A Bright and White Farmhouse

A large one-plan living room and dining area with white walls and black frame windows. The furniture is also painted a dark black to match the white farmhouse's black and white color scheme.

Photography by 1593 Studio

Peek inside a new white farmhouse in Kansas brimming with clean lines and classic colors.

On the outside, this white farmhouse style home in Olathe, Kansas is awash in a brilliant white hue. “We wanted our home’s exterior to prepare guests for what’s inside,” says homeowner Jennie Hilligus. Together, Jennie and her husband Scott, a realtor, wanted the modern farmhouse style designs of their dreams, but with an infusion of timeless elements.

The home's white exterior and pops of cedar wood accents prepare guests for the white and black farmhouse colors within. — By the time Scott and Jennie’s lot became available, the subdivision had opened up to those who wanted to bring in their own contractors. The subdivision’s organizers had to approve the couple’s building design. There are only 6 or 8 different types of homes in the neighborhood, “and then there is ours,” Scott says. “It is a very unique home, and the only one like it on the block.”

“My whole goal for this house was to go for a black and white color scheme,” says Jennie. “But I softened the pairing with the natural wood. I wanted classic and basic, from the plain simple lines in the stove hood to the fireplace.” The result is a crisp and classic white farmhouse that the couple adores because “it reminds us of an old farmhouse that would be white and black,” starting from the curb where you can see the white exterior with black windows.

The fireplace has a touch of shiplap painted white to fit the white farmhouse — A touch of shiplap and open wood shelves offer a sweet nod to black and white modern farmhouses popularized in recent years. Although the stone tile is charcoal black, in different lighting, it appears blue.

Fade to Black

The couple selected touches of black wherever possible inside their white farmhouse. “We chose black window frames. They are like picture frames framing the beauty of outside,” Scott says. All the windows are the same vinyl material, while the window in the back offers up the unique view of the cedar wood ceiling on the bottom of the roof at the back of the house.

The open floor plan includes a massive white and black kitchen island — The kitchen island is black with a white quartzite countertop. Hanging pendant lights add a dash of elegance and were made custom for the kitchen. The island’s massive size offers additional room for guests.

Pops of wood figure elsewhere in the home, offering a nice juxtaposition with the touches of black. The cedar car siding (formally used inside train cars), is a style on trend and are present in the roof’s peaks. These help augment the interlocking tongue and groove wood in the back deck ceiling.

Meanwhile, the home’s wood flooring is all engineered hardwood. All this pairs nicely with the dramatic moments of black in the house, from the built-in black cabinet to the grouting in the guest bathroom. “The shower is white subway tile with black grout that goes all the way up to the ceiling. We made sure the shower was clear glass to show off our color choices,” Scott says.

The dining room chairs come in a checkered black and white pattern to fit the large black built-in cabinetry sitting beside the table. — The chandelier above the dining table is a custom job. It leans more industrial in tone compared to some of the other items in the (black and)white farmhouse.

Vanilla Vibes

Scott and Jennie selected different white hues to underscore the flexibility of the classic color. Just like there are so many different vanilla flavors—from country vanilla to French vanilla—there are perhaps even more shades inside a white farmhouse.

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For example, the window and door trim is a very different white from that of the walls. The trim is a Sherwin Williams Highly Reflective White, while the walls are a Sherwin Williams French Vanilla. Pairing the two immediately next to each other this way makes the French Vanilla seem almost like a soft gray.

A large cloudy window is made so to obscure the above ground tub surrounded by concrete tiles in the master bathroom — In the primary bathroom, the bathtub sits beside an above tile that looks rosy in hue. But in actuality, the tile is supposed to be a gray concrete. Here, the French vanilla paint color of the walls takes on almost a blueish undertone next to the tile’s warm colors.

Mixing Styles

The home also combines differing farmhouse styles. Many of the light fixtures lean a little industrial farmhouse. Yet the large fan above the main living space is clearly a nod to modern farmhouse. Meanwhile, the shiplap in the fireplace is a subtle allusion to the farmhouse style abodes you might find on Fixer Upper. “We wanted something subtle without overdoing it. We also like barn doors, but we only did one, because we wanted a subtle touch,” says Scott. Subtle, like classic colors and clean lines, offers a big design punch in this white farmhouse style abode.

Oversized white subway style tile is grouted black to complete the look of this mostly white farmhouse kitchen. — Not to be outdone by the black mirror, black and white floor tile or the black rimmed sink, the oversized white subway tile in this white **farmhouse kitchen** is grouted in black to offer a subtle detail some might blink and miss.

Ready for another farmhouse tour? Tour this gorgeous Montana homestead for all the romantic rustic feels. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to get your daily dose of farmhouse inspiration!