Modern Farmhouse

Modern Farmhouse is a hybrid style that balances rustic familiarity with resilient design, offering a blueprint for shared, independent living. Multiple generations and diverse purposes converge in a home that is both grounded in charm and independence.

Open, pavilion-style layouts typically all on one single level offer ease and accessibility to support natural ventilation and flow between communal and private spaces. Durable materials and thoughtful details ensure lasting performance and ease of care, making the home resource-smart and resilient.

This look celebrates a grounded yet contemporary take on the farmhouse, where warm rusticity is balanced with purposeful calm. Natural light, earthen tones, and textural surfaces invite connection - both with nature and with each other - bringing rural charm into the present with updated intention. 

Grounded hues of biscuit reds, deep greens, and weathered taupe define a natural, rural vernacular. Honest, almost-handmade textures and chunky forms convey simplicity and craftsmanship. Warm wood and soft surfaces balance calm with raw functionality, while expressive edges and grain-rich details celebrate enduring imperfection, durability, and the home’s surrounding nature. The result is a farmhouse that feels both timeless and modern—inviting, nurturing, and built to last.

Style Evolution

Modern Farmhouse is stabilising in 2026, evolving from cohesive, classic comfort into a resilient, rooted, and nurturing style. The style reimagines rustic warmth to include resource-smart, inclusive layouts and intuitive modern conveniences, creating homes that foster resilience across generations. Multiple dwelling volumes support independence and privacy, while forms are sharpened and streamlined for resource efficiency. Function and autonomy are brought into sharper focus, blending traditional charm with contemporary enhancements for shared, independent living.

About the Trend

Design Features

Pavillion roofline: Multiple, interconnecting pavilions with A-shaped, hipped, or gable roofs create open, airy layouts and covered verandas. These expressive rooflines evoke a sense of rural tradition and often feature large eaves, which creates a distinctive “farmhouse” look.
Contrasting materials: Natural-look materials on the exterior, such as vertical joint cladding, are contrasted with black or metallic accents, such as window frames or lights, which add definition. It can also feature board and batten cladding for a perfect balance of old and new.
Neutral colour palette: Neutral colours beige, grey and white allow for the materials and textures to be the focus and create an atmosphere of calm and serenity.
Natural colours: Grounded hues of biscuit reds, deep greens, and weathered taupe anchor the home in rural calm. Neutral tones showcase tactile surfaces and craftsmanship, creating a serene, inviting atmosphere
Framed views: Large, square or rectangular windows flood interiors with natural light and frame views of the landscape. Signature black frames add a sleek, modern edge to the welcoming ambiance.
Interiors: Interiors blend traditional and modern furnishings in muted shades, with chunky forms, soft surfaces, and expressive edges. The result is a space that balances comfort, simplicity, and enduring character.

Recommended products

Linea™ Weatherboard

Linea™ Weatherboard: The strong shadow lines of this weatherboard nods to a traditional weatherboard farmhouse with a modern twist. Painted dark with Linea™ Aluminium Corner Soakers differentiates from a more traditional look which has trim covering the corners.

Hardie™ Flex Sheet and Hardie™ Axent™ Trim

Axon™ Panel Smooth with Hardie Axent Trim: The flowing lines are ideal for creating modern coastal facades with a finish that’s visually sophisticated and dynamic.

Oblique™ Weatherboard, staggered and vertically installed

Oblique™ Weatherboard: The wide grooves and design flexibility of board widths delivers drama and visual interest to barn facades.

Stria™ Cladding 325mm

Stria™ Cladding: The deep, 15mm-wide grooves create strong, sleek lines ideal for contemporary designs that require a bold but pared-back aesthetic.

Options in select areas:

Hardie™ Groove Lining

Hardie™ Groove Lining: Use for feature interior walls and ceilings and externally on eaves and soffits.

Oblique™ Weatherboard

Oblique™ Weatherboard: Interior feature walls

Theme Insights

Evolved Living

Modern Farmhouse grounds resilience in rural-inspired layouts and robust materials, delivering comfort and resource-smart living across generations.

Multigenerational Living

Rural charm is reimagined with separate dwellings and shared verandas, fostering independence and connection under one roof. The design balances connection and autonomy, allowing everyone to share resources while maintaining independence and privacy.

Recommended paint colours

Exterior

Dulux
Haast
Dulux
Midhirst Half
Dulux
Western Springs
Dulux
Mt Stevens
Dulux
Colorsteel® Scoria
Dulux
Colorsteel® Ironsand
Dulux
Herald Island

Interior

Dulux
Haast
Dulux
Midhirst Half
Dulux
Western Springs
Dulux
Mystery Creek
Dulux
Waioeka
Dulux
Colorsteel® Scoria
Standard greentag
Standard healthrate

Global GreenTag™ GreenRate™ Level A and Product Health Declaration™ PHD Platinum Health mean our products have passed the world's toughest standards for health, eco performance and safety.

Feature case study

The Best of Both Worlds, Axon™ Panel Smooth

An impressive low-maintenance family home with a custom design that’s optimised for upscale country living close to the city.

READ MORE
Closed and Opened Design Books

The Design Book

BUILD YOUR MODERN LIFE

The Hardie™ Cladding Collection has a wide variety of products to select from, creating design versatility, in which It’s Possible™ to Make Modern™ like never before. It’s a movement that’s reshaping perceptions and changing the way New Zealand builds. Whether you are planning a renovation, new build, or extension, this forecast will be an invaluable tool on your journey. Welcome to the James Hardie Design Handbook. It's time to Build Your Modern Life.

Where

To buy our products

Get

The James Hardie Product Guide

See

James Hardie's Modern Design Forecast

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  • 1237 Howard Street, Parkvale, Hastings
  • 9 McGarry Drive, Kaiapoi
  • 30 Hallmark Drive, Richmond
  • 8 Homestead Drive, Rangiora
  • 11 Rose Manor Drive, Springlands, Blenheim
  • 43 Belgrove Place, Parklands, Christchurch, Canterbury
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  • 52, Summersfield Boulevard, Appleby, 7081, Tasman
  • 74 Pelorus Avenue, Poraiti, Napier
  • 163 Brookside Road, Rolleston
  • 37 Meadowstone Street, Gleniti, Timaru
  • 21 Skibbereen Drive, Halswell, Christchurch
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  • 46 Arbuckle Road, Frimley, Hastings
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  • 7, Tūhua Close, Wharewaka, Taupō, 3378, Waikato
  • 2, Walsh Road, 2110, Auckland
  • Rotorua Grove, Aotea, Porirua, 5024, Wellington
  • 2, Buddle Road, Paerata, 2676, Auckland
  • 11, Highland Drive, Acacia Bay, Taupō, 3385, Waikato
  • Kahukaka Road, One Tree Point, 0118, Northland
  • Pampas Drive, 0992, Auckland
  • 29, Kimbrae Drive, Hamilton, 3210, Waikato
  • 50, Hitchens Road, Pokeno, 2402, Waikato
  • Jonah Lomu Drive, Paerata, 2676, Auckland
  • Flaxfield Lane, Beachlands, 2571, Auckland
  • 1, Manutewhau Road, Massey, 0614, Auckland
  • 10, Ripeka Lane, Whenuapai, 0618, Auckland
  • 12, Harriet Johnston Drive, Pokeno, 2472, Waikato
  • Podgora Avenue, Kumeu, 0891, Auckland
  • Kapia Road, Massey, 0614, Auckland
  • 17, Brown Street, Inglewood, 4330, Taranaki
  • 109, Wairau Drive, Tikipunga, Whangarei, 0112, Northland
  • 60, Stace Hopper Drive, Whangarei, 0118, Northland
  • 1, Kukuwai Avenue, Red Beach, 0932, Auckland
  • 25, Jonah Lomu Drive, Pukekohe, 2676, Auckland
  • 190 Matua Road, Huapai
  • 47 Main Street, Greytown
1237 Howard Street, Parkvale, Hastings