A farmhouse is the main house where a farm family lives, typically located on or near the land they work. Picture a sturdy home surrounded by fields, barns, and perhaps an orchard or vegetable garden, built to withstand hard use and changing seasons.

Traditional farmhouses were designed for practical farm life: mudrooms for removing dirty boots, large kitchens for preparing meals for hungry workers, and porches where farmers could watch over their land. Many had root cellars for storing vegetables through winter and extra bedrooms for large families or seasonal workers. The style varies by region and era, from white New England colonials to sprawling Midwestern homes, but they all share that connection between home and working land.

Today, the word also describes a decorating style that borrows from these practical roots: simple wooden furniture, white or neutral colors, open shelving, and objects that look functional rather than fancy. People sometimes call this farmhouse style even if their actual house is in a suburb or city, nowhere near a real farm.