If you’ve considered remodeling the exterior of your Indiana home, you’ve probably looked into both the modern and contemporary designs.
Although these designs are both excellent options for a sleek, fresh look for your home’s exterior—each style has different features that make them unique. Whether you’re looking to update your historic home with a new design or completely transform your house with a one-of-a-kind appearance, you can use modern and contemporary design elements to create the look of your dreams!
Before we share some practical tools to craft your modern home, let’s look at the popular design trends and differences between the modern and contemporary styles.
Modern vs. Contemporary: What’s the Difference?
Modern and contemporary home design are terms that are used interchangeably. However, you may be surprised to learn that these two home styles differ in significant ways.
Modern home design is an architectural style that emerged in the United States in the 1950s. This type of design was popularized for its modern spin on classic architecture—and it’s still widely used today.
Unlike modern architecture, the contemporary home design doesn’t have a time or era from which it originated. Contemporary design is constantly evolving—this type of architecture seeks creative, fresh, and new architecture.
Modern Design Elements
Modern homes are consistent and distinguishable in their design. You can usually spot a modern house by the following elements:
Structured Architecture
Modern homes have consistent, structured architecture. You can expect modern homes to have clean lines, perfect geometric proportions, and a large, flat roof.
Additionally, modern architecture follows two popular home exterior trends—large windows and a minimalistic color palette. For instance, the popular modern farmhouse style commonly features a clean, white exterior with eye-catching black trim and expansive single-hung or double-hung windows for a simple yet inviting look.
Traditional Materials
Modern homes are also identifiable by the products used on the home’s exterior. Modern homes use traditional materials, like wood, steel, and stone, to create a warm, inviting appearance.
Modern homes also look great with beautiful, long-lasting fiber cement siding. Fiber cement siding installation is currently one of the most popular home remodeling trends—it’s durable, versatile, low-maintenance, and can mimic traditional siding, like wood, with ease.
Consistent Interior
When you walk into a modern home, you’ll notice the clean, minimalistic décor, neutral colors, and overall balance throughout the design. Modern homes have a consistent style throughout the home’s interior, creating a warm, cozy atmosphere.
Contemporary Design Elements
Unlike modern homes, contemporary homes are less predictable in their design elements, but they still offer some predictable features. Here’s what you can expect to see in a contemporary home design:
Unique Architecture
Contemporary homes are much more creative and freeform in their architecture than modern homes. They aren’t any particular shape, size, or style—instead, they borrow design elements from multiple home styles to create a unique, one-of-a-kind home exterior.
However, many contemporary homes borrow some popular design trends from modern styles—like large, open windows and a flat roof.
Innovative Materials
Many contemporary homeowners think outside the box when it comes to building materials. Contemporary houses are often built from recycled, eco-friendly products—a trend that’s rising in popularity.
One of the most eco-friendly siding products on the market is fiber cement siding. Unlike vinyl and other manufactured siding options, fiber cement siding is made from natural materials—water, sand, and cellulose fibers. Additionally, it can mimic popular options, like wood and vinyl, with significantly less impact on the environment.
Fiber cement siding is offered in dozens of styles, so it’s perfect for creating a unique, innovative contemporary design!
Creative Interior
Contemporary homes typically have an innovative interior. Unlike the clean lines and predictable patterns in modern houses, the interior style of contemporary homes can differ from room to room! If you’re someone who likes to think out-of-the-box—contemporary design may be the best choice for you.
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Modern or Contemporary Design Using James Hardie Fiber Cement Siding
One of the best ways to achieve a modern or contemporary home exterior is to install James Hardie fiber cement siding. Hardie siding is offered in dozens of styles, hundreds of colors, and multiple textures to create a fresh, modern look for your Indiana home.
For instance, HardiePanel vertical siding is the perfect choice to achieve a contemporary look during your remodel. Vertical siding offers a unique, eye-catching look that’s great for modern homes. The Smooth texture provides a clean, minimalistic appearance that pairs well with most contemporary and modern styles.
Looking to add a modern touch to a classic design? HardiePlank lap siding is perfect for adding cozy, contemporary flair to traditional house designs.
The Beaded Smooth texture adds a clean, inviting look—perfect for modern farmhouse homes. And the Colonial Smooth texture is the ideal option for modernizing your historic house.
Benefits of Hardie Siding
No matter which design option you choose, all Hardie siding comes with these awesome benefits:
- Durable: Withstands powerful rain, wind, snow, and hailstorms and resists water damage, rot, mold, and mildew
- Low-Maintenance: Resists color fading and storm damage for simple care
- Beautiful: Adds valuable curb appeal to your home
- Pest-Resistant: Combats damage from woodpeckers, insects, and other pests
- Lasting Warranty: Comes with a 30-year, transferrable, non-prorated warranty
Modernize Your Home with J.D. Hostetter
When you’re ready to transform your Indiana home with fresh, modern Hardie siding, our team at J.D. Hostetter would love to help!
As a James Hardie Elite Preferred Contractor, we are proud to maintain the high standards of service, installation, and dependability set by the James Hardie company. We’re experts at installing Hardie siding so that we can steer you to the best colors, textures, and styles for your contemporary or modern home design. Learn more about our siding services to discover the excellent benefits of installing beautiful, long-lasting Hardie siding with our professional, trustworthy team!
