Even if you’re unfamiliar with the term, you’ll definitely recognize the modern farmhouse aesthetic.
It started in the United States with the renovation of old farm and ranch homes and slowly took over the world, one apron at a time. It is defined by a rustic style with a contemporary and clean finish. Renovations like this often feature whitewashed walls and an array of mismatched but lovingly handled materials, often salvaged or recycled.
Expanding, the trend has also evolved and transformed in recent years, especially as many former city dwellers lifted their sticks and moved to the countryside. And it’s no longer just limited to farmhouses, with some of the techniques and looks of the style used for cottages and small homes, or as a starting point for bolder, bolder renovations.
Hotels have even started to follow suit. There’s a new generation of traditional rural properties housing modern luxury hotels – we’re thinking of Soho Farmhouse in Oxfordshire, of course, but also continental contenders like Le Barn in the Rambouillet forest outside of Paris.
Design-driven rural properties are increasingly popular for platforms like Airbnb and in recent months the platform has introduced new ways to filter to find these types of stays. You can now search for farms, tiny homes, properties on a lake… even specifically for barns or shepherd’s huts. Below you will find the crème de la crème – a selection of modern farmhouse style properties, some of the most beautifully designed Airbnbs, perfect to inspire your own projects.
Modern farmhouse gems you can rent on Airbnb
1. OG Farmhouse Style in a Converted Barn in Oregon Wine Country
(Image credit: Airbnb)
This property embodies modern farmhouse style in its purest original form, fresh out of the box, as nature intended.
This guest house is located in Dayton, Oregon, a small town of 2,000 people, about 40 km from Portland. It is a historically agricultural town, which is also very close to the increasingly popular wineries of Willamette Valley AVA and Dundee Hills AVA.
The host, Anne, is a professional interior designer and was born and raised in rural Oregon, so the style here is authentic. The converted barn sits within the four acres of the family’s main house and features all the modern farmhouse staples: white paneled walls, repurposed materials (note the pebble/stone feature in the kitchen) and farmhouse furniture typical with a modern finish.
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The interior design is clean and complete
(Image credit: Airbnb)
2. A traditional Swedish cabin with a modern farmhouse twist
(Image credit: Airbnb)
Rustic rural cabins are nothing new in Swedish culture. Swedes and their northern neighbors have long been heading to the pristine countryside to make the most of their long summer days. Traditionally, Swedes have stayed in torps, small country houses most often painted Falu red and white. Danes and Noreigans go to their hyttes, while Finns call it mökki or torppa.
This beautiful cabin in southern Sweden is located in the heart of the lake and the typical trees of the region. Although the exterior is traditional Nordic, the ultra-cozy interior has definite characteristics of modern farmhouse style.
We particularly like the exposed beams garlanded with modern-looking lanterns and the antique dining room installed at the window with elegant candelabra. It’s simple but chic, everything you expect from a Scandinavian style.
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(Image credit: Airbnb)
3. A beautifully renovated 16th century dovecote in Edinburgh
(Image credit: Airbnb)
City meets countryside in this distinctive converted dovecote in Scotland’s capital. The atypical structure, a kind of thatched cottage with a high adjoining tower, once housed hundreds of pigeons. Today it is transformed into an inventive and comfortable retreat.
Guests enter through the host’s garden under an arch of roses and even before entering the structure, they can glimpse an age-old cavern under glass in the floor.
Inside there is a bespoke cedar wood kitchen carved from a huge tree that once stood in the garden. In the living room there is underfloor heating and a romantic log burner for snuggling up in during the windy Scottish winter.
Wooden stairs lead to a small bedroom in the tower where the comfortable bed is elegantly made with Egyptian cotton sheets and opens onto a casement window overlooking the garden. There’s even a feature wall of quirky birdhouses, reminiscent of the lodge’s original purpose. More treated cedar wood creates the striking headboard. Full marks for charm.
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(Image credit: Airbnb)
(Image credit: Airbnb)
4. A modern converted barn in Luxembourg with upcycling galore
(Image credit: Airbnb)
This ad is located in a small village in rural Luxembourg and its barn exterior blends into the surroundings. Inside, it’s a mini masterclass in modern styles.
Celine the host is studying for a doctorate in architecture and she has artfully restored the space. The overall vibe is clean and minimalist, with lots of repurposed cork, chipboard, and slate. But the finishes give it that warm, rustic feel typical of the modern farmhouse genre.
Note the bookcase and comfy rug in the living room and the Eames rocking chair draped in a sheepskin-style rug, or the bathroom which is all Brutalist slate but with a metal sink, worthy of an old barn .
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(Image credit: Céline, Airbnb host)
(Image credit: Céline, Airbnb host)
5. Half-timbered house from 1669 in Germany, with its own slide
(Image credit: Airbnb)
There aren’t many homes that could claim to be both a little kid’s dream and a design lover’s paradise, but this conversion-new build hybrid in Mechernich, Germany seems to manage it.
The property comprises a modern barn-style building and a listed half-timbered house dating from 1669. The two are brought together in an elegant yet playful interior style that combines characterful old wood with smooth, modern wooden surfaces. You’ll find plenty of slate and stone and minimalist furniture, but also super cozy features like a wood-burning stove and even a sauna.
And for children, it’s basically a dream. The modern barn addition features a slide connecting the loft to the floor (with a safety mat for safety, of course).
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6. A gorgeous eco-friendly barn on the water in East Sussex
(Image credit: Airbnb)
Lewes and the South Downs National Park are Londoners’ favorites for an accessible weekend in the country, and this eco-friendly barn conversion offers all the rest and retreat a harassed urban worker could need.
In the style stakes, this property offers all the hallmarks of the modern farmhouse style: period beams contrasting with clean lines and modern colors, check it out! Log fire, check! Lovingly restored vintage furniture, check it out!
The property is located on the land of the guest house and wins all the bucolic points with its garden and its pond decorated with apple trees and laying hens.
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(Image credit: Airbnb)
(Image credit: Airbnb)
7. A barn conversion in Woodstock with a view of the Catskill Mountains
(Image credit: Glasco Woodstock)
Classic Americana meets modern design and luxurious comfort in this impressive converted barn in Woodstock.
Fans of farmhouse interiors will appreciate the high ceilings and beautiful original wood beams, while the huge windows offer stunning views of the Catskill Mountains.
Every detail has been taken care of, from the cheerful vintage chest of drawers in the open kitchen to the positioning of the beds to create cozy sleeping nooks. And modern amenities, like the whole-house Sonos smart speaker system and hot tub, bring this 19th-century property up to date.
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8. A converted barn on a private Western Cape beach
(Image credit: Romansbaai Collection)
Want to share your garden with zebras and springboks? This converted barn in Overberg, a little east of Cape Town, sits on the coast where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet, surrounded by wildlife and rare birds.
The interior of the building is a modern farmhouse dream with original beams, slatted walls and polished slate floors, plus a striking mezzanine.
The floor-to-ceiling windows are perfect for watching the Cape sunrise and gazing at the stars when night falls.
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