Home design trends: what’s hot , what’s not carpet, wood, tile & vinyl flooring.

design elements often found in this style of house.

While homeowners are still requesting the modern farmhouse look, local builders are noticing a slight decline in its popularity.

“There are some buyers still wanting this look, but we’re seeing more people who are going back to a traditional style home with a modern flair,” said Kathy Dumas, who owns R&K Custom Homes along with her husband, Rich. “Front elevations are cleaner and simpler, without shutters or brick quoins on the corners.”

At CJ Builders, owner Casey Johnson said he is also seeing a slight “cooling” in demand for the farmhouse style.

“For a while, 50% of our homes were modern farmhouse, but we’re starting to see buyers leaning more toward a traditional style,” he said.

Although many buyers still want the modern farmhouse, one thing that probably won’t be included in their home design is shiplap, those horizontal boards that have been covering home walls in the past few years. Made popular by HGTV star Joanna Gaines, shiplap was once considered a must-have by many buyers.

“We have seen a significant drop in requests for shiplap,” confirmed Matt Walraven, who owns Walraven Signature Homes with wife, Danielle.

At Ray Bullins Construction Co., Lisa Bullins, who owns the company along with her husband, Ray, concurred.

“We still use it in some rooms if it makes sense,” Bullins said. “For instance, in a mudroom, where its washability would be warranted.” continued on page 26

Regardless of what style you choose, the most important thing is to make it your own. Bullins likes to mix things up by combining different styles. For instance, she said her company just finished a house with farmhouse elements in the kitchen, while the primary bedroom had more of a boho feel, pulling in features such as rattan and beads.

Two members of the town’s Historical Committee have begun interviewing residents to create a collection of oral histories

By CHRIS BURRITT

SUMMERFIELD – Bruce Petersen and Heather Buttonow, members of Summerfield’s Historical Committee, are searching for stories.

They don’t want snippets of conversations from soccer practice or the supermarket checkout line. Instead, they want to hear pull-upa-chair stories from Summerfield’s past. They’re in a bit of a hurry, too.

“We’re trying to save history before it’s gone,” Buttonow said in a recent interview. Added Petersen, the committee’s chair: “We’ve lost a lot of folks with connections to the area.”

Two deaths of longtime Summerfield residents in the past year and a half have reminded Petersen and Buttonow of a stark reality – the opportunity to collect pieces of history disappears when people die.

The author of “Remembering Summerfield: Glimpses of the Past,” lifelong resident and historian Gladys Scarlette, 92, passed away in August 2021. A year later, Harold “Shorty” Wilson died at the age of 87, bringing to an end half a century of story swapping at Wilson’s Grocery at the corner of Carlson Dairy and Pleasant Ridge Roads. The store was operated by continued on page 29