Modern House Design – Facades Explained

Modern house design is generally large on spacious open floor plans, often with a garden or larger outdoor space included. Open floor plans are great if you want a lot of space but not necessarily a huge house. Modern house design is all about fluid movement and making the most of open space. Open floor plans also maximise living areas and give the impression of a roomier home. Open floor plans usually compromise on wall space and can be made more spacious by including covered verandas or canopies.

Large windows are a feature of modern houses. A lot of time and attention is given to details such as window tiling and frames as these actually aid in the design and are considered an important part of the ‘look’. These windows also allow natural light to filter into the rooms, which is one of the keys to the design concept. This helps to keep the heat in the house when the sun isn’t shining, which saves on the electricity bill at the end of the month!

When it comes to modern house designs the exteriors can range from minimalist to quite lavish depending on the style of the building and what the developers have planned. Facades are often seen in starkly contrasting colours, such as black and white, black and grey, white and silver, white and gold or even more outlandish colours such as red, pink, yellow and blue. Black is still the most popular but other colours include green, orange and pink. These contrast well with the timber decking and stone tiled roof. The facade is where the majority of attention will be drawn so make sure you choose something eye catching!

Kitchens and bathrooms in modern house designs are generally smaller than those in more traditional homes. This may sound strange but they are designed to be more functional. This is to make the home lighter and more easily maintainable. In a traditional home the cooker sits on top of a large scale production unit whilst in modern house design this is replaced by a small baker’s rack. For cooking a gas cooker is used as this burns more fuel efficiently and causes less carbon dioxide emissions. Modern kitchens now use appliances such as bread makers and refrigerator desirables which means that many people are able to prepare home cooked food.

Front facades have changed little over recent years. In many older houses the front facade is made of solid timber and will feature either a flat or convex panel. If your house is old then you may want to consider going for a convex paneled front facade. This will give your house a very modern look and feel and can really be custom designed. There are many people who like to go for this style as they feel that it gives their house a very contemporary and clean look.

The roof is also very important when it comes to modern house design. It should be made from solid hardwood. There are a lot of people who prefer using slate roofs as they are cheaper than a wooden roof. This is because of the fact that it is a cheaper material than hardwood but it also gives your house an attractive appearance. Most modern houses will have a flat roof. If you want your house to have a bit of character then you could have your facade built up in raised blocks, this will obviously cost more than a flat roof.