ADDING WOW TO A COOKIE-CUTTER HOME
Many owners seek a style that doesn’t match every other house on the block
When it comes to designing a home interior that reflects you and your lifestyle, nothing beats customizing everything from the bathroom tile to the drawer pulls. But when so much of the housing built since World War II falls under the broad umbrella of “cookie cutter,” it can be challenging to create a personalized space.
Modern farmhouse — an architectural style known for its white exteriors with black windows, blonde wood floors and an unobtrusive neutral color palette — is just the latest mass-produced style to dominate neighborhoods, including those nowhere near a farm. It instantly appeals to the Instagram generation, in part because it seems to harness both yesteryear and today’s clean lines in equal measure.
“The look gives ‘Little House on the Prairie,’ but without the diphtheria,” says Mark Eckstrom of Studio Eckström in Omaha. “‘The Waltons,’ with Wi-Fi.”
But not everyone wants to buy
the farm — or a mass-produced Colonial, split-foyer or boxy ranch, for that matter. “Many people are coming to us saying, ‘I do not want that,’ ” says Jim Rill, of the Bethesda, Md., firm Rill Architects, of the modern farmhouse style. Or if they love it, they may want to tweak it to be more individualized. We consulted the pros to figure out how to make any cookie-cutter space feel more current and custom, from
the inside out. Here are their suggestions.
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Focus on yourself: When you’re creating your forever home, keep “you” front and center. “Some of our clients are interested in pulling ideas from the modern farmhouse aesthetic, but many are seeking guidance on how to create a home that doesn’t look