How to Stand Out with a Modern Country Home

Who can resist the allure of a modern country style home? From homely antiques to cosy fireplaces, industrial accents and contemporary barn conversions, modern country style mingles the comforts of a charming country abode with the trendy embellishments of contemporary living.

If you’re drawn to the serenity of the countryside but feel alive in the presence of bold colours and sleek furnishings, modern country style could be your new favourite interior trend. Here are a few tips to stand out with a modern country style home.

CLASSIC MEETS MODERN COUNTRY STYLE

Once upon a time, country style was dictated by two elements: nature and neutrals. Traditionally, country style homes captured the charms of the countryside with raw materials such as timber and drew inspiration from nature with a neutral colour palette of whites, greys and blues. Floral prints punctuated just about every room of the house and antiques were the décor accessories of choice.

The modern country style is marked by rustic textures modern materials such as Linea™ Weatherboard.

Today’s country style has been given a few contemporary tweaks to accentuate the still much-loved classic interior style. Pops of colour, sleek surfaces, rustic textures, and masculine materials are offset against a backdrop of distressed timbers, patterned linens and Shaker furniture to combine the best of these classic and contemporary styles.

MIXING AND MATCHING

A modern country home is one that marries the old with the new seamlessly, so don’t be afraid to cohabit your existing antiques or favourite furniture pieces with sleek new accessories. Metal cabinets against an exposed brick wall, a traditional farmhouse dining table with mismatched metal stools, classic floral blinds against a sleek metal splashback – creating juxtapositions in a modern country home gives you the perfect opportunity to blend your favourite lived-in pieces with the latest interior accents.

Use the texture of Axon™ cladding to add a modern look to your interior and finish rustic accents to complete the look.

STYLISH EXTENSIONS

If you’re looking to renovate your home to add country style luxury, a modern barn extension is the perfect way to add space and a contemporary country ambience. Whether your barn extension is adding more space to your living quarters or adding more bedrooms, choosing the right materials is essential to achieving that modern meets traditional aesthetic.

A modern barn extension is the perfect way to add country ambience to your home.

For the interior, you can’t go wrong with exposed timber beams against calming neutral paint colours such as Dulux™ Terrace White or Dulux Grey Pail. For the exterior, vertical cladding such as Linea™ Weatherboard from the Scyon™ Walls range by James Hardie™ will add a textural aesthetic to bring the extension back to its country roots. The 150-millimetre and 180-millimetre cladding profiles give an extension the look of real timber but are actually made from cement composite for a much sturdier and longer lasting finish.

COUNTRY COLOURS

If you’ve lived with a neutral colour scheme for a little too long and would like to explore modern country style with colour, don’t be afraid to use blacks and dark greys. These daring colour palettes are ideal for a modern country exterior, particularly if you’re working with Linea™ Weatherboard. These horizontal timber-look cladding profiles incorporate greys and blacks to exquisite effect and will give your home a contemporary edge while still creating that quintessential country style look. Popular dark greys and blacks from the Dulux range include Black, Klavier, Trespass, and Domino.

The next time you feel like escaping to the country, do so from the comfort of your own home and a few modern country style tweaks.