5 barn-style homes to get you back to the basics

Sarah Tolle – Homify Canada Sarah Tolle – Homify Canada
Freezeland Barn - Haigh, SDA Architecture Ltd SDA Architecture Ltd Country style house
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Take a walk through rich agricultural traditions in a tour of these five barn homes that pay homage to simpler times. 

1. ​Suburban barn

This Dutch home, created by the architects of Bongers Architecten, is another example of a modern home built to resemble a traditional agricultural structure. The architects who designed this home have given it the nickname of “barn house” due to the home's elongated, barn-like shape and exposed interior beams. The main structure of the house is formed by these beams, which is covered by a roof shell that flows from the gabled roof to cover the exterior walls of the home as well.

​Interior

This family-friendly space offers an upbeat and spacious atmosphere with a dynamic interior layout for family living. The interior is characterized by light, natural, and neutral features, balanced with a polished modern aesthetic.

2. Cattle shed conversion

This cattle shed was rescued by the architects from SDA Architecture, who carefully preserved the historic nature of the building while adding 21 century amenities to create the cozy three bedroom family home that you see in this picture. The original structure was in dire state, with crumbling walls and a roof that had long since caved in. This view shows a full view of the barn, with restored stonework and freshly installed windows (an interesting aspect of the windows is that the planning restrictions from the local council determined that no new openings could be added, so the windows still embody their original size and shape). The renovation project was nominated for Best Conversion at both the LABC Building Excellence Awards 2015 and the Wigan Design Awards 2015.

​Interior

The cattle shed interior has been completely renovated, but still retains a sense of agricultural tradition and rural charm with painted pastel cabinets and a long wooden island providing plenty of space for preparing the garden's harvest in the center of the kitchen.

​3. Modern black barn

Built with a historic barn structure in mind, the architects at SCHIPPERDOUWESARCHITECTUUR  have created this sustainable home from the ground up. As this is not a renovation project, the architects were free to add features that make this into a highly energy efficient home, such as the central window and solar panel array that makes use of the sun's energy, in addition to the placement of the home, which has been oriented an an optimal angle for receiving light. A four seasons patio has been set in the middle, with a glass roof sending light streaming into the space.

​Interior

Fresh and sunny, this lofty interior takes advantage of high ceilings and a large open floor plan. With light wood cladding almost everywhere, this interior not only offers a spacious home environment, but also a natural and cheerful aesthetic.

4. ​Elegant rural conversion

Originally a rural barn, this now-home offers a stately and elegant living space that you wouldn't expect from an old stable house! Take note of the window shutters, which make a hefty contribution to the pastoral appeal of the house. These original windows are complimented by the windows that have been added to the roof to bring more sunlight into the home. Clad in steel, these dormer windows hint of a more contemporary scheme.

​Interior

Rustic and charming on the outside, this home does a 180 once you walk through the door. The interiors are contemporary, with a kitchen full of galvanized steel, floor to ceiling windows, and smooth, polished details everywhere you look.

5. ​Heritage rehabilitation and conversion

Architects from The Bazley Partnership took on a challenging project with the rehabilitation and conversion of this building. The structure was an important listed heritage building in Cornwall, UK, one of only a handful of 14the century agricultural buildings still standing (well, sort of – the building had fallen into a sad state of disrepair). The medieval barn is now a contemporary family home, with a pitched glazed extension joining parts of the barn that had been built separately over time.

​Interior

The home includes many bespoke features mixed in with modern additions, giving the home a highly unique character that blends two drastically different eras and ways of life.

Inspired by these stunning homes? You find more charming country style in this elegant farmhouse.

What's your favourite of these charming, rustic barn houses? Comment below!

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