CREATING CONTEMPORARY HOME DESIGNS WITH DIFFERENT SIDING MATERIALS

August 12, 2022

Imagine a contemporary home. What do you see? Images of contemporary buildings might include smooth textures, color blocking, inverted shapes, glass and metal features, or industrial details. “Contemporary homes” may mean different things to different people, but one likely common idea is that it means new and fresh. What does that mean for designing the exterior of a home? Whether you’re using new materials or the same types of siding people have used for decades, you can build something fitting the latest contemporary styles.

First, let’s consider some of the trends in contemporary design. What does it mean to be contemporary? Here are some things we’re seeing in recent trends.


EXTERIOR PATTERNS TO CREATE INFINITE STYLES

Patterns and patterns within them. Blocks. Vertical stripes. Seams. Notches. In contemporary design, there is often a mix of protrusions and cantilevered areas, recesses, and cavernous areas. The use of multiple cladding patterns is an intentional choice and important to developing a balanced and sleek look. Protrusions and recesses draw the correct level of focus from the curb, while the patterns require a closer view to appreciate the intricacy of contemporary design.

Lines, waves, bumps, and color gradients are the finer point of contemporary architectural design. For instance, a monochromatic color scheme with an added touch such as the line of a groove or a little wave of sheen, takes the monotonous out of monochromatic. Shifts in surface grain, size and direction allow homes to have enough -- but not too much -- variety.


CONTEMPORARY IS NOT THE OPPOSITE OF TRADITIONAL

Let’s say a homeowner wants to modernize a farmhouse or craftsman. Many exterior siding panels and boards have simple enough patterns, such as a wide vertical stripe, to keep the significance and sophistication and end the dated feel. By keeping the colors in a family and adding vertical lines and a few trim details, a home can be brought into this century with style. Contemporary homes can project a dramatic appearance despite the overall simplicity of their design. With mostly flat-face exteriors and low-pitched or flat rooflines, contemporary homes need the visual interest that natural stone can bring to a structure.

BLOCKING IS THE HALLMARK OF CONTEMPORARY

Larger, smoother formats, mixed profiles and blocking often define contemporary style. Those protrusions and recessed areas need style of their own and must also counterbalance. Multiple panel sizes must quite literally fit into the home’s exterior design. Often in a more contemporary home, the design is planned from the “outside - in” to accommodate exterior specifications, which are also typically more dramatic than non-contemporary homes. This means taller ceilings, lighting closer to windows, flatter rooflines and more.

Hefty looks, such as a surface that mimics concrete, or a touch of something unordinary adds amazing depth and interest to a home’s exterior. For instance, outsized verticality is achieved with the addition of a fiber cement or other type of panel that exceeds the height of adjoining panels. Siding panels can even be used as faux entrances, columns, gates, entryways, and hardscaping to create a contemporary look that can even be described as modern-artistic.


COMBINING SIDING TYPES INTO A COHESIVE, MODERN LOOK

Minimalist and modern style is often associated with contemporary. When you think of minimalism, each part must impress and not compete. Often, siding must compliment unique use of glass, concrete, and metal in addition to other sidings.
When you think of how these surfaces must work together in a more complex way, it’s easy to see how it takes a special eye to balance that complexity and not overdo any element. Fiber cement, wood, vinyl, and natural mineral are the most trendy and most used siding materials, and manufacturers have created a contemporary niche or two within these categories. Because contemporary home design can be unique in style, color, and material, these niche categories offer great benefits.

FIBER CEMENT PRODUCERS HAVE EMBRACED CONTEMPORARY TO THE FULLEST

Large fiber cement manufacturers have latched onto contemporary design with architectural and premium collections that evoke modern-day luxury. For homeowners who can see their home’s design potential, these collections can be integrated and combined with other collections and materials as well as trims, soffits, gutters, and shingles to create unique combinations to suit any style. Fiber cement is the most versatile of the siding categories.



MIXING MATERIALS TO CREATE CONTEMPORARY LOOKS

While fiber cement has taken on the characteristics of other siding choices, some other often-used categories have taken on the characteristics of less-used categories. Let’s discuss materials that complement each other to enhance contemporary looks. Wood, vinyl, stone, brick, and metal can compliment fiber cement:


WOOD

Wood may conjure an image of a cabin or some other old-fashioned home, but that image is not reality anymore. Wood houses can be all-wood, but they do not have to be. There are infinite ways to incorporate contemporary wood siding. Think wood varieties, pattern variation, and format variation. The opportunities for using wood siding on home exteriors are near endless.

VINYL

The spectrum of color options and patterns in vinyl make vinyl an intriguing option for contemporary siding. There is also a new material known as luxury vinyl siding. This higher quality vinyl provides more design options and can even bring a more industrial detail.

STONE AND BRICK

Three different stone and brick design elements make for several different design options to play with. See what they are below.

METAL

Variety is the spice of life and contemporary metal siding offers several options. Metal siding materials include aluminum, steel, copper, zinc, and combination metals. Like stone and brick, with metal siding options, you can have limitless variety.

THREE DESIGN ELEMENTS OF STONE AND BRICK

  • Color – Smooth limestone or slate panels can be found in every neutral color shade, from pale white to deep onyx, and arranged to highlight simple contemporary angles and planes.
  • Texture – Composite stone panels can also supply the illusion of texture while keeping a smooth finish critical to many modern home designs. Some contemporary homes may include floor-to-ceiling glass walls that substitute for traditional paneled windows. These tend to look best when surrounded by equally smooth surfaces.
  • Shape and Profile – In terms of design, stone and brick can be thick or thin, tall, or stumpy, long, or short.

All these variations are appreciated in contemporary design. Stone and brick can be hand crafted to meet certain specifications, or simulated stone can be chosen to compliment or overcome shortages of the real variety.


WE CAN HELP WITH YOUR NEXT SIDING PROJECT

With so many options available, it’s a great time to consider how you want to design a new home or redesign an existing one. Visit your local Builders FirstSource to speak with one of our experts or submit a quote request if you’d like to talk about how we can help with your siding project.

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