Bungalow Design Ideas: Style Your Bungalow Like a Pro
Posted by Justin Havre Real Estate Team on Thursday, February 27th, 2025 at 8:00am.
The variety of home styles available to homebuyers is vast, ranging from modern masterpieces to Tudor revivals, but bungalow homes are among the most unique and popular styles on the market today.
Common characteristics of bungalow style architecture include their one-storey height, compact size, broad front porches, distinctive roofs, and open living areas with high ceilings. Many different homeowners enjoy the coziness and comfort found in bungalow-style houses, and everyone can enjoy the benefits of the bungalow.
Decorating a bungalow to meet your tastes often involves embracing the distinctive features of the bungalow architecture and working to make your decor and house layout work together. Keep reading to find out how to decorate and style your bungalow like a professional.
Bungalow Exterior Design
Designing the exterior of a bungalow home can be a fun and rewarding experience. There are a variety of ways to go about it, and the best way is to take advantage of what nature and the home's structure provides.
Take Advantage of Your Bungalow's Front Porch
Large front porches are a defining feature of bungalow-style homes, so investing in decor that creates an inviting outdoor space is well worth your time. The front porch of a bungalow often extends quite a bit from the front door and can stretch nearly the entire length of the home, meaning you have plenty of space to work with.
Consider these elements to enhance your bungalow's porch:
- Comfortable seating - Porch swings, rocking chairs, and weather-resistant couches create conversation areas and relaxation spots
- Textiles and softness - Outdoor rugs, cushions, and throw pillows add warmth and comfort while defining the space
- Container gardens - Potted plants, hanging baskets, and window boxes bring natural elements to your porch space
- Ambient lighting - String lights, lanterns, and sconces extend the usability of your porch into evening hours
- Seasonal decorations - Rotate accessories like wreaths, door mats, and accent pieces to keep your porch fresh throughout the year
By thoughtfully furnishing and decorating your porch, you create an extension of your living space that enhances the charm and character of your bungalow while creating an inviting first impression for guests.
Add a Garden to Embrace Nature
Including natural materials in a bungalow's structure isn't the only way to embrace its relationship with nature. Consider adding a garden to the front yard—even a small one will do the trick. When planning a garden, it's important to consider the size and layout of the property, as well as the amount of sunlight that it receives. Once a homeowner has a plan in place, they can begin to choose plants that will thrive in your space. Native plants are always a good choice, as they are already adapted to the local climate.
Once your plants are in place, don't forget to add some mulch or stones to help retain moisture and prevent weed growth. Stones in particular add another layer of mixed and natural materials to the home. Added bonus? If the garden is well-maintained, it may even add to the curb appeal of the home.
Bungalow Interior Design
While the exterior of your bungalow creates that crucial first impression, the interior is where you'll spend most of your time and express your personal style. The seamless connection between indoor and outdoor spaces is a hallmark of bungalow design, making it important to create a cohesive flow between your exterior and interior design choices.
When it comes to designing the interior of a bungalow home, there are a few key principles to keep in mind. Because of the nature of this style of home, you'll want to create an open and airy space while still making the most of all available square footage. Let's explore some distinctive interior design approaches that highlight the unique character of bungalow architecture.
Highlight Exposed Beams For Rustic Bungalow Decor
One of the more unique characteristics of a bungalow-style house is the exposed beams that can run through the interior, exterior, and porch. Exposed beams naturally lend themselves to a more rustic decor style, similar to cabins or Arts & Crafts style homes. By using rustic decor to highlight the exposed beams and play into the natural elements of a bungalow, you can increase the compatibility between your style and the original elements of your home.
Rustic decor is recognizable for its use of natural, aged, rough, and casual elements that bring a cozy, warm, and natural vibe to a home. Weathered wood accents, faux rusted metal, and earthy colour palettes play into a natural rustic decor aesthetic. Rustic styles avoid some of the coldness found in modern design and increase the charm and original features of your bungalow home.
Showcase Artwork That Complements Bungalow Architecture
Selecting and displaying artwork in a bungalow requires thoughtful consideration of the home's architectural character and intimate scale. The right pieces can enhance your bungalow's charm while expressing your personal style without overwhelming the space.
For traditional bungalows, consider artwork that reflects the Arts and Crafts movement that inspired many bungalow designs. Nature-inspired prints, landscape paintings, and handcrafted textile art pieces complement the organic elements of bungalow architecture. Look for pieces featuring warm earth tones, forest scenes, or botanical illustrations that echo the connection to nature that bungalows celebrate.
When it comes to placement, take advantage of your bungalow's architectural features. Position smaller pieces between exposed beams or within built-in cabinetry to create visual conversation between the art and the home's structure. For larger walls, a statement piece can serve as a focal point, but be mindful of scale—oversized artwork can overwhelm smaller bungalow rooms.
Gallery walls work particularly well in bungalows, allowing you to display multiple pieces while respecting the home's proportions. Consider mixing mediums—photographs, prints, paintings, and textile art—while maintaining a cohesive color palette that ties into your overall interior scheme. Proper lighting is crucial; picture lights or well-placed sconces can highlight artwork while adding to the cozy, layered ambiance that makes bungalows so inviting.
For a more modern take, black and white photography or minimalist prints can create striking contrast against warm wood tones common in bungalow interiors, bridging traditional architecture with contemporary artistic sensibilities.
Embrace a Craftsman Bungalow with Natural Materials
While bungalows and craftsman-style houses aren't the same, many bungalows are made with craftsman styling and details. When it comes to Canadian house styles, bungalows will often have craftsman features like built-ins, stone or cedar facades, low-pitched roofs, exposed beams, and wooden carvings and detailing.
You can embrace a craftsman-style bungalow by integrating natural materials into your decor process. Hand-scraped wooden floors provide a natural yet luxurious touch to your bungalow house, and adding additional wooden detailing to your home additionally increases the connection between craftsman and bungalow.
Another way to combine craftsman and bungalow styles is in the colouring of your decor. Dark wood, minimal bright paint colours, and natural, muted colours are all hallmarks of craftsman-style homes that can make their way into your interior and exterior bungalow design.
Designing a Modern Bungalow House
Most people would love to have a home with character, history, and style. However, many older homes lack features that are popular in modern homes. Luckily, there are ways to update an older bungalow without losing its unique charm.
Modernize an Older Bungalow with Light, Bright Spaces
While bungalows built in the modern era often have plenty of large windows, white walls, and bright spaces, an older bungalow might not have the exact features already in existence. To modernize your traditional bungalow, creating light, bright spaces is essential.
Bungalows are a tiny home style, meaning that to get the most out of your space, you need to highlight the available space. A lack of light, too many dark elements and even blocky furniture can make your bungalow home look smaller than it is. Embracing styles that add light and brightness to your home is a great fix that doesn't involve replacing windows or restyling the exterior of your house.
White paint can go a long way. Even lighter shades of grey and other light-coloured paints can help you add more light to a room than dark shades of paint will. When rooms are lightly coloured, they appear more prominent and allow natural light to reflect and increase the brightness in the room. An open floor plan also helps optimize the available space with large living areas and more opportunities for natural light to spread.
Other light-coloured features like quartz counters and reflective surfaces like stainless steel appliances can also help brighten and lighten an older-style bungalow without needing to do any significant exterior or design renovations.
Modernize a Bungalow With an Updated Exterior
When it comes to modern home design, there are a few key principles that tend to be followed. First and foremost, modern design is all about simplicity and clean lines. This means that homes tend to have a more streamlined look, with fewer ornate details and embellishments. In addition, modern homes often make use of natural materials, such as wood and stone, which help to create a more organic feel. This fits in nicely with the rustic nature of bungalows. Another common element of modern design is the incorporation of large windows, which help to bring in natural light and connect the indoors with the outdoors.
If a homeowner is looking to modernize the exterior of their bungalow home without doing heavy renovations, there are a few things they can do. For example, changing the doors and windows can make a big difference. Look for windows with wood framing, and doors with windows to let in light. These changes will give the home a clean, symmetrical look that is popular in modern design. In addition, there's always the option of repainting where necessary—a fresh new coat of paint makes a home feel new, which can go hand-in-hand with modern design.
Creating Your Perfect Bungalow Home
Bungalows offer a unique blend of history, character, and livable comfort that continues to attract homeowners across Canada. Whether you prefer to highlight traditional craftsman elements, modernize with bright, open spaces, or blend different design approaches, your bungalow provides the perfect canvas for creative expression. The key to successful bungalow design lies in respecting the home's architectural integrity while making thoughtful choices that reflect your personal style and meet your modern needs.
Remember that bungalows were designed with intention—each architectural element serves both practical and aesthetic purposes. By embracing these features rather than fighting against them, you'll create a harmonious living space that feels both timeless and personal. With their efficient use of space, connection to natural elements, and versatile design potential, bungalows offer limitless possibilities for creating your ideal home, regardless of whether you prefer traditional charm or contemporary simplicity. With so many amazing neighbourhoods with bungalow style homes in Calgary, everyone is sure to find a house that suits their style.
