How to give a cookie-cutter home a more custom look
When it comes to designing a home interior that reflects you and your lifestyle, nothing beats customizing everything from the bathroom tile to the drawer pulls. But when so much of the housing built since World War II falls under the broad umbrella of cookie cutter, it can be challenging to create a personalized space.
Modern farmhouse — an architectural style known for its white exteriors with black windows, blonde wood floors and an unobtrusive neutral color palette — is just the latest mass-produced style to dominate neighborhoods, including those nowhere near a farm. It instantly appeals to the Instagram generation, in part because it seems to harness both yesteryear and today’s clean lines in equal measure.
“The look gives ‘Little House on the Prairie,’ but without the diphtheria,” says Mark Eckstrom of Studio Eckström in Omaha. “‘The Waltons,’ with WiFi.”
But not everyone wants to buy the farm — or a mass-produced Colonial, split-foyer or boxy ranch, for that matter. “Many people are coming to us saying, ‘I do not want that,’” says Jim Rill, of Bethesda, Md. firm Rill Architects, of the modern farmhouse style. Or if they love it, they may want to tweak it to be more individualized. We consulted the pros to figure out how to make any cookie cutter space feel more current and custom, from the inside out. Here are their suggestions.
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