Modern Farmhouse: how to brief your design team

Australia has fallen in love with the Modern Farmhouse style. With lifestyle trends shifting towards flexible living spaces, the attraction of these inspiring interiors is clear. With a symphony of neutral palettes, contrasting materials and grand interiors, this style marries the classic charm of farmhouse-inspired architecture with the clean lines and open spaces of modern living.

If you’re dreaming of the Modern Farmhouse look and want to brief your architect or designer on the intricacies of this compelling style, here’s everything you need to know.

Defining the Modern Farmhouse exterior?

Modern Farmhouse is a harmonious blend of timeless aesthetics and contemporary functionality. Rooted in the architectural splendour of classic farmhouses, this style includes asymmetrical massing and distinctive gabled roofs, often with board and batten cladding.

The façade's natural-look materials, like vertical joint cladding, often includes black or metallic accents on windows and lights to create a striking contrast. The colour palette is deliberately neutral, with a medley of beiges, greys and whites to allow the textures and materials to draw all the attention.

Paned windows, typically large and in classic square or rectangular shapes, are what make the Modern Farmhouse exterior sing, allowing plenty of natural light inside.

For the interiors, new and vintage elements are fused: find black or metallic fixtures, organic textures and simple yet elegant furniture.

Tools to help brief your design team

The best way to begin the design briefing process is to pin down the style you love by creating a mood board using Style Sourcebook. Source images of Modern Farmhouse exteriors and save them to your boards - a great resource is our Modern Farmhouse Design Handbook.

Key features to include in your brief:

Exterior cladding: Make the most of Modern Farmhouse’s design principles by using Hardie™ exterior cladding solutions. From Hardie™ Oblique™ cladding with its unique groove edges, to Hardie™ Fine Texture cladding, which will make exterior features like large paned windows stand out, there are plenty of options at your disposal.

Roofline: This classic look features multiple gables facing the street for a wow-profile that really captures the attention.

Windows: Large, light-welcoming windows should be smartly incorporated along the exterior, not only for the warm and inviting ambiance that’s synonymous with this style, but for energy efficiency throughout the year.

Palette: Whether it’s inside or out, most Modern Farmhouse designs rely on a neutral colour palette, so ensure your designer or architect has a selection of greys, whites and beiges to mix and match.

Interiors: Integrate fixtures with black or metallic finishes, organic textures, and furnishings that strike that perfect balance between simplicity and grandeur. Look for fixtures in black or metallic tones for eye-catching contrast.

Using Hardie™ exterior cladding solutions to elevate your Modern Farmhouse design

Sit down with your architect or designer to work through your mood board, and to explore the products that can help you achieve the Modern Farmhouse look. The right blend will help you get the most out of this exquisite style.

Top of the list is Hardie™ Oblique™ Cladding. Its unique straight and bevelled groove edges evoke the aesthetic of standing seam metal cladding, putting an Australian ‘shed’ twist on the Modern Farmhouse.

For those seeking a subtler yet just as impactful exterior, consider Hardie™ Fine Texture cladding. The fine render texture complements the farmhouse design and allows bold cladding or other exterior features – such as large rectangular windows – to really stand out.

Looking for a clean and uncluttered look that still exudes a touch of warmth? Hardie™ Brushed Concrete cladding is an excellent choice. Its flowing lines provide a slightly more modern take on farmhouse architecture, but there is still balance and warmth. This creates a visual synergy that really resonates with the style’s grand and cohesive ethos.

Another popular choice for Modern Farmhouse designs is to use Axon™ cladding. It’s all about elegance and style that brings farmhouse homes to another level, with vertical lines that really bring out the property’s overall grandeur.