A few design tips to add this trendy style to your home.
Shiplap
This wouldn’t be a proper article on farmhouse style without some shiplap advice. You’ve seen shiplap on fireplaces and accent walls, but let’s up the ante a bit. To veer towards the modern side of farmhouse, consider running shiplap vertically or covering your ceilings with it.
Metals
Bringing metals into the mix will quickly give your farmhouse design a clean and sleek modern feel. To achieve this, incorporate simple, round, rod iron stair railings running horizontally.
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Black
Every modern farmhouse needs a splash of black. It melds well with warm wood tones and creates a very clean contrast with all the white you’ve got going on. You can incorporate black exterior lighting or coat a barn door with a rich black paint.
Another great way to get this trend right is to paint your interior doors and trim black. This really takes the space to another level and opens up design avenues for more modern pieces.
Barn doors
You can search for a refurbished or recycled barn door from local antique shops and sales, or you may decide to buy new. Having something old with its own story is the fun part about designing interiors. These types of items carry their history and are great conversational pieces. If you’re lucky enough to score an old piece from a market, make it a point to ask the seller if they know the backstory behind the piece; that way those stories will continue to live on during future gatherings. If you’re the DIY type, you could try to make your own.
Geometric patterns
Whether it’s with wallpaper, tile flooring, or your backsplash, geometric patterns are the ticket at the moment. They’re actually a very classic style that marries the mid century modern and farmhouse styles perfectly. Don’t be afraid to go for it here and remember, black and white are always classics, but if you’re a little gun shy on the sharp contrast, a geometric pattern in white and light gray will achieve the same effect.
Old windows
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I love shopping for old windowpanes at local antique shops and fairs. They are usually between $10-30, which is a very inexpensive way to add classic farmhouse style to your walls. You can do so many things with the windowpanes, but I like to leave mine the way I found them.
Lighting
Your lighting should be minimalist to keep with the modern farmhouse style. Think lots of clear glass, clean lines, Edison bulbs, and antique gold or wood finishes.
Bright whites
The super human forces behind this farmhouse trend are likely Chip and Joanna Gaines from HGTV’s " Fixer Upper ," and they’ve just outdone themselves. Not only do they have an online store, The Magnolia Market , but Joanna has come out with a paint line .
This woman will never steer us wrong so let’s just take this moment to throw away any paint swatch you’ve ever hunted down, saved, taped on the wall, and stared at for hours because your problems are solved. Her "True White" and "Shiplap" are the best bright white options out there and they were designed for walls, cabinetry, and furniture.
Open shelving
Open shelving is a twist on combining modern and classic. It opens up a space that was once filled with bulky cabinets and creates more elements of design with the ability to style those shelves. You can find lots of handmade options that come in custom sizes on Etsy; that’s where I’ve found the shelving for my home.
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Reclaimed wood
If you focus on one thing more than any other, let it be reclaimed wood. It goes with everything and really makes a statement when done right. Covering a small wall in your kitchen or a small office in reclaimed wood will give your modern farmhouse a distinctive and warm look.
Lots of greenery
No farmhouse is complete without plants, but to bring a more modern feel to the space, incorporate as many green plants as possible. Focus on placing them in different eye lines, like on stools, mantels, and hanging from the ceiling. If you’ve got a brown thumb, pick up some faux potted plants and fill in the rest with cactus and succulents – they’re virtually impossible to kill, and that’s coming from a true brown thumb.
Gallery walls
The topic of gallery walls is a big one, and there’s really no wrong way to do it. The way to achieve a modern farmhouse design style through a gallery wall is to first form a collection of items, art pieces, and objects that you love. Don’t worry about them matching too much. Mix your frames when it comes to shapes, sizes, and finishes. The last tip I’ll leave you with is to mix photography, mixed media, un-framed objects, and paintings into the gallery wall. This will give you the effortless style that you’re looking for. And remember: the things you love always go together.
