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GATHER HERE

This eclectic Elmhurst home blends personal treasures with new finds

By Lisa Arnett

It was our dream to build a house together,” says Beth Benck. After hunting for the perfect Elmhurst lot, she and husband Steve Benck are now settled into their new-build dream home. “Like most grandparents, we just wanted a space for our family to gather.”

The Benck family owns West Side Tractor Sales, which has 11 locations in Illinois and Indiana, including one in Naperville. They hired Rich Barnes of Barnes Architects to design their stone and stucco home and serve as construction manager.

The Bencks’ last home was a historic Barrington farmhouse with eight-foot ceilings. “As much as we loved that house, we were kind of looking to blow things out a bit,” Beth says. The family room features a dramatic 16-foot barrel-vaulted ceiling with salvaged wood beams sourced from J. Hoffman Lumber Company in Sycamore. Custom windows by Pella look out onto a bluestone patio with a pergola, fireplace, fountain, and hot tub. Maria Hildebrand, owner of Designing Interiors in Naperville, created a polished, eclectic look to complement the homeowners’ most treasured pieces.

Naperville-based Liam Brex designed the kitchen cabinetry and layout, which includes a metal range hood and an island with refrigerated drawers and a butcher block end cap. Hildebrand stepped in to select finishes. “We selected a very pretty textured backsplash tile from Virginia Tile [in Wood Dale] … that’s actually a mix of different sizes and four different colors,” Hildebrand says.