Looking to incorporate modern design in your home? Whether you want to create a modern outdoor oasis or add wood accents in your living room, there are plenty of modern design features that can create the home of your dreams. Here are 20 interior and exterior modern home features!
What Is Modern Home Design?
Photo via @midcenturymoderninter
Modern home design can be seen in a home with clean, crisp lines, geometric shapes, and a simple color palette. Modern homes reflect the architectural and interior design styles of the Modern era, which began in the early 20th century and remained popular through the mid-1950s. The no-frills attitude of modern design continues even into materials used for a modern home, which often include metal, glass, and steel. Modern design is known to have simplicity in every element in the home—including its furniture pieces. It’s also known for being a functional interior design style that emphasizes the relationship between form and function!
Interior Modern Home Features
From updating the flooring to adding a sleek staircase to your entryway, there are several ways to incorporate modern design into your home. Check out these top modern home interior features below!
Go with an Open Floor Plan
Photo via @howzit_mgt
An open floor plan is popular in a modern home because it allows you to have a more social and airy space. A common open floor plan can involve the combination of a kitchen, dining room, and living room that are connected in a large room with a vaulted ceiling. Without doors to open and close and no walls to slow down foot traffic, you can create better flow and move through the space with ease.
Use an Earth-Toned Color Scheme
Photo via @westelm
Paint colors should complement and balance each other in a modern home. In the interior of modern homes, you can find earth tones with a mixture of white, beiges, and tans. This neutral color scheme is an empty slate for decorating with modern design. This type of monochrome color palette uses variations of one color to create a harmonious and visually cohesive look. It doesn’t draw attention to itself, but rather lets the room look more clean and organized, which is a staple of modern design.
Add Industrial Elements
Photo via @themodernhouse
Modern home design combines industrial elements with natural elements. Having exposed beams and other structural pieces is common for modern design. Pairing materials like steel, concrete, and glass with natural features like wood and stone are great for adding an industrial touch to your modern home. Exposed bricks on walls or fireplaces that are combined with streamlined modern furniture can add contrast to an otherwise plain room.
Create a Sleek Look with Concrete Floors
Photo via @danwheelersellshomes
A modern flooring idea that can elevate your home is to use concrete for your floors. Concrete floors are an edgy option that can mimic ceramic tile or natural stone, and they give a clean, industrial look to a modern home and can add texture to the room. The sleek nature of neutral concrete floors is a great way to contrast bold furniture and light fixtures!
Consider Adding Wood Features
Photo via @tinymightymidmod
Incorporating wood features in your modern home can improve the aesthetic of your space because it’s a natural material that brings texture and character to your space. Wooden beams, fireplace mantels, wall paneling, and wood flooring are all features that can create a modern look. Wood flooring offers depth and adds an earthy element to a modern living room, bedroom, or kitchen, while dark wood flooring can make a room look elongated and dramatic.
Think About Shapes
Photo via @georgios_tataridis
The perception of space is an important feature in modern homes. Geometric or playful shapes can add interest and will help to balance a room. You can opt for geometric shapes when it comes art, lighting, wall molding, or furniture, as long as it coordinates with the rest of the room. Also consider the shapes of door frames, stairwells, and windows in your modern house design.
Rethink the Staircase Design
Photo via @starlight_village_homes
While some staircases are basic and solely focus on functionality, you can opt for a more modern staircase design that combines functionality with aesthetic. To give a more streamlined look to the room, incorporate a glass or wooden staircases. For a bigger impact, install floating treads attached to the wall, or save space in your modern home with a spiral staircase featuring black, wooden treads and a trendy stainless steel railing or a U-shaped staircase. Straight staircases are great for adding simplicity to your modern home.
Let in Natural Light with Oversized Windows
Photo via @flackstudio_
Not only do oversized windows bring in more natural light, but they also create a brighter, more seamless design to your modern home. As long as they’re not covered by blinds or curtains, large glass windows can also give the illusion of more space in your room. Installing large windows of various sizes and shapes can shift the focus of the room to its natural surroundings, rather than on focal points like artwork or busy wallpaper. Those looking to incorporate more natural elements in their home can easily do so by properly utilizing windows.
Install Built-In or Recessed Lighting
Photo via @mccamyconstruction
Installing modern built-in or recessed lights can streamline your modern home’s design in places like the entryway, kitchen, living room, or bedroom. Recessed lights are perfect for places with low ceilings because they don’t protrude down and take up space. Often, this type of lighting takes a minimalist approach so it doesn’t interrupt the home’s design or create any clutter. Built-in lighting is sleek, functional, sophisticated, and helps to create a modern ambiance in a room without compromising space or design.
Utilize Lofted Rooms
Photo via @studio_erez_hyatt
If you’re working with a small space, modern homes can include lofted areas. Lofted areas generally keep an open and flexible concept to serve multiple purposes, which is why it’s a common modern home feature. Place a sofa, side tables, and chairs in the room for a hangout space. Or get your work done and transform your loft into a home office. Lofted areas can also include a kitchenette for cooking and dining.
Add Dimension with Built-In Shelves
Photo via @leonidfurmanskyphotog & @pluckarchitecture
The use of vertical space is a prominent feature in modern houses. Built-in shelves are ideal for modern homes because they save space while adding additional storage to your room. These shelves can create a focal point in your room—to make the shelves stand out in your modern home, consider painting them a neutral color like beige, brown, gray, or light green.
Invest in Sustainable Upgrades
Photo via @msldavies
Sustainability and eco-friendly features are key to modern homes, so you might want to understand green living! Go green with energy-efficient home improvements like replacing your lights with energy-efficient LED bulbs and sensor light switches or installing a smart thermostat to conserve energy. To significantly cut down your water consumption, install low-flow shower heads, faucets, and toilets in your eco-friendly bathroom. For a sustainable kitchen, upgrade to energy-efficient dishwashers or refrigerators to help reduce your carbon footprint while cooking or cleaning.
Include an Inset Fireplace
Photo via @mdk_construction
Modern fireplaces that are seamlessly integrated into walls give a living room a sleek look while providing heat. Inset fireplaces are popular in modern homes because they’re practical, add ambiance to the space, and can contrast neutral walls or statement walls made of stone. To make your fireplace stand out in your modern home, opt for unique trends in styles like double-glass fireplaces, ribbon fireplaces, or wood fireplaces to make the area more pronounced. These will often divide the room with a half wall or have a geometric shape element to them!
Get Creative with the Kitchen Island
Photo via @klopfarchitecture
Modern kitchen islands are a great place for socializing in the home. An L-shaped island can adapt to the needs of your space whether it’s being used for dining or meal-prepping. Get creative with the color of the island and incorporate modern materials like steel, marble, or concrete. A modern kitchen island can be an extension of your table by adding chairs to it, or you can use it as a space for open storage. If you’re looking to stray away from a plain kitchen island design, opt for an island that has sharp geometric edges to add dimension to the kitchen.
Exterior Modern Home Features
With features like an unconventional roof design and industrial exterior elements, you can bring modern design style outdoors! Learn more about the different types of exterior modern home features you can use below.
Mix & Match Materials
Photo via @modtraveler
Mixing up the elements to the exterior of your home can make it more modern. Try to balance steel, brick, and wooden elements in your modern house design. Utilize steel or concrete beams and metal railings in the backyard under a wooden pergola to create a modern contrast and extra shade. You can also mix together weathered wood, vinyl siding, and exposed brick to create a unique exterior design.
Think About Unconventional Roof Designs
Photo via @designdudeslife
Most modern houses have unconventional roof designs as a way to challenge traditional design and add a dynamic visual element to the house. Flat roofs are popular and can be an extension of your useable outdoor space if your home is on a narrow lot. Slanted roofs are known for their durability and can stand up to outdoor elements better. A gable roof, which consists of two roof sections sloping in opposite directions, creates a mixture of a modern and rustic vibe. Don’t be afraid to go bold with your roof design!
Connect Your Outdoor Spaces
Photo via @phxhomebuilder
Courtyards and outdoor spaces that connect to different parts of your home are popular in modern homes for their accessibility and contribution to the modern mixing of materials and room elements. Think of a courtyard as an open floor plan for the exterior of your home! If you want to create a sense of flow to the outdoors, it’s best to utilize the same design scheme both indoors and outdoors. Place a big fountain in the center to add depth to a plain backyard.
Build a Visually Appealing Fence
Photo via @flippinggvl
An outdoor fence can create an interesting visual for a modern home. You can utilize materials like metal or steel for your fence to make the design more sleek and modern. Give your fence extra height with a trellis to get more privacy and encourage plants to grow. Paint the fence a modern matte gray to incorporate a splash of color in the green area and to suit the aesthetic of your backyard.
Make Your Pool a Focal Point
Photo via @bradysandahlrealestate
Angular or geometric pools are good for making a backyard look more modern because of their sleek shape. Since this home feature is pretty significant, lean into it. Place the pool in the center of the backyard or courtyard to ensure that its surroundings are aligned properly. Shrubs, palm trees, or bold flowers and plants can be used for landscaping around the pool. To finally achieve that modern look, go with porcelain or mosaic tile in the pool.
Utilize Progressive Features
Photo via @astound_energy
Most modern homes have progressive elements that can conserve energy and are friendly to the environment. Installing solar panels on your house extends the life of the roof and helps to combat greenhouse gas emissions. Or consider other eco-friendly backyard ideas for a modern home, including installing a synthetic lawn, landscaping with eco-friendly tools, and more.
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