
White and blue house with vertical siding
White and blue house with vertical siding
By creating a visually appealing pattern, some siding can give more personality to a monochrome wall without straying away from its clean and minimalist look.
In fact, some vertical paneling can even make your house appear a little taller!
Vinyl is the most popular material for house siding, but you can also consider wood for even more of a farmhouse touch or metal for a contemporary feel.
11. Have a large stone wall
This house achieves a charming and sophisticated look with a natural touch by combining entirely monochrome sections, some with siding, and some entirely consisting of stone.
Whether you go for natural options or veneer, larger and irregular stone designs can help you reinforce your rustic inspiration even further.
Clean lines, on the other hand, will allow you to focus on the modern side of your farmhouse decor.
12. Experiment with dark exteriors using white as an accent
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Dark house exterior with white elements
Dark house exterior with white elements
Dark house exterior with white elements
We’ve seen light-colored modern farmhouse exteriors using darker hues as accents or secondary shades, but have you considered creating the same contrast in the opposite way?
Charcoal, dark gray, or dark brown walls can inspire a moody but sophisticated vibe. As you can see in this example, you can then use some white to accentuate certain elements or when introducing your furniture and decorative items.
13. Create some bicolored levels
Combining different colors on your house exterior isn’t only achievable by focusing on separate sections or adding contrasting accents to a background hue.
To inject even more personality into it, experiment with a light color for your first-floor walls and a darker one for the upstairs part. This combination can often translate into a floating feel that makes your house appear lighter, whereas the opposite looks more solid and grounded.
14. Decorate with wood
Natural wood finishes are the most popular in modern farmhouse interiors, but you don’t have to leave it at that.
Your exteriors are a strategic spot to introduce this element from the beginning (and especially salvaged options), inspiring even more of a natural and rustic feel.
It works divinely as an accent—for example, around your windows—or as siding in a specific section.
15. Plan a porch with columns
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White house exterior with a porch
White house exterior with a porch
White house exterior with a porch
Rather than extremely decorative and ornate elements, modern farmhouse decor prefers clean lines.
So, if you’re considering a porch, stick to columns in simple shapes rather than a meticulously carved capital or a channeled shaft.
We love how these streamlined columns add to the symmetrical vibes of this house exterior!
16. Showcase your grille windows
Airy but patterned grille designs are the most recognizable type of modern farmhouse window. Whether they’re single- or double-hung, they never fail to translate into a stylish look while maximizing natural light.
Alternatively, if you want to add a subtle industrial twist, consider grille windows in a warehouse-style design.
17. Create the perfect symmetry
Given its more contemporary feel than most countryside-inspired decors, modern farmhouse prioritizes clean lines and simple shapes.
To take them to the next level and maintain the most balanced feel, opt for the most symmetrical house exterior, from the location of the windows to that of your porch columns.
You can then break this symmetry consciously and subtly by introducing some chairs and decorative elements.
18. Add some cozy touches
Even though modern farmhouse decor is very much about a casual and clean sense of sophistication, you don’t need to stray away from a familiar vibe.
Consider including some small touches that help you blend the transition with your interiors and inspire some coziness.
For example, this stunning house includes a charming lantern, an inviting bench, and some warm lights that create a cohesive ambiance both indoors and outdoors.
19. Plant some colorful flower beds
Sure, symmetrical hedges are ideal in modern farmhouse exteriors, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t let your passion for gardening bloom, too.
If you have a soft spot for blossoms, include a flower bed, perhaps right next to your entrance: it will also allow you to add a splash of color without disrupting your main palette.
20. Stick to a warm palette
Particularly popular in modern homes, warm palettes tend to result in cozier and more welcoming looks.
You could create one for your modern farmhouse decor by having a white or off-white primary hue and then including items and elements in brown or natural warm colors.
For example, think of terracotta roof tiles and wooden accents.
21. Splash into a pool
Let’s be honest: as long as you have the budget and enough space for it, a pool in your courtyard or backyard is never a bad idea!
To maintain a clean modern farmhouse feel, though, try and choose basic symmetrical shapes and decorate your pool area with loungers in a sleek design.
22. Plan your modern farmhouse exterior around your trees
Existing trees can become central elements in your new modern farmhouse exterior. They could even help you reinforce the rustic side of your vision!
If they’re particularly close to your porch or entrance, try and create a cohesive look by including more wooden items or elements, like the inviting bench in this example.
23. Keep it minimalistic
When it comes to creating an aesthetically pleasing setting, modern farmhouse is a rather minimalist style that tends to rely on lines and structural elements rather than additional items.
So, don’t feel like you necessarily have to fill your walls with some decor: try and step back, and learn to appreciate the simplicity of its clean lines and siding, much like in this sophisticated example.
24. Create a cozy patio
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House exterior with a patio
House exterior with a patio
House exterior with a patio
When furnished the right way, some patios can feel like a smooth transition between your courtyard and your home interiors. At the same time, they can help you reinforce the cohesiveness of your exteriors, too.
For the best results, incorporate the same colors (for example, that of your walls) and choose some patio furniture with clean lines but some cozy touches, such as cushions or blankets.
25. Try a black and wood combination
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House exterior in a log cabin-style
House exterior in a log cabin-style
House exterior in a log cabin-style
We’ve seen black being used with white in modern farmhouse homes, but natural wood finishes can result in a combination that’s just as powerful and stylish.
This material will give it more of a log cabin-style feel, especially if you opt for salvaged wooden features.
However, keep in mind that, unlike white accents, this color combination can make your house appear slightly smaller.
26. Include some steps or stairways
Depending on the layout of your house, you might need some stairs to access its patio or first floor.
If that’s the case, keep them sleek, geometrical, and simple.
Rather than curved handrails and ornate balusters, prioritize those with clean lines like in this tidy example.
27. Have some large windows to enjoy the view
Does your house look onto some green trees, hills, mountains, or perhaps the sea? Then you really don’t want to miss out on that view no matter in what room you are.
Rather than average-sized windows hidden behind thick curtains, opt for larger ones (especially in grille designs)… or take it one step further by having an entire section of the wall made of glass.
28. Experiment with some ornate elements (carefully)
Yes, modern farmhouse decor is more about simple and clean lines, but one decorative element won’t look out of place. We especially recommend it if you are fascinated by vintage vibes or want to add a more delicate, feminine touch.
For instance, this could involve your porch columns or balusters.
Still, keep the rest of your facade symmetrical and tidy to avoid straying away from your original modern farmhouse inspiration.
29. Decorate your house exterior with a trellis
This element is actually ideal in modern farmhouse settings.
First of all, its iconic design consists of clean lines and symmetrical shapes (a great match!), but you can also use it to welcome nature towards your home even further by having some flowers or climbing plants up and around it.
30. Mix different materials
Combine your house exterior materials wisely to embody both the modern and farmhouse influences of your decor inspiration.
For example, large glass sections and sleek metal elements will reinforce the contemporary vision behind the modern side of things, whereas natural stone and wood can maintain its farmhouse feel.
Caroline Patterson
Caroline is a young, New York-based interior designer and home decor writer, obsessed with textiles and designer furniture. Backed with rigorous training from a prestigious design school, as well as a profound understanding of material quality and fabric care, she offers spot-on advice on how to furnish your place with reliable, functional, and aesthetically pleasing pieces.
