We are excited to unveil a place where we can share our story, our projects and hopefully inspire you a little while offering design tips and product faves along the way.
It’s no surprise that Google’s top design search of 2019 was “Farmhouse Style.” It’s everywhere and unless you have been living under a rock, you know who helped usher this style to the forefront, Chip and Joanna Gaines. Much like the interpretation of what is modern or contemporary, “farmhouse style” can mean a lot of things.
While it's known primarily for shiplap, knotted, wide-plank hardwood flooring and goose neck lighting, we took that concept and flipped it a little more toward contemporary design on one of our recent projects. Our LO Modern Farmhouse was an endeavor that pushed us in a new direction (which is what makes each project so exciting) but we wanted to give it an unexpected, modern vibe and not go too “farmhousey.” I mean, why be the same?
The “Before.” The original house was tucked back from the street and was lacking curb appeal. Various remodels over the years had left the space disjointed with a bit of an identity crisis. After exploring the options for renovating the current structure, it just made more sense to start from scratch.
The “After.” The modern farmhouse of our clients’ dreams. The black aluminum panels against the stone facade provided a dramatic contrast. We tied that with the unexpected black garage and blackened steel garage door, not something one would expect on a “farmhouse” style.
Some of the details we often use - barn track doors (a more modern version, of course, thanks Krown Lab!), wide plank flooring, blackened steel (this fireplace had me at hello) and glass railings, made sense when they were put together with the “farmhouse mainstays” which included materials we hadn’t tried before - shiplap, stone cladding, and exposed rustic wood beams with metal detailing just to name a few!
I found this slab when I was in Palm Springs for Moderism Week and knew we had to use it. Thankfully the clients agreed. We love the combination of floating shelves and closed cabinetry. We’re all about eliminating countertop clutter. One of our signatures is creating a space that we call the “appliance garage" for all your everyday necessities like your coffee maker, toaster, your celery juicer 🤣.
We’re all about light and bright. Anytime we can do floor to ceiling windows to bring the outside in, we’ll do it. We treat lighting like a true art installation. This custom tumbleweed pendant by Owen Mortensen is no exception. The floating stair treads and glass catwalk and railing create the open airiness we were looking for. The custom hot rolled steel fireplace with built-in floating shelves is a true showstopper. The patina of the metal gives it so much character and the mix of materials is what gives the room rich layers.
The most fulfilling part of course was seeing it all come together and watching our clients see the designs come to life. It’s a home that the minute you walk in, it just feels good. It’s rich, warm and inviting, with lots of interesting details and eye candy at every turn.
We live in a visual world. What we see influences our mood and that our clients love their new home and that it “exceeded their expectations beyond imagination.”
Here are some of my favorite products from our retail collection that speak to the modern farmhouse vibe…
Can’t wait to share our next incarnation of our take on the modern farmhouse … here is a sneak peek of what we have in the works!
