Open concept living meets modern farm house elegance with a blend of neutral colors and natural materials.
The farmhouse style interior design trend has taken the country by storm because it blends comfort and simplicity. There are hundreds of homes in Madison WI and the surround area that fit this traditional styling perfectly. The basis for the design is that traditional layouts make people feel at home. In many cases, the biggest proponents of the farmhouse design trend have never set foot in truly traditional farm house.
High-end designers on the East and West coasts tell us the style is no longer the hot ticket. Maybe for a loft in Manhattan it isn’t. But in southern Wisconsin it is very much alive. If it’s style you enjoy and it fits your lifestyle, it’s right for you.
The key to successfully incorporating a farmhouse design into your 21st century home is blending a traditional feel with modern amenities. Creating a modern space with classic comfort and elegance reflecting a bygone era.
Where Farmhouse Style Begins
Looking back on the generations of true farm houses and the lifestyles they served it’s obvious that practicality is the theme. No unnecessary frills. Function is the first consideration for everything. As you review your current layout and what you want to accomplish, consider:
- Overall flow of people though the rooms you want to change
- The lighting – natural lights from outside and lighting fixtures throughout the space
- Furnishings – furniture in living spaces, tables for dining, kitchen island possibilities
What is working? What do you want to change? Are there elements to change to make your life more comfortable?
Earth tones and natural materials bring a country farm home feel to this modern design.
The colors you choose can set the stage. Old-style farm houses had sage green and buttermilk yellow walls. Not in 2020. Neutral colors are the rule. Some designs have gone to white. White everything. That trend is changing, too. Gray has replaced white as the No. 1 choice. But a full palette of neutral colors caters to farm house inspired design. There’s a 60-30-10 rule – 60 percent of the room is one color, 30 percent an accent and 10 percent for details. White or gray is a good choice for the 60 portion. For the other two, popular choices include different shades of gray, tan, brown and other earth tones. The final accent shade is the boldest of them all.
A farmhouse-style kitchen is the most often requested renovation target. But, does a farm-style kitchen fit with the rest of your design plan? A traditional farm house did not have an open floor plan. This in-demand layout concept doesn’t fit with a true farm house. However, carefully blending the farm-style kitchen elements with living spaces provides a unique way to a timeless setting. Modern updates make an appealing transition. Simple elegance meets traditional function.
Open Concept Farmhouse Design
Designing to take advantage of the popularity of farm house décor doesn’t mean a space has to be rustic or “old-fashioned.” People don’t think twice about knocking down walls in turn-of-the-century homes (not the recent century, the one before that!) to create open rooms. A farm house feel incorporated into the new space combines the best of all worlds. Your lifestyle and your preferences dictate how much “farm” and how much “modern” the new rooms are.
Traditional farm house design is all about simplicity and comfort. A farm house design doesn’t have to look like the inside of a barn – with high, heavily-beamed ceilings. It should be cozy and comfortable. Furnishings that build upon that goal add elegance to even the simplest of room décor. What are some of design features that combine modern with farm house décor:
- Using reclaimed lumber for fireplace surrounds, ceilings and flooring
- Decorative area rugs
- Leather, over-stuffed furniture – natural colors and fabrics
- Exposed stone and wood-look tiles on walls and floors
- Metal light fixtures – anything from antique finishes to industrial styling
There are two elements made extremely popular by the TV production Fixer Upper and its hosts Chip and Joanna Gaines: hanging barn doors and shiplap.
- Hanging barn doors – these unique additions to your home are found anywhere from separating rooms to covering closets and pantries. The style has taken off to the extent that you will find it available on bathroom vanities and other small cabinetry.
- Shiplap – this term is misused more often than not. True shiplap is a series of overlapping boards nailed in a horizontal pattern. Just nailing boards on the wall is not shiplap. It is a particular form. That doesn’t mean that using wooden planks in a variety of formats isn’t appropriate – it just might not really be shiplap.
Define Your Own Farmhouse Style
In some form, the farm house design style has been around for decades. In its most recent edition it has little in common with great-grandma’s house in rural America. Instead, today’s farm house-inspired design blends equal parts elegance, efficiency and welcoming warmth.
It takes a creative person to see how every-day demands can be served by a layout with its roots well outside the city. Not everyone can see the big picture. DC Interiors & Renovations with its years of experience with all kinds of interior design understands how to combine elegance with efficiency. And our designers know how to translate concepts to terms you can understand and appreciate. Using the latest in high-tech 3D programming our team brings your farm house ideas to life. We explore your project from every possible angle, leaving nothing to chance. Our award-winning team has on-site experience as licensed contractors to make sure everything is according to plan from initial design to final walk-through.
Give us a call, email or visit our nearby Madison showroom to explore the opportunities we offer. We take pride in keeping on top of the latest interior design ideas. Let us introduce a modern farmhouse style into your Madison WI home.
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