10 Farmhouses With a Modern Twist (2024)

Taking old things and making them new again is architecture’s seemingly endless challenge, one that sparks inspiration for designers and architects around the world. Lately, a new crop of work has displayed clever takes on what is perhaps residential architecture’s most classic motif: the farmhouse. The modern farmhouse uses common elements from traditional pastoral buildings—timber cladding, A-frame roofs, and lofted spaces—and puts a sleeker spin on them for a home that's streamlined but still connected to its natural surroundings. These buildings run the gamut from simple remodels to entirely new structures, each more inventive and elegant than the next. Take, for example, Tom Givone’s ethereal Floating Farmhouse: The early-19th-century manor home was reworked to become a strikingly modern residence. As recent construction goes, Lloyd Architect’s Snuck Farm is a brand-new structure built on farmland that’s been in the same family for centuries, a building that perfectly embodies the farm’s sustainable spirit. Here are the ten contemporary farmhouses catching our eye today.

Glass House Meets Farmhouse

Floating Farmhouse, Catskills, New York, Givone Home
New York City–based architect Tom Givone reimagined an 1820s manor home as the Floating Farmhouse, a modernist residence perched next to a creek in the Catskills. Available to the architecturally inclined for event and vacation rentals, the home is defined by simple angular geometries and flooded with natural light.

A New Take on Traditional Materials

Reydon Grove Farm, Suffolk, U.K., Norm Architects
Situated on the edge of farmland in England’s Suffolk county, Reydon Grove Farm is a flat-roofed latitudinal volume whose windowed walls offer staggering views of the surrounding landscape. Wood details on the structure’s façade and interior recall the vernacular farmhouse style that’s evident in the site’s other buildings.

A Contemporary Extension

Mineral Springs House, Ontario, Canada, Superkül
Located on a nature preserve in Ontario’s Niagara Escarpment, Superkül’s Mineral Springs House is a modernist extension of the property’s existing farmhouse, built to provide additional living quarters for its residents. Clad in steel panels and IPE wood siding, the 1,000-square-foot extension also boasts a number of sustainable features, including a reflective roof membrane and motorized skylights.

A Minimalist Masterpiece

Monte da Azarujinha, Azaruja, Portugal, Aboim Inglez Arquitectos
Situated in Portugal’s Évora district, the Monte da Azarujinha is a separate stark white addition to a centuries-old farm. The hauntingly monochrome structure, designed by Aboim Inglez Arquitectos, was devised to seamlessly connect interior with exterior.

Livable Barn Style

Snuck Farm, Pleasant Grove, Utah, Lloyd Architects and Louise Hill Design
Held by the same family since the 1800s, Snuck is a three-acre sustainable farm in Pleasant Grove, Utah, that was recently graced with a new barn-style building by Lloyd Architects in collaboration with Louise Hill Design. The stone structure calls to mind traditional farmhouse design but is contemporary in spirit, with its polished concrete floors and sleek finishes.

A Dramatic Rural Residence

Black Barn, Šentrupert, Slovenia, Arhitektura d.o.o.
Arhitektura d.o.o.’s Black Barn is a contemporary riff on the traditional Slovenian hayrack, a small structure on which hay is left to dry out. The angular wood building has equal parts entertaining and agricultural space, with crop storage, fruit-drying facilities, and honey dispensaries rounding out the latter’s offerings.

A Bright Barn-Style Home

Pennsylvania Farmhouse, Lakewood, Pennsylvania, Cutler Anderson Architects
Cutler Anderson Architects paid tribute to the traditional farmhouse architecture of the region, stripping the style down to its simplest forms, for this four-bedroom home on a 93-acre family farm. Two-story rolling shades reduce solar gain from the southern-facing windows and provide additional privacy and security. The firm was careful to avoid disturbing the land, including the property's rock walls.

Reclaimed Materials Made New

Ben's Barn, Kennebunk, Maine, Caleb Johnson Architects + Builders
Architect Caleb Johnson incorporated salvaged materials to build a four-bedroom home in Maine. The reclaimed-wood elements, which make up the timber roof structure and interior wall cladding, came from a farmhouse and barn that had stood on another section of the property, while the cabinets and fixtures came from a midcentury-modern home in Massachusetts.

A Farmhouse of Epic Proportions

Church Hill Barn, Suffolk, U.K., David Nossiter Architects
Architect David Nossiter revived a dilapidated barn complex in Suffolk. The cathedral-like barn was refurbished with a roof made of salvaged materials, walls insulated with sheep's wool, and polished concrete floors. Oversize glazed barn doors open to provide views of the surrounding fields. The sprawling central space is used as a gallery.

An Eco-Friendly Farm

Hupomone Ranch, Petaluma, California, Turnbull Griffin Haesloop
Set on a 160-acre property in California's Chileno Valley, this home blends traditional barn style with modern sustainability. Hupomone Ranch is LEED Platinum–certified and features passive heating and cooling, as well as solar and photovoltaic panels. The barn-door-style entrance and rear glazing help the home feel open and full of light.