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When you’re building a custom home, it’s important to choose the right style. Every aspect of the design will rely on the custom house style you choose, from the architecture to the interior finishes. There are many house styles to discover when you build your own house and each is fitting for different types of homes. In this article, we’ll explore different custom home designs and discuss their characteristics as well as their benefits.

Modern Home Design

Highlights

  • Modern homes are practical and simple.
  • Colour palette is neutral, including different shades of white, grey, and beige.
  • Key benefits are energy-efficiency, open layout, and modern upgrades.

Modern custom home styles emphasize practicality in both their architecture and design elements. The exterior structure of a modern home has sleek horizontal and vertical lines. There is less of an emphasis on ornamentation and more focus on functionality and simplicity. A common characteristic of modern homes is that they centre around the kitchen. Modern construction also features open floor plans, high ceilings, and expansive windows.

One of the top benefits of this custom home design is the energy efficiency. From the insulation to the HVAC systems, modern home designs aim to reduce environmental impact, which in turn saves you money through lower utility expenses. Modern homes also prioritize spaciousness, natural lighting, and a unified style. The interior décor of a modern home typically favours neutral tones such as greys and whites.

Here are a few more characteristics of modern homes:

  • Flat rooftops
  • Rectangular exterior
  • Glass doors
  • Floor to ceiling windows
  • 10-to-12-foot ceilings
  • Walk-in showers
  • Stand-alone bathtubs
  • Modern furniture
  • Minimalism
  • Smart home technology

Transitional Homes

Highlights

  • Transitional homes are a combination of traditional and modern designs.
  • Colour palette includes monochromatic and neutral tones.
  • Top advantages are the timeless style, flexible décor, and modern fixtures.

Transitional homes combine the best of both traditional and modern styles. It’s common for this custom home designs to feature natural materials both on the interior and exterior. Another characteristic is that transitional houses use ornamentation sparingly. Transitional home décor is textural with neutral or monochromatic colour palettes.

The exterior of a transitional house commonly showcases clean lines, wood, and stone. Modern transitional homes have many attractive qualities, including a timeless appeal and flexible décor. One of the great advantages of a transitional home design is that despite the minimalism, the home still exudes a lot of character and personality through the use of layered textures.

The following design elements are prevalent in Transitional houses:

  • Metal, glass, fabric, and leather materials
  • Dark accents
  • Comfortable furniture
  • Mix and match textures and décor
  • Contemporary art
  • Tonal Fabrics
  • Small front porch
  • Modern hardware and fixtures
  • Light coloured bricks and stone

French Country Style

Highlights

  • French country homes have refined rustic designs.
  • Colour palette mirrors the tones of natural materials, including white, brown, and red.
  • Key benefits include a solid foundation and structure, elegant comfort, and warm atmosphere.

French country stye homes are both rustic and refined. When you’re building a custom French style home, you’ll often use a combination of worn and earthy design elements with elegant accent pieces. The exterior of a French country house is typically stone or stucco, and the roofs are highly sloped with slate, stone, clay, or shingles. Dormers are another common detail of French country style homes, as well as arched door and windows, round towers, double chimneys, and balconies.

French country interior design will often use simple colour palettes such as whites and creams with brown, reds, or grays. These colours are complementary to the natural materials featured throughout the design. The decor for this custom home design strikes a balance between comfort and chic elegance. There are many benefits to building a custom French country style home. French country style houses have sturdy foundations and the interior décor creates a warm and inviting environment.

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Here are some additional characteristics of a modern French country house:

  • Wood plank ceilings
  • Plaster walls
  • Exposed beams
  • Hardwood flooring
  • Herringbone patterns
  • White stone
  • Stone flooring
  • Open layout
  • Similar or identical levels

Mid-Century Modern Home

Highlights

  • The defining features of a mid-century modern home are contemporary architecture and retro design.
  • The colour palette emphasizes nature with deep shades of orange, brown, and yellow.
  • Benefits are the energy-efficient design and functional layout.

A mid-century modern home has a mixture of contemporary and retro architecture and design. This custom home style is characterized by an asymmetrical structure, a flat roof, straight lines, and right angles. Mid-century modern home designs are minimal, functional, and sleek. Nature is a major inspiration for mid-century modern interior design. These homes use earthy colour palettes such as oranges, browns, and mustard or golden yellows.

Mid-century modern living rooms often have fireplaces in the centre and furniture with bold colours or geometric patterns. Mid-century modern home plans also include split levels connected by short staircases. A benefit of custom building a mid-century modern home is that they adapt highly energy-efficient designs.

Here are some additional mid-century modern home design features:

  • Glass or partially brick walls
  • Floor-to-ceiling windows
  • Open concept floor plan
  • Low footprint
  • Natural lighting
  • Upholstered furniture
  • Sliding glass doors

Contemporary Home Design

Highlights

  • A contemporary home exhibits characteristics from modern and mid-century designs.
  • Colour palette primarily uses black, white, and neutral tones paired with bright accents.
  • The advantages of contemporary home design are suitability, modern innovation, and abundance of natural lighting.

Contemporary homes share similar characteristics with modern and mid-century styles. They are also highly sustainable buildings, often incorporating green roofs and bamboo flooring into the design. When you’re building this type of custom home design, you’ll typically use environmentally friendly materials, including those that are nontoxic or even recycled.

Contemporary houses prioritize both natural and artificial lighting. Lighting features include big windows, skylights, accent lighting, and custom lighting fixtures. The primary goal is to not only brighten up the home but also to accentuate décor, such as paintings. The exterior of a modern contemporary home has strong lines and an asymmetrical shape. Exterior materials can include brick, stone, wood, concrete, or metal.

The following are additional contemporary home design characteristics:

  • Open floor plan
  • Simple décor
  • Neutral colour palettes
  • Textured furniture
  • Little or no moldings
  • Smart home technology
  • Flat rooftops
  • Clerestory windows
  • Geometric shapes

Modern Farmhouse

Highlights

  • Modern farmhouses blend rustic and contemporary styles.
  • Colours palettes remain neutral with either warm or cool hues and black accents.
  • Advantages of modern farmhouse plans are the natural materials, spacious layout, and cost-effective design.

A modern farmhouse takes traditional farmhouse decor and combines it with contemporary design elements. If you’re building a custom modern farmhouse, your design might include reclaimed woods, salvaged materials, barn board, and a mix of metals. In a modern farmhouse interior, you can expect to find antiques, large cozy furniture, and vintage accents. The flooring is often wide planks of hardwood enriched with knots and scratches. The colour palette for a modern farmhouse can include warm neutrals such as orange, brown, and cream or cool neutrals such as blues, greens, and greys. A modern farmhouse living room is often full of charm with various wood, metal, and fabric materials, fixtures, and furnishings.

The exterior of a modern farmhouse style house can include painted brick or siding, stained wood double doors, and a black or grey metal roof. These types of custom home designs typically have large covered porches and multiple windows. Building a custom modern farmhouse has many benefits including cost-effective designs, spaciousness, and a relaxed living environment.

Custom Modern farmhouse design may include the following:

  • Double-hung windows
  • Apron sinks
  • Wood and metal wall art
  • Animal accents
  • Industrial elements
  • Board and batten siding and trim
  • Vaulted ceilings
  • Exposed beams
  • Gable roofs

Build Your Custom Home with an Experienced Team

When build your own house, you have complete control over the design, from modern custom home designs to French country homes. If you love traditional homes but want the comfort of modern amenities, then a transitional home might be for you. Whatever you choose, make sure you partner with the best custom home builder for the job.

Black Pearl Custom Homes is an expert in the field with years of experience with a highly trained and skilled team of professionals. Over the years, we have built a wide range of custom homes. We have the expertise to construct a variety of custom home designs while incorporating your personal style and preferences into the design. Black Pearl Custom Homes constructs home to last using quality materials and high-end equipment during every building project. Our team goes beyond simply working with clients; we aim to build lifelong relationships with every customer in the GTA. Contact Black Pearl Custom Homes to book a consultation with our team and start your custom home build today.