Having a warm comfortable home that looks good and works well and that you, your family and your friends enjoy must be one of the most worthwhile things in life. The choice of a design is mostly influenced by its beauty, elegance, and sophistication, suitability to your needs, the size, geographical location, your tastes and preferences among other factors. Of the many house design styles that there are in the world, am going to discuss six design styles that are not only popular, but also classy and elegant.
1 FARM HOUSE
Even from the name itself, one
can tell that this design is inspired by the lifestyle in the agricultural
areas. It was mainly used in the upcountry before modern building materials and
accessories were accessible to the interior. It served as the farm’s main
residence. There were different designs which were inspired by the geography of
the area, the environment and the available building and accessory materials.
Today, this is used as a design style.
Though the world has now become a global village and there is high
accessibility of every kind of building and decorative materials, there are
people who are still drawn to the farmhouse styles by its simplicity, elegance
and beauty.
A farmhouse may be made of stone,
wood, bricks or any other available building material available. However, for
uniqueness, you may consider using the materials that are mostly available
where the house is situated. You may use modern man made building materials and
blend them with natural materials to produce a look that’s both elegant,
comfortable and a house that is also secure and beautiful.
There are no limits as to the
materials that one may use in finishing, furnishing and decorating the house or
as to how one may use them together. You may use mirrors, wall pictures,
paintings, carpets and rugs to decorate the house and make it comfortable. Mirrors,
wall picture and paintings should be framed in wood. Remember that simplicity
is key to a farmhouse design. The major material used for the flooring, stairs,
ceiling and furniture is mostly wood.
The house mostly uses natural
lighting, which calls for large windows. Sufficient airing is also a major
characteristic of a farmhouse. It may be decorated using wood or stone carvings
and also vintage items and flowers. Colors used in decoration and painting
should most preferably be natural shades. The key is to keep it very simple,
very natural and comfortable.
TOWN HOUSE
This style gained a lot of
popularity in the mid 1900s. Initially it was built and designed to be used in
town where one worked for a living but the person would also build another main
residence in their home village.
Today, it is used as permanent
residence and the style is used both in urban and rural areas. The town house
style relies on a soothing mixture of un-aggressive, comfortable, modern
furniture and one or two antique items. Luxury is the key note in this design. The
most important items are picked out and emphasized, this could be the furniture
or the fireplace or the walls depending on one’s preference.
This design is fairly simple but
very sophisticated. The colours used are subdued but quite rich. The arrangement
is also very elegant. Unlike the farmhouse which does not incorporate any kind
of formal arrangement, the town house is usually arranged to emphasize the
beauty and strong points of the design. The colours are used selectively to
ensure they blend in. the textures of fabrics are very important, whether it’s
the curtains, the furniture or a table cloth, rough and smooth textures are
combined.
The flooring may be painted wood,
hardwood, stone, ceramic floor tiles, quarry tiles, thermoplastics etc. the
town house is characterized by use of modern materials. Therefore, any flooring
material may be used as long as it is elegantly made. A combination of two or
more may also be used but care should be taken to ensure they blend well and do
not look out of place. Also make sure it is very comfortable both in its use
and daily maintenance. As earlier stated, remember that luxury is very
important in a town house design.
COUNTRY HOUSE
The major difference between the
country house and the farm house is that the farmhouse draws inspiration from
the peasant’s dwelling and captures the simple life he lived, on the other
hand, the country house is inspired by the rich lives lived by the wealthy in
the past. A country house style incorporates quality, durable, beautiful,
elegant and sophistication both in the building materials, accessories and
decorations. Charm and airiness are keys to a country house style.
It is a soft centered style with
a touch of faded gentility- bright, solid splashes of colour are counterproductive.
It uses decorations that reflect the beautiful side of the upcountry; this may
be by the use of beautiful fresh flowers or floral prints on the fabrics. Though
it has a sense of the past, it is very calm and peaceful and uses unaggressive
objects. You will not find bows and arrows or hunting prints in a country
house. When decorative objects are used, they may include beautiful carvings of
animals or paintings of the nice life of the past, a painting reflecting the
harsh past for example a painting of slavery or drought or natural disasters
will not be found in a country house.
When thinking of using the
country house styles, think along the lines of the lives of kings and
royalties. The elegance, the sophistication, the beauty, the comfort, the rich
and bold colours, paintings and decorations reflecting the bright side of life,
a smooth and soft look of the house arrangement, sufficient airing.
Have a touch of the past but also
incorporate some aspects of the modern life. This will make the style very
comfortable and suitable for this day and age. You may use cushioned antic wooden
chairs, wooden candle sticks, a wooden table that is finely finished with a
touch of both the past and the present. Remember that charm, airing and luxury
are very crucial in this house design style.
MEDITERRANEAN
Mediterranean house design style
is inspired by the traditional life of the Mediterranean countries including Spain,
Italy and France. It is a very simple style. It has no fuss and does not
incorporate use of too many accessories, if anything, it is characterized by
the absence of accessories except for the very essential ones. A farmhouse with
less wood, more tiles and more whites is the perfect definition of the Mediterranean
house style.
It is characterized by simplicity,
elegance and a natural look. Colors used should be natural shades such as
blue, green, white and cream. Other colors may also be incorporated minimally
but they should not be vibrant and shouting colors. The calm but rich colors
is one of the factors that differentiate a Mediterranean style from other
design styles.
Decorations will include use of
flowers, peasant embroidery on the fabrics, metal or wood framed mirrors. In modern
times, though few the accessories and decorations used are carefully and
selectively chosen to ensure they blend in well and together bring out an
elegant and sophisticated look. Cushions may be made of multi-colored fabrics.
Curtains and carpets may also use multiple colors to make them stand out or
bring life into the style. The point to note is that the colors used should be
as much as possible natural shades and the design should be very simple.
Use large windows to increase
natural lighting and airing. Use flowers to bring in nature’s beauty into the
house. Use embroidered fabrics to give the house a touch of the past. Use simple
but elegant floor arrangement. Ensure all the essential accessories are present
to increase the comfort of the house. Use soft colors and smooth fabric to
make the house look more peaceful and calm. Depending on your taste you may design
your style to reflect the different annual seasons, either summer, winter,
autumn or spring. Redesigning a house takes time and is also costly, make sure
you choose a style that you can live with in and out of that particular
inspiring season.
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