When you want a change in scenery, you don’t have to look for a new home builder. Modern home builders encourage you to give your current dwelling a mid-century-inspired makeover that simplifies the space and makes it more functional.

About Modern Home Design

Designed by Reworks Architecture

Modern homes are all about form and function. Modern home design refers to the time when the style was created in the 1920s to 1950s. The style uses clean lines, natural materials, acrylics and polished metals. Modern home builders construct this style of home with large windows, unadorned interiors, exposed beams, neutral colors and open spaces. The outdoor spaces also seamlessly transition inside.

Famous modern architects include:

• Frank Lloyd Wright: Falling Water in Mill Run, Penn.
• Frank Gehry: Guggenheim Museum in New York City
• I.M. Pei: Glass pyramid entrance to the Le Grand Louvre museum in Paris, France

An Open Floor Plan

One of the quintessential aspects of a modern home is an open floor plan. For a home remodel, this may mean tearing down a non-load-bearing wall or a wall that doesn’t have essential elements in it, like plumbing or ductwork. Walls that homeowners commonly remove are the ones between a family room and living room, a kitchen and dining room, a hallway and den, or a kitchen and family room. The best walls to take down are those in the spaces that you’re willing to share.

Ideas for a Modern Kitchen

• Cabinets: Reface or replace cabinets so they’re plain, smooth and flat. Forego the cabinet fixtures or use ones that are simple. Go with a neutral color. Feel free to use glass cabinet fronts or simply take the doors off the frames.
• Kitchen islands: If you have the space, give yourself room to work and a place for friends to sit. Instead of having a range and cover, install a stainless steel cook top in the island and a matching free-standing range hood.
• Layout: The look of a kitchen doesn’t mean anything if the layout doesn’t make your life simpler. Think about things like how easy it will be to get a heavy pot of water from the sink to the stove, where you want to store frequently used ingredients and if you want to eat in the kitchen.

Ideas for a Modern Bathroom

• Glass shower enclosure: A clear glass shower enclosure will make the bathroom look bigger and give it a spa-like feel.
  

  Designed by Reworks Architecture

• Abundant lighting: A bathroom retreat shouldn’t feel like a cave. Use skylights, frosted windows, large mirrors, cove lighting coming out of cabinetry and shelves, and recessed lights.
• Sinks: Consider free-standing sinks with the plumbing in the wall or in a sleek floating cabinet.
• Toilets: There is no reason to have to look at a toilet tank. Modern bathrooms commonly just have a lid, seat and bowl; the tank is in the wall.

Modern Lighting Ideas

Modern homes love the sun. During a remodel, make it a point to maximize the natural light that comes into a space by enlarging windows, adding extra windows, installing a sliding door to the outside or adding a skylight. Then use lighting fixtures to functionally and artistically compliment nature.

Use pendant lights over dining tables or kitchen islands to add color or visual interest to a space. Large arching floor lamps double as art and task lighting over a couch, bed, desk, armchair or table are both modern and functional. Or, go more compact with a stylish arm lamp. Give the space a boost of light at night with recessed lights or track lights with a dimmer switch.

Modern Sustainable Living Elements

Modern home builders construct with the health of the environment in mind, and you can too. Here are some ways that you can update your home and help the planet:

• Use sustainable, reclaimed or recyclable building materials.
• Install products and appliances that save water and energy.
• Shop for locally sourced products.
• Tighten the building envelope of your home to save energy.
• If appropriate, install solar technologies like rooftop solar panels or solar water heating systems.
• Avoid products with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), lead, PVC and mercury.

While it was born in the early 1900s, modern home designs have staying power that will remain popular and have powerful curb appeal well past the 21^st century.

Courtesy of George Hale, owner of H. Hudson Homes, a Portland new home builder that focuses on cutting-edge design and sustainability.  When it comes to purchasing new modern homes, buyers can rely on H. Hudson Home’s wealth of expertise in construction and modern building practices.