Creating a Home with a Modern Country Feel
If you're itching for a tree-change, or you’re simply looking to bring a relaxed country feel to your new home, we’ve got easy tips on acreage designs, raked ceilings and more!
Escape to the countryside with an acreage home design
If there’s one thing that makes you think of laid-back country living, it’s a ranch-style acreage home.
Modern ranch design gives you the classic, homely feel but with everything you’ve come to expect from contemporary living. Think, an open plan kitchen, a spacious master bedroom and multiple living areas, both indoors and out.
Perfect for those who have acreage, a wider block or just a little more space to play around with, a ranch gives you a sprawling floor plan without having to up the extra level. You get plenty of space - without the staircase - meaning they’re a practical, long-term option for young families or for those looking to downsize as they enter their twilight years.
Our top 3 ways to bring a relaxed country feel to your doorstep, regardless of where you live
An acreage floor plan might not be the right fit for everyone, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be inspired by laid-back, country living when choosing your new home’s layout and features. We’ve given you our ultimate inspo below.
1. Raise your roof with raked ceilings
For a contemporary take on a classic barn-style aesthetic, we can’t go past the soaring raked ceilings featured in our Berrima 28 (previously the Whitelock 28) on display in the Waterford Rise Estate, Warragul. The raking ceiling gives you that ‘wow’ moment as you step in from the hallway, while the vertical joint panelling holds your attention and adds a sense of warmth. We love to keep the bulkhead over the kitchen to keep a cosy, intimate feel for when you’re cooking dinner, letting the height of the dining and lounge have its moment in the spotlight as you move throughout the home.
The use of crisp whites and clean lines instils a heavenly feel to your raked ceiling.
2. Enjoy easy-going indoor-outdoor living
When you think about country living, your mind probably wanders to longer summer nights spent putting your feet up on the verandah. To bring this easy-going way of living to your new build, think about incorporating a C-shaped heart of your home with a side and rear alfresco, as seen in our newly-opened Ash 27 (previously the Buller 26) on display in the Gen Fyansford DV2 Estate, Fyansford. This gives the wrap-around illusion of a verandah, connecting you to the natural elements and allowing you to move between the inside and outside with ease.
A side and rear alfresco frame the kitchen and lounge to boost the connection between indoor-outdoor living.
3. Add plenty of light, and style, with your choice of windows
We all know maximising natural light is an important aspect of your new home, and exploring your options with window design is an easy way to create a cosy, but light-filled, country look. The glazing bars to the windows in the master bedroom of our Granite 23 (previously the Emerson 23) on display in Smiths Lane Estate, Clyde North give a subtle nod to coastal styling, while also enhancing decor choices like the upholstered bedhead and vertical joint feature wall.
Go bold and accentuate the height of your space with a vertical bedhead and panelling.