The farmhouse is a staple of American architecture with its roots planted firmly in the country’s agrarian past. Although today far fewer of us actually live on farms, the architectural details of the classic style still feel as fresh as ever, and make for some seriously inviting curb appeal.
Designing your own modern farmhouse? Consider a standing seam roof, a deep front porch, a picket fence, and the other classic details we’ve highlighted below in 11 of our favorite modern farmhouses, collected from the Gardenista archives.
Above: In Mill Valley, California, architect Kelly Haegglund’s own home incorporates classic farmhouse elements such as a generous front porch and standing seam metal roof with a modern twist. See more in Garden Visit: At Home with Architect Kelly Haegglund in Mill Valley, CA. Photograph by Matthew Williams.
Above: A minimalist modern porch and a traditional stone wall are the perfect pairing for this Connecticut long house. Photograph by Michael Moran, from The Architect Is In: Porch Appreciation in Connecticut.
Above: Coastal meets country at architect Sheila Narusawa’s house in Wellfleet, on Cape Cod. See more of her home and garden in Architect Visit: A Kitchen Garden on Cape Cod. Photograph by Matthew Williams.
Above: A dramatic black exterior makes a statement at Michelle Adams’s house in Ann Arbor, Michigan. See more in Before & After: A Garden Makeover in Michigan for Editor Michelle Adams. Photograph by Marta Xochilt Perez.
Above: Contributing editor Izabella Simmons’s home in Arkansas has classic barn lights and a standing seam metal roof—standard farmhouse elements—with a sleek, minimal palette. Step inside in Before & After: Remodelista Contributing Editor Izabella Simmons Shares Her Scandi-Inspired Remodel on Remodelista. Photograph by Matthew Williams.
Above: A gracious hedge and charming gate welcome visitors to architect Barbara Chambers’s home in Mill Valley, California. See more in Architect Visit: Barbara Chambers at Home in Mill Valley. Photograph by Matthew Williams.
Above: Proof that farmhouse style doesn’t only exist stateside: a young family’s subtle, farmhouse-inflected home on the Swedish coast. See more in Garden Designer Visit: Annika Zetterman’s Ode to the Swedish Coast. Photograph by Annika Zetterman, courtesy of Zetterman Garden Design.
Above: Dutch doors and barn-inspired shutters strike a farmhouse chord at a summer-camp turned family home in Mill Valley, California. See more in Garden Visit: Landscaping a Live-In Summer Camp. Photograph by Eric Piasecki, courtesy of OTTO.
Above: A Curb Appeal finalist in our 2017 Considered Design Awards, the Granberry Residence in Houston, Texas, seamlessly integrates elements of classic farmhouse architecture with contemporary styling. Photograph by Megan Lovoi.
Above: The outbuilding architecture on a Concord, Massachusetts, property pays homage to the area’s historic culture. See more of the landscape in Garden Visit: A Revolutionary Landscape in Concord, MA. Photograph by Justine Hand.
Above: In Bedford, New York, architect Rafe Churchill honored the farmhouse architecture of a family’s weekend home, while updating it with subtly modern touches. Take a tour of the interiors in Architect Visit: A Renovated Farmhouse in Bedford with Scandinavian Influences on Remodelista. Photograph by Amanda Kirkpatrick, courtesy of Rafe Churchill.
Above: A Curb Appeal finalist in the 2018 Considered Design Awards, the Quintessential Connecticut Country Property in New Canaan, Connecticut, represents an updated take on a stately Connecticut farmhouse.
For more inspiration, see our curated guide to Exteriors & Facades in our Hardscape 101 guides. More farmhouse style: