Sounds like you have a good feel for your budget and a good crew to do the work. Now you just need ideas. Besides us offering you some, I would suggest that you and your wife start collecting photos and put them into your Ideabooks. Since the fireplace is going to be more than likely the focal point of the room, then I would start with figuring that out first. Though you have an idea for it, spend some time looking at photos of fireplaces. You might surprise yourself and discover you want to go in a different direction or might find a photo or two that incorporates wood but not in a shiplap way. Once you get the fireplace figured out then you'll have a better feel for what else to do with the walls and ceiling.

I don't have cable, so the whole farmhouse thing baffled me for a while. All of a sudden, every other post was "We want to do modern farmhouse," and I was just clueless as to what that meant (I grew up on a farm. Nothing in Joanna Gaines' 'farmhouse style' reminds me of real farmhouses). I don't hate the look, but when EVERYONE seems to be doing the same style, whether their homes are Craftsman, Colonial, Tudor, Mid-Century Modern, or what have you, it's easy to get frustrated with a trend (any trend, really). Putting a trendy look in a home that it doesn't really suit is how things end up looking very, very dated 10 years down the line. Hence my advice to do Farmhouse lite--embrace some of the elements (like paint color) that can be changed easily down the road, home in on what exactly you like about about the look (you can do light and airy without shiplap), identify the style of your house and figure out what elements of that style you can marry with the farmhouse elements, and you've got a recipe for success.

I'm more hopeful for your project now that I know that the sofas in the LR pic, and their questionable arrangement, don't reflect your interior design "eye." ; - )

People are so farmhouse snobby. yeesh. No it's not going to look 100% farmhouse. do you have chickens and a barn outside too? because it's not going to be farmhouse style without y'all changing your lives and becoming ranchers. (note the sarcasm). anyway, I like your ideas and think it'll look nice with a farmhouse-ish style.

No it's not going to look 100% farmhouse. do you have chickens and a barn outside too?

Err. Yes. Soon to add sheep, ducks, and possibly a Dutch belted cow.

"Urban Farmhouse" is just something of an oxymoron. I think the idea is to try to recapture some of the nostalgia and comfort of that milieu. I'm just not sure why people think piles of galvanized vessels of unknown function covering shelves everywhere do that. Usually we leave the sap buckets in the sugar shack.

And plastering the latest trend on a house it doesn't fit in is usually a mistake.

Studying that style for elements that might work in that space, OTOH, is never a bad idea.

Medium brown hardwood floors will be pretty easy to work around in the future, whatever the next trend may be. Shiplap, OTOH, is utterly out of place in this space and might be hard to get rid of later. As to a stone fireplace, use caution and try to (again) pick something that goes with the house and is NOT uber trendy. Look through the threads here for all the people trying to figure out how to change some of the stone fireplaces from past eras that don't work with more modern styles.

There are ways to get that light and airy aesthetic that don't fight (as hard) with your house. So maybe something like this (although I still dislike the shiplap. The arched fireplace would echo the arched doorways):

Or this It's an entryway, but clever use of wainscotting could help tie those doors into a brighter aesthetic:

And not this (which is not going to age all that well)

I think it’s definitely doable, but it won’t come cheap (if you truly want to give it that “farmhouse” (dirty word) look/feel. Personally, I don’t think your house has any kind of style to really embrace. You have a mixture of things going on there with some traditional, some contemporary etc. and if you were to strip much of it away (lighting, trim, flooring), you’d have an empty shell with not too much style or personality which can then be made to look very farmhouse imo.

I made a little ideabook for you. Take note of the ceilings. I think working on the ceilings ($) would make a huge difference in the space. That and the floors will go a long way in changing the feel. The fireplace insert and mantle will need to be dealt with as well as the trim (paint trim white and if budget allows, replace it with better).

Also, at first I thought to do away with the arched openings and square them off, but actually, with a little creativity, they can remain....but again, it will cost to make them fit with your vision. See the arched doorways in the ideabook for some ideas.

So, IMO the two things that will make the largest impact would be ceiling treatments and flooring. Then of course trim, paint, fireplace, mantle and arched opening enhancement.

It's not a question of being snobby. It's a question of having the "hardscape" (or the interior equivalent) available in one's house that's necessary in order to achieve the desired result. The posters here are trying to help the OP and his wife work with what they have.

By the way, I'd add a coffee table, some end tables, table lamps and a floor lamp. Is that the front door in photo #3? If so, do you use the front door at all? Do you need to create some sort of entry, or is there something there that we just can't see in the photo?

I'm totally baffled that you flip houses (and so have experience in style, I assume) and, yet, are wanting to do a modern farmhouse look where it's practically impossible to achieve it.

Please consider something that's do-able. What other styles do you like that might work here? Personally, I can see something of a lodge-look working...

I'm all for positivity and I think I have a can-do attitude here (I never say never) but I am at a loss. The ceilings maybe...but this whole look is like a total do over. And you might be over-improving for the market which wouldn't be a sound financial decision. Not my business, but please think carefully.

Didn’t mean to suggest the 2-story great room photo with trim on walls was “farmhouse.” The OP asked for ideas to break up a tall wall, so that was just one idea.

But I’m still baffled as to why an innocuous term like farmhouse style seems to provoke people. If the OP likes the aesthetic, where’s the sin?

There's no sin at all...but you can only "bend" the style of a house to a certain degree...and even then it only works with specific styles.

Admittedly, I view the concept of "farmhousing" various McMansions with approximately the same degree of warmth that actual peasants probably viewed Marie Antoinette playing dairy maid.

However, in this case, the "sin" is slathering something into a part of the house that doesn't relate to the rest and never will. Mostly because it's going to very quickly look "wrong" in that house to an extent that won't happen with those that have the right bones to relate to it.

We tend to get into this circular argument about "farmhouse" and whether it is an architectural style or a decor style or none of the above. With the proponents usually insisting it is all of those because "you know what I mean when I use the term." And this is, in part, true. Using the word invokes St. JoAnna and all the baggage that comes with that.

OTOH, it sounds like the OP is actually looking for a light, comfortable style that is casual and warm at the same time. That part is totally doable, if we can let go of the "farmhouse" thing and look for elements that work with the rest of the house. Changing the arched doorways won't alter the fact that Fixer Upper style doesn't relate.

By all means, if "farmhouse" is blocking people from sharing ideas with the OPs, then drop the label and get on with helping them. A discussion of which types of homes are/aren't appropriate candidates for farmhouse style could be its own thread - and maybe already is.

BTW I think Holly Stockley's advice so far has been really good.

"I’m still baffled as to why an innocuous term like farmhouse style
seems to provoke people. If the OP likes the aesthetic, where’s the
sin?"

There's no sin in liking the farmhouse aesthetic. That's not the point people are trying to make. What they are saying is that, if he likes the farmhouse aesthetic, he should not have bought this house because its fundamental structure, its bones, are too far removed from farmhouse to ever make a comfortable fit. That's not to say he can't have a light, airy and relaxing house, but all the shiplap in the world isn't going to make it a farmhouse. Or anything close. He needs to broaden his decorating vision beyond the limits of the farmhouse idea.

I love the idea of adding beams and stone. This is going to be so beautiful when you are done. Nice light paint and gorgeous rugs on wood floors. Who cars what you call the style if it is comfortable and gorgeous.

This was so fun to look for inspiration photos. I would do do the entire fireplace niche in stone and color the TV set with wood “shutters” or barn doors.

Hey Justin Blue - Please don't give up. There are some really helpful people on these forums. Maybe if you try a new thread with your same pictures and a few specific questions, you'll have better luck. It's probably just a lot of miscommunication going on here. Hopefully groveraxle will respond to your new thread.

Justin, you do have good ideas for achieving what you want. You stated them in your original post. The only question I see, is what to do with the wall with the sofas because it's so big.

The answer to these sorts of questions (about tall walls) in these forums, is not to decorate up high, but just to decorate at human eye level. There are numerous examples of this out there in internet-land. Once you look at a lot of that sort of thing, you'll develop a feel for it.

However, in your case, that furniture is set up in a way that could work a lot better.

I'd put the TV on the big wall (or some other wall), at eye level when you're sitting down. (I believe cawaps discussed this upthread.) It's a shame to have all those walls and the TV way up in the air, and above the fireplace. Additionally, with all that space, you may enjoy pulling your furniture away from the walls and setting up groupings based on the furniture. When you scroll up and see all of those lovely images, you'll note that they don't place the sofas against the walls, as a general rule.

I understand how it might seem to you that people are being stuckup. But I do believe that most are trying to help you. Take some advice, throw the rest away. Move on. It's exciting to have a new house. I know I've made some decorating mistakes before....but far fewer since I've spent time in these forums... And if you know what you're going to like, then you'll still like it when it's in. Good luck.

Justin.....I think you can make this really nice. Not that difficult....you just need some money :)

Pardon my crude photoshopping but I’m on a tiny phone doing this with a big finger :)

The new flooring will change the space dramatically. Re:the fireplace. I would stay away from shiplap but there are other molding options. I think Studio McGee did a good job taking this dated home in a fresh direction you might appreciate. The reconfigure of the fireplace starts around 6:40. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf2-ZXL5Cd4

Good Luck!

New floors [natural wood], new light fixtures, paint the walls and fireplace surround to a lighter colour, you will have a more modern look. I think people are sick to their back teeth of the term modern farmhouse on here, but if there are elements of the style that resonate with you, and you do it your way, the resulting look will hopefully be more classic tHan a trendy paint by numbers look.

http://www.buffalomountainmetals.com/fireplaces

https://www.pinterest.ca/gigisnow47/

https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/186829084511456461/

http://www.epicsteelcorp.com/projects/interior/

https://www.dwell.com/article/fireplace-designs-c9ba66ac

I lurk here a lot, and posters here sometimes get wrapped around the axle with terminology and trends. The 'modern farmhouse' / Joanna Gaines thing has been a bit of a lightning rod for a while. @JustinBlue you kind of stumbled into that and unfortunately got to be the recipient of some snarky takes.

I think of 'modern farmhouse' as a kind of shorthand - yeah it usually seems to involve shiplap, but mainly to me it means charm and simplicity and light. Nothing ornate, nothing fussy. A sense of character and some history to a place combined with some elements that are more contemporary. Nothing wrong with any of that - and nothing unique to a true farmhouse either. I don't see why you can't bring the general aesthetic into your house. There are some good ideas in this thread if you tune out some of the negativity.

And sure shiplap is overdone, but the general idea of marrying some traditional elements with a more modern vibe isn't inherently faddish. I saved a picture in an ideabook a few years ago when I was looking for a new sofa; just found it again now that we're renovating and I'm hunting for fireplace inspiration. I just noticed that it's tagged as 'modern farmhouse;' I don't really care. And btw it's from a 2012 renovation, which I think predates the Fixer Upper phenomenon.

Don't blanket snark people here, Justin. We don't get paid enough to be spoken down to :)

Many are trying to help you to see what you can and cannot do with this house, including me.

But if you want to hold your hands over your ears and say "la la la la" then you go right ahead.

Good luck to you and I hope you love your home in whatever style you choose.

I didn’t blank snark people. Isn’t it a blanket snark comment when you said you can’t believe we flip homes because we were asking a question about a design in our home?

No. I said I am baffled....if you flip homes (and I have) then you know that you can only bend a home to different style a certain degree, as I said. But, really, we always kept to the style of the home. I would never put shiplap on an 80's contemporary, for example. It would be incongruous.

I did offer a different solution, but you ignored it.

Good luck and I hope you get lots of other free help. If you don't care for the help, then I suggest you pay a designer.

Justin I’m not a professional designers but I flip homes also. I have to say the whole ship lap Joanne Gaines farmhouse wouldn’t fit your home. But if you like the look go for it also it would be easy for you to sqare out the doors. I also get you wanting a more casual comfortable hone vs contemporary modern. I think adding wood beams vs shiplap sqaring of the doorway hardwood floors and stone fireplace would look good. I m on the board for inspiration and I keep learning from the designers yeah there are folk that come across rude but It’s a free Internet forum so take the good I’ve got great idea for my projects and love Glover photoshop stuff

To all - I'm sorry for my part in this thread going bad. I was thinking today about how I feel when people minimize the principles and practices in my profession, and I was guilty of that with respect to design. Re-reading the thread made me realize how much good information I missed.

caiesl, I reread you posts, and I didn't find a thing to apologize about. You were very positive and friendly.
" Farmhouse" raises a lot of eyebrows, initiates twitches, bring up images of hgtv, etc....
We could all be nicer, as you are. I apoligize if I started anything. as i was probably the first to brong up the dreaded " shiplap" word.

I think one of the problems here has been that "farmhouse" is a "Humpty Dumpty" word. " 'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, 'it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.'"

I look at the examples and mock-ups people have posted, and many of them do not look at all farmhouse to me, even if they do to the people posting them. What the OP thinks is farmhouse is obviously quite different from what I think of as farmhouse.

Farmhouse is a mean nothing word. What is it? I think in many situations on here, it just means what is currently popular, or what has been popular. Where is this fictional farmhouse? That is not clear. When I think of farms there are a lots of things that come to mind, large industrial or functional spaces, silos and chicken houses, function over form, old historic stone cottages with low ceilings, crofts, Quonset huts, structures with exposed beams, pioneer log houses, old homes in Europe with outdoor kitchens and hand applied masonry walls, wood fired cooking, pine kitchen tables with axe hewn legs,........

But I think we all know what HE meant by the term "farmhouse."

If people get all of their design ideas from watching TV, and have not studied design, and (in all likelihood), don't CARE about sophisticated timeless design v. trendy trends...... and, in this case, it's fairly easy to identify the OP as aspiring to the JoannaGaines trend... then a bit of gentleness is in order.

I happily skip over many posts about "best gray paint" and the like, and let others who are giddy about gray have fun helping someone.

Personally, I appreciate the education that some of you provide (for free), but it takes awhile to process the terms, the historical references, and even the names of the traditional styles of decor.

But I think this poor guy's doom was mentioning the word "farmhouse." If he had said "JoannaGaines-theme" instead of "farmhouse theme" probably most of us would not have commented. We need to be a bit more gentle and less judgmental in these circumstances.

That's the whole point: I have no idea what he meant by "farmhouse," because the term means different things to different people. There was no need for either the OP or anyone else to get snarky because some of us don't see what we understand the term "farmhouse" to mean, working in that particular house.

I suspect the other issue here is a difference of opinion about how decor relates to architecture. Some people see it as a continuation of the architecture, while others see it as independent of the architecture. That difference contributes to not a few of the clashes on Houzz.

Yes, I get your point jmm. You're right... I just feel bad that he was so offended I guess.

My thing was not being a decorator or designer, the word farmhouse to myself and my wife = bright white spaces, different textures on walls that are still white with either muted pops of color or black pops of color mixed with wood tones.

It’s just frustrating when people come at this like we bought this type of house and must stick to the architectural style or whatever they fell it needs to be. A lot of people on this thread provided up good opinions, suggestions, etc. Then you get the ones who instead of scrolling on, provide their two cents when it wasn’t needed.

From what I gather there are two different types of people. Those that are traditional, follow by the book and don’t head off course. Then there are those, like myself, that know what we want and don’t care if the other thinks it belongs or not. That is the whole point of having personality and style, to do what you feel you like and want to look at on a daily basis while living in the home.

I hesitate to post again, as I think my last post was a large contributor to the thread veering off course. For that, I am very sorry. I was attempting, rather ineptly, to explain why "Farmhouse" is a trigger word for some, not to denigrate the style or your personal taste.

I, and a lot of folks here on the boards, think that since interior designs goes into an existing physical space, that the space will influence how you see and interpret the interior design. That doesn't mean that you can only have mid-century modern decor in a mid-century house, or neoclassical decor in a neoclassical house. Just that you have to think about how they play together, since you will see the interior IN the house.

That's a philosophical take on interior design that is obviously very different from how flippers in general think about interiors and how you in particular are thinking about the interior for your new house. You've been a remarkably good sport about staying with the thread despite the conflict of philosophies and the (ahem) less-tactful comments. I hope that you do find that some of the advice is useful.

Since you clarified that you like "different textures on walls that are still white," I suggest that you look at stone veneers and at textured relief tiles. Porcelanosa offers a bunch of large format relief tiles that would be suitable for a feature wall, ranging from stone looks to very modern abstracts.

One last comment regarding your last post, and then I will shut up. I don't think that working with constraints makes you less creative; in fact, I think that it makes for more interesting interiors. Some years ago, we had a series of threads on the Kitchens Board called "Design Around This." It started in response to a certain sameness that had overtaken kitchen design of the moment. We'd choose a theme--Victorian house, pink kitchens, rustic modern, animal prints--and everyone would contribute a mood board following that theme. We saw a lot of varied and creative designs out of that process. Ten designers facing the same constraints will come up with 10 different designs.

https://www.elledecor.com/design-decorate/trends/a14479450/scandinavian-design-vs-minimalism/

https://www.pinterest.ca/Stylistmanda/minimalist-scandi-nordic-interiors/

https://91magazine.co.uk/blog/2018/1/17/stylists-guide-scandinavian-minimalism-on-a-budget

https://www.pinterest.ca/glennorcutt/spanish-farmhouse/

https://www.houzz.com/photos/spanish-farmhouse-phbr0lbl-bl~l_147705?m_refid=olm_google_176596187_9773988227_aud-295781792370:dsa-88990102187&pos=1o3&device=t&nw=g&matchtype=b&gclid=CjwKCAjwsIbpBRBNEiwAZF8-zwEmvgRfN2CX2Rf20V-0tHYjrLLq2sg21W0MqyeTFjiiCe8vNpg9thoCj2oQAvD_BwE

https://www.remodelista.com/posts/portuguese-style-homes/

If we saw pictures of what you have in mind it would help immensely. Can you find some pics here on Houzz? And if those couches are yours then you need a different arrangement for them.

Farmhouse and Flipping! You just triggered the entire board!!! They go to bed angry and blame Chip and Jo......

Justin, we built a house in 1985 that reminds me a lot of your house. I really struggled with finding and placing furnishings that fit the scale and drama and rather oddly shaped spaces ( that we specified). We now live in a small farmhouse on a small horse farm. White plastered walls, white painted trim.Much easier.

May I suggest you look at Texas Hill Country farmhouses for inspiration? They tend to be strongly defined but simple, sometimes incorporating "Spanish" elements, if you like those.

( This is kind of random, I do think your front door should be changed. It doesn't seem to fit either farmhouse or the house, in my opinion. You can do better.)

PS. In this soaring space, pay close attention to your fixture choices. I think the one shown in this Hill Country house would fit well, for example, but the right scale, no matter the style, will really make a difference.

I'm not going to read through all the comments since I don't have any specific advice for this house, just for the approach you are using to get it to where you want. Don't worry, justing30, you're not alone. Like many posters, you come on with a vague notion of what you like and bring with you TWO EMPTY IDEABOOKS.

You can make an ideabook for every room, for every wall, if you want. Fill them with photos from Houzz or around the web of rooms you really love. Especially look for spaces with the same architectural features as yours and see what others have done.

There is no substitute for doing your own homework.

Hi Justing, you and your wife need to go into houzz pictures, set your choice of color you’d like to see and look through tons of pictures for ideas. I like barncats suggestions, too. Doing that will also lead to style ideas and from there you may start narrowing down and getting very specific ideas of what you’re wanting. You’ll find that in doing this you will come across ideas that will cause you to say “yes! - that’s it!!!” Make sure you create your idea book so you can go back and reference those ideas. I think I understand the look and feel you’re desiring and it’s definitely achievable. You have a beautiful new space to work with, what an exciting time for you both. :)

Most of our stall muck is composted, so it looks like piles of dirt up against an L shaped fence not visible from our farmhouse, not like piles of manure.I hope.

We do have many neighboring cows on the bluffs ( often wonder why they don't roll away) that we can hear as they change pastures but don't usually see.

No roosters.

nidnay - you’re a very kind person :)

To me, farmhouse and rustic r similar. Poster’s style could lean towards rustic/modern which would definitely work.

Following

Justin, did you like nidnay's rendering above? If this moving towards what you have in mind? I can see it evolving into something like you first described.

We really like their design with the fireplace and fireplace wall. That for sure shows us that is the route we are going with that feature.

Questions:

have you picked out new flooring?

Are you getting all new furniture?

Is it in your budget to square off your doorways?

will all the flooring be wood and the same?

If you could answer these questions I can give you some guidance.