JAM2464 Design Handbook Barn About Image1

In our Barn Handbook, expert Barn-style renovators Rhys
and Kirsten Stanley share their
expertise and experience in
bringing the Barn style to life.
Barn homes draw inspiration
from the Danish philosophy
of ‘hygge’, which embodies
the value of creating beautiful
environments that promote
feelings of contentment and
wellbeing with welcoming
fireplaces, soft lighting and
serenity.

As part of our Design Handbook series for 2024, we’ve collaborated with seasoned home renovators Rhys and Kirsten Stanley, to show you how to create the Barn look, inside and out.

Barn homes boast vaulted ceilings, open plan living spaces and bold street presence. A steeply pitched gable roof is a must.

JAM2464 Design Handbook Barn Banner Image

 Design Handbook 2024

05 Barn

Hardie™ exterior cladding is perfectly suited to the modern architectural lines of the Barn home. Cladding combinations work to underscore the strong relationship between the structure and its surrounds, ensuring eye-catching effect and street appeal.

JAM2464 Design Handbook Barn Hardie™ Deck Image

JAM2464 Design Handbook Barn Hardie™ Groove Lining Image

Complementary Products

The wide grooves and design flexibility of board widths delivers drama and visual interest to Barn facades.

JAM2464 Design Handbook Barn Hardie™ Oblique™ Cladding Image

JAM2464 Design Handbook Barn hardie-oblique-cladding Images

The distinctive deep grooved lines can be laid horizontally or vertically for an eyecatching effect to complement strong barn shapes.

JAM2464 Design Handbook Barn Stria™ Cladding Image

The clean vertical lines offer the fine detail of a vertical joint timber, providing an artisanal look and feel.

JAM2464 Design Handbook Barn Axon™ Cladding Image

The clean horizontal lines enhance the expansive external walls of Barn-style architecture.

JAM2464 Design Handbook Barn Linea™ Weatherboard Image

Cladding Solutions

Dulux® Dieskau
Wattyl® Compose
Taubmans® Snowdrift

Dulux® Lexicon® Half
Wattyl® Mooday White
Taubmans® Miss Universe

Dulux® Grey Master
Wattyl Decurion
Taubmans® Knight Grey

Scheme Two

Dulux® Colorbond® Monument®
Wattyl® Colorbond® Monument®
Taubmans® Colorbond® Monument®

Dulux® Pewter Frame
Wattyl® Alcott
Taubmans® Dowager Grey

Dulux® Stepney
Wattyl® Grey Slice
Taubmans® Tabby

Scheme One

Colours in the Barn home combine warm and cool tones inspired by natural materials.

The elegant and refined colour palette extends from light beiges through to charcoal blacks.

JAM2464 Design Handbook Barn elegant and refined colour palette

Barn

Colours are typically neutral and within the same tonal scheme to add warmth to the simple interior and exterior forms. However, there is room for contrast, particularly on the exterior, to emphasise the strong relationship between the Barn structure and its surrounds.

Colour Palette

Linea™ Weatherboard’s sleek, horizontal lines highlight the wide, open walls characteristic of barn-style architecture.

JAM2464 Design Handbook Barn Design features Image 1

Interior spaces are airy and uncluttered, maximise
natural light and adopt a design style inspired by Nordic minimalism.

JAM2464 Design Handbook Barn Design features Image 2

Barn style houses typically have a complete absence of eaves and a range of oversized floor-to-ceiling windows, adopting clean lines and elevated craftmanship

JAM2464 Design Handbook Barn Design features Image 3

A symmetrical gable roof should be elevated and high set with a pitch of 35 to 45 degrees. There
should also be either a complete absence of eaves or over-sized eaves. It is not uncommon to have
just one peak, with a maximum of two rooflines.

Steeply pitched roof

Vertical or horizontal exterior detail is a must for a feel of craftsmanship. Vertical joint cladding can handle dark colours and provides an artisan look.

Detailed exterior

Homes should be designed to make the barn shape appear distinctive from other parts of the house. The result should be a simple diagrammatic form created by the barn eaves.

Barn shape

Floor to ceiling windows accentuate the length of the house. Combine with outdoor decks and large sliding doors to connect with nature.

Large windows

Airy and uncluttered with natural-textured furnishings and internal barn doors

Interiors

Design Features

RMS Traders, Luna Tavertine — a natural stone to bring a rich and tactile texture to walls, adding depth and visual interest.

The Plants Project, Hana
Pot — delicate, white, sandlike speckles on a grey rough finish polystone pot

AUS Window Shrouds, Steel
Window Shroud — a stylish,
functional and modern window
shroud for your home.

Simply Oregon, Timber Garage
Door — featuring a classic design with vertical panelling, perfect for enhancing the barn look of your home.

Flowerpower, Olive Manzanillo
— This tree is the most popular variety for Australian gardens.

Exterior

Ideal Barn Doors, Top Mount No Joint Sliding Barn Door Hardware — classic, black barn door hardware that is simple, elegant and built to last.

Lighterior, Cone Wall Light — a classic yet minimalist design suitable to complete any barn interior.

Astrawalker, Icon + Lever Knurled — a sleek design featuring a distinctive knurled handle for a sophisticated look.

Simply Oregon, Timber Beams
— transform your living space
by incorporating timber beams
for an authentic barn-inspired
ambiance.

Provincial Home Living, Sorrento 3 Seat Sofa — a casual sofa with two oversized seat cushions  and five matching 

Natural Floors, Aspen wool &
jute blend — the wool is super
soft and the smaller knot size
means the design and feel
is more compact, so it can
withstand higher foot traffic.

Interior

Barn style has four distinct aesthetics -classic, vintage, rustic and traditional, with enormous scope for design choices that celebrate warmth and craftmanship.

Complete the Look

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Hardie Home™ Guides Bright Section where you can discover various ideas and build your dream home. Get inspired from tips and tricks described and build your project.

Explore Hardie™ Home Guide's Bright Ideas Section

Find out why so many Australians are using Barn architecture styles for their homes. Simple yet versatile, these inviting homes have so much to offer.

Build an inviting Barn style home with James Hardie

Barn: Get inspired by this simple yet versatile design trend

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Modern Barn house style is perfectly suited to the Australian climate. Discover the key design features of Barn style and how to design your own

Modern Barn house: how to achieve this architectural style

Designing a modern Barn house

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Knowing what exterior style you want to achieve with a new build or renovation is the first step in creating your dream home with the helpful tools finish your home building.

Discover Hardie™ Home Guides Helpful Tools

Modern Barn house design calls for the right tools, products and materials. We explore the Hardie™ products and finishes to enhance, protect and complete these stunning homes

Modern Barn house: how to get the look

Essential products for the Barn house design

More Barn inspiration:

‘The Barn home celebrates airy, uncluttered
interiors, with an emphasis on natural-textured furnishings that promote feelings of wellbeing.’ – Rhys and Kirsten, seasoned home renovators

Natural-look materials and textures bring an easy-going and sophisticated aesthetic to the Barn interior.

JAM2464 Design Handbook Barn Natural-look materials

Textured walls add a further layer of depth to the natural palette.

JAM2464 Design Handbook Barn Textured walls add a further layer Image

Stone cladding adds a layer of texture to Barn exteriors and interiors.

JAM2464 Design Handbook Barn Stone cladding

The sleek lines of the steeply pitched gabled roof are emphasised by dramatic dark tones

JAM2464 Design Handbook Barn The sleek lines of the steeply pitched gabled roof

Wooden fence slats add a minimalist Nordic element to gates and fences

JAM2464 Design Handbook Barn Wooden fence slats

The perfectly imperfect natural lines of blonde timber beams promote serenity and connection to nature.

JAM2464 Design Handbook Barn natural lines of blonde timber beams

The crisp yet soft feel of natural linens works in Barn furnishings from bedding to window treatments.

JAM2464 Design Handbook Barn crisp yet soft feel of natural linens

A chunky, tactile wool and jute rug is designed for deep comfort and relaxation.

JAM2464 Design Handbook Barn chunky, tactile wool and jute rug

Materials & Textures

James Hardie Barn Design Handbook pages-to-jpg-0001

Download a copy of the Handbook

Order a sample from the Hardie™ Architectural Collection.

Order your free sample.

Login to myHardies™ to find out more about how to build the Barn look.

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Barn | Modern Homes Forecast 2024

1. The wide grooves and design flexibility of Hardie™ Oblique™ Cladding board widths delivers drama and visual interest to Barn facades. Vertical joint cladding
can handle dark colours and provides an artisan look.

2. It is not uncommon to have just one peak on the steeply-pitched Barn roof. Hardie™ Oblique™ Cladding is
complemented by the exterior window treatment.

3. Large windows accentuate the length of the house and large sliding doors to connect with nature.

JAM2464 Design Handbook Barn StyleOverview Image1

JAM2464 Design Handbook Barn StyleOverview Image2

JAM2464 Design Handbook Barn StyleOverview Image3

The Barn style takes its inspiration from Nordic minimalism, boasting warmth, craftsmanship of materials and an affinity with nature.

Style Overview

JAM2464 Design Handbook Barn Scandi Barn combines minimalist philosophy

The Scandi Barn combines minimalist philosophy with simplicity. It creates a strong relationship between the design elements and nature, reflected in the flow that allows easy living in an open airy setting.

JAM2464 Design Handbook Barn silhouette is reminiscent of a traditional barn

The silhouette is reminiscent of a traditional barn, with a gabled roof and timber-look cladding. However, white and light colours, weatherboard cladding and more luxurious interiors give the coastal barn a contemporary twist.