Those modern farmhouses have several commonalities that I see at first glance. Examples being (some of which were noted): white exterior, white eaves, black (metal) roofs, black window sashes with minimal white trim, Design elements, not an architectural style. large windows, Ok could be architectural if it had a better description of the type of windows and how they relate to the rest of the house. lots of windows, front porch entry, Design elements, not an architectural style. roof gables with a strong pitch and relatively minimal adornment, Now this describes an architectural element that helps define a type of house. and when there are adornments they’re natural (ie cedar), vertical or horizontal siding (or a mix), and usually a board and batten element. Again, design elements, not an architectural style. The house with the black eaves and stucco in that in one example is clearly an outlier in whatever search you ran. Why would that be an outlier? I actually left off others that were described as Modern Farmhouse but were definitely outliers. Some were painted in colors, etc. In short, what they have in common is a simple, bright exterior with a focus on getting as much natural light into the interior as possible. So does any well designed house. So how does that make it an architectural style. I’m sure there are more commonalities, but I really don’t care whether the small contingency of detractors on this forum is willing to accept the term as a style, architectural or otherwise. I just don’t understand why they can’t stay silent if they don’t care to be helpful. It truly boggles the mind. Because it isn't helpful to just throw out terms that really have no meaning. Ideally people come here not only to help their own homes but also to learn and become a bit more educated. I'm sorry if you don't think that's important.

Here's blue with no shutters... I gotta say, I like it with shutters. Maybe a darker grey shutter with the grey and cream color scheme. **edit: I also saw you were considering SW Alabaster for the cream color. I juuuust painted my living room this color and it reads very white, not off-white. I would consider a creamier color. Also, I would make sure to paint swatches on the trim before committing cause, like Alabaster, they may read differently than on a paint chip or online. I would look at SW Dover White and SW Antique White. My last home had SW Antique White walls and this is an accurate representation of that color (the walls not the trim) vs. other images/paint chips online:

My opinions only. OP, it's a little difficult to know what you mean by making the siding more modern. But to answer your specific questions: 1) Should I alternate siding materials? No. IMO alternating siding material can be done well but for the most part is poorly executed. From what I have seen it becomes a jumble of materials that detracts from the house. 2) Should we incorporate stone? No. Board and batten siding is classic and timeless. Stone is a passing fad in its current application, especially now with it being added to places where it doesn't belong. Don't get me wrong, stone can be appropriate and also classic, but not the way it is thrown about now on the exterior as some sort of stick on applique. Scroll through houzz's images to see which contemporary board and batten home appeals to you. Here is one in white that is contemporary. Naturally you would look for colors that you prefer (dark) rather than the white shown below. This is just to give you an idea of contemporary board and batten siding appearance.

Just a thought: Ideally, studs are installed with "16" centers" -- the center of each stud is 16" away from the adjacent studs. That means you should be able to nail a piece of 4'x8' plywood or particle board, etc., to the studs of your home with the two (4') side edges of each panel overlapping half a stud and also be able to secure each panel to two more studs evenly spaced in between. So, if your home is wrapped in 4'x8' panels and your vertical batten boards are 8" apart, the vertical boards should cover every seam between the panels and can be securely nailed to two other studs, minimizing the likelihood of any warping that might otherwise loosen the vertical boards that are nailed to the panels but not nailed into a stud.