With a resurgence in cabin-style homes and outdoor-inspired designs, there is a lot of talk around creating rustic home exteriors. But don’t make the mistake of confusing ‘rustic’ with ‘basic’! While many homeowners have a single idea of what it means to create a rustic look, there is actually a wide variety of styling options available. And many of these options rely on sophisticated, cutting-edge designs and techniques, meaning you can enjoy a rustic exterior that still has all the luxuries of the modern-day home!
One of the keys to achieving a rustic exterior is integrating building materials that are symbolic of the countryside. We’re talking about log-style siding, heavy limber, stones, and highlighted woodgrain. Relying on these materials ensures that the home will resonate with the outdoor space. It’s also important that palettes match that of an outdoor design. This means steering away from bright, pop-style colors and opting for neutrals and warm, smoky hues.
Rustic Home Exterior Design Ideas
Still stuck on how to create a rustic exterior? For a more precise blueprint, take a look at these five rustic exterior house design ideas, and get inspired to implement them in your own home.
1. Elevate Things
When building a new home, try and save some of the established trees on the lot, as their lofty height can help the house feel like it’s cradled in the high branches. If it’s possible, create multiple terraces on different levels of the home.
Even a small raised patio space or window balcony can rejuvenate the home with outdoor elevation. This allows you to enjoy the outdoor space from higher up, evoking those magical treehouse vibes from childhood.
2. Stay Grounded with the Landscape
Work with the natural landscape to design a layout that blends with the surroundings. If working with a hilly or sloped lot, consider including a basement area or garage that is embedded in the ground. Embracing the natural terrain can make a rustic exterior feel much more organic, rather than forced and structured. This will give your home an effortless rustic exterior that feels more welcoming overall.
3. Provide Protection with a Lodge-Inspired Design
An alternative approach to creating a rustic home exterior is to embrace a lodge-style design, complete with crisp border edges and a sweeping roof space. While this style of structure stands out much more strikingly from the land than other design options, going with a stately A-Frame roof makes the structure appear safe and protective, perfect as a cozy retreat from the surrounding outdoors.
4. Create Eccentric Multi-Levels
Another great option for rustic home exteriors is to implement several multi-level features in the structure’s layout. Skylights, smokestacks, second-story windows, lookouts, balconies and entryway steps all contribute to an eccentric mish-mash of surprising features, which has a way of mimicking the playful eccentricities of nature itself, along with achieving rich visual texture.
When presented in an earthy color palette, this mix of fun design elements with a variation of shapes delivers an overall rustic impression.
5. Keep it Modest with a Traditional Ranch
Finally, embrace the idyllic ‘home on the range’ with a traditional ranch-style structure. Modest in features, ranch homes are typically single-story structures with a long block-like appearance, making them great options for open lots that are somewhat bare or free from landscape challenges, like hills, lakes or trees.
Because of their well-known association with the frontier and open-plan landscapes, ranch homes maintain a rustic exterior by provoking the classic Americana design aesthetics of a life on the prairie. Compact and basic in design, ranch homes make it possible to present a rustic exterior that is still equipped with all the essentials of modern living.
Take these rustic exterior house design ideas into consideration when planning your next project, and you’ll be sure to achieve a rustic aesthetic that is nothing short of inviting!
