Why Your Modern Farmhouse Looks Like a Chapel (and How to Fix It)

The Scenario

A homeowner recently asked:

I'm building a Scandinavian-modern home in a Texas HOA, but everyone says the central gable looks like a church. How do I simplify the design without starting over?

The GardenOwl Diagnosis

The Assessment

You are building a dream home in a Texas HOA, aiming for "Scandinavian Modern"—clean lines, calm vibes, and minimal fuss. But now that the renderings are back, something feels off, negatively impacting your curb appeal. The neighbors are asking if you're opening a community church. The builder thinks it looks fine, but your gut says it’s too stiff, too vertical, and frankly, too institutional. You are stuck in a sea of McMansions trying to build something timeless, but you have accidentally fallen into The Ecclesiastical Massing Syndrome—a common outcome where poor glazing patterns and material choices create a public, "chapel-like" identity instead of a private residential feel.

The Trap: The “Arrow to Heaven”

The reason this house screams “church” isn't the steep roof pitch; it’s the glazing pattern. Look at that central gable. You have a massive bank of windows that follows the roofline all the way to a sharp point at the peak.

In religious architecture, that upward-pointing arrow is intentional. It draws the eye upward, toward the heavens. In residential design, however, it just looks like a lobby. It creates a vertical velocity that feels public, not private. When you combine that with rigid symmetry and stark white stucco, you lose the “home” feeling entirely.

The Solution: Grounding the Design

We don't need to tear down the framing to fix this. We just need to stop the eye from shooting off into space and bring the focus back down to the human level.

1. Kill the Triangle Window

This is the single most effective change you can make. Square off the top of that window bank. Do not let the glass follow the roof pitch to the peak. Leave a solid, distinct triangle of wall material (stucco or siding) above the windows.

By capping the glass horizontally, you “ground” the structure. It tells the viewer's eye, “This is the top of the living space.” It immediately reads as residential rather than institutional.

2. Warm Up the Void

Right now, you have a high-contrast “Stormtrooper” color palette: stark white walls against a black roof. It’s harsh, especially in the bright Texas sun. A true Scandinavian vibe relies on natural materials to soften those clean lines.

I recommend cladding the recessed entry area—the walls flanking the front door—in a warm, horizontal material. Clear cedar or a modified timber like Thermowood works wonders here. This does two things: it breaks up the monotony of the stucco, and it signals where the humans go. It pulls the eye down to the door.

Warning: You might be tempted to just paint the stucco a dark color to hide the massing, but be careful. Thinking of Painting Your Stucco House Black? The 'Thermal Shock' Risk You Need to Know.

3. Break the “Runway” with Landscape

Your current hardscape plan is reinforcing the chapel vibe. A straight driveway and a straight sidewalk leading directly to the center of the house creates a “runway” effect. It forces symmetry.

Don't let the builder pour that standard concrete path. Instead:

• Curve the Approach: Design a walkway that approaches from the side or meanders slightly. It forces a slower pace and breaks the rigid visual line.
• Soft Plantings: You need loose, organic textures to fight the hard architectural lines. Since you are in Texas, look for native plants that can handle the heat. A multi-trunk Texas Redbud or Desert Willow placed off-center in the front yard will do heavy lifting to screen the corners of the house and add depth.
• Avoid the “Red Mulch” Mistake: When you are planting, keep the ground cover natural. The 'Red Mulch' Trap: How to Prep Your Garden for Real Estate Photos explains why dyed mulch ruins the high-end look you are going for.

Visualizing the Result

It is hard to convince a builder to change a window order based on a hunch. You need to see it first. Using a tool like GardenDream allows you to test these changes—squaring the window, adding the wood siding, and placing the trees—virtually. It’s a safety net against expensive regrets.

If you want to test this on your own yard, upload a photo to our Exterior Design App and see what this design would look like in your space.