What’s old is becoming new again.

As recent homebuyers begin to embrace gold accents, farmhouse sinks, and craftsman details, it’s clear that the past is influencing many of the present day’s foremost trends in home design.

Gallagher and Henry team members Sandie Kanakes, Laura Ritchie, and Linda Staszak detail some of the top trends they’re seeing in interior selections, including a few inspired by yesteryear flair.

Farmhouse-Styled Sinks

Apron sinks, once a mainstay of farmhouse kitchens, continue gaining popularity among Gallagher and Henry’s suburban homebuyers, while trough sinks (also known as bucket sinks) have emerged a distinctive choice for the bathroom. Both add a vintage, nostalgic touch to their respective spaces.

Painted Cabinets

While oak cabinetry and stained cabinets once dominated, Kanakes sees many current Gallagher and Henry buyers opting for painted cabinets in a simple design such as the shaker style. In some cases, buyers are going the two-toned route, selecting different paint colors for upper and lower cabinets to add visual drama. In such cases, navy and gray tones are proving especially popular.

Quartz Countertops

Granite remains the countertop go-to, especially for those favoring natural elements, but quartz is gaining steam among buyers. A nearly indestructible, man-made material, quartz isn’t quite as porous as granite and, therefore, more resistant to bacteria. At the recent International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas, Staszak says quartz countertops were the definitive trend in kitchen counters.

Hardwood Floors with a Little Extra Flair

Hardwoods continue to be the flooring of choice for most homebuyers, though a swelling number are selecting hardwoods with a little more panache. The most popular option for a little flair? Five-inch hand-scrapped, pre-engineered hardwoods that carry a more rugged, artisan look, Ritchie says.

Oversized Showers

While some homebuyers continue to favor grand tubs in the master bathroom, there’s growing movement toward larger, seated showers in lieu of a tub. “And especially spa-like spaces featuring oversized showerheads and multiple water sources from the side and above,” Kanakes says.

Glam Lighting

Ritchie has noticed an adventurous spirit among Gallagher and Henry’s most recent homebuyers when it comes to lighting. Fun, crystal chandeliers now adorn bathrooms and bedrooms while bird cage pendants hover over kitchen islands and barrel lights line a kitchen wall as task lights.

Craftsman Doors

While painted white remains the dominant finish on doors, Kanakes and Ritchie have both observed homebuyers leaving the traditional six-panel door behind in favor of craftsman-styled three or five-panel designs. “Anything craftsman is really in style now,” Ritchie confirms.

Sliding Barn Doors

The Joanna Gaines/“Fixer Upper” Effect has spurred robust interest in rustic elements, including sliding barn doors. Such doors serve a functional purpose in dividing two distinct spaces, while also adding a whimsical look to any room.

On Christmas Eve 2018, John and Joan held their first holiday gathering in their new Homer Glen home. Nearly 70 family and friends gathered in the ranch home on a cul-de-sac lot in the Kingston Hills community, the continuation of a family tradition that began decades ago in the couple’s Chicago residence.

“And it couldn’t have gone more beautifully,” Joan says. “You expect a few hiccups when you’re building a new home and settling in, but everything has been seamless.”

When John and Joan first encountered the Amberwood model home in Kingston Hills, the 2,243-square foot home’s open floor plan and thoughtful layout – the master suite sits on one side of the home’s common areas while the additional two bedrooms reside on the opposite wing – immediately impressed.

Yet, John and Joan had some specific requests of both the cosmetic and structural variety, and the couple wondered if Gallagher and Henry would accommodate their desired modifications.

The answer was a resounding yes.

“Almost everything we had questions about, Gallagher and Henry had an answer at the ready,” John says. “They were clear on prices, responsive to any of our questions and told us where we could see product and samples.”

The retired couple details their four favorite changes:

A Full Basement

The couple’s most significant request included turning the Amberwood’s partial basement into a full basement with above-grade windows that increased natural light and provided scenic views of the ravine situated behind the home.

Though the couple elected not to finish the basement, the utilitarian space has already served its purpose well. In addition to hosting the holiday gathering, the basement has become a wide-open space for grandchildren to play and provided additional storage. John, meanwhile, has plans to soon build a woodworking shop to accommodate one of his favorite hobbies.

An Expansive Covered Patio

John and Joan asked Gallagher and Henry to extend the media room sitting off the family room at the back of the home. While that structural change added to the media room’s square footage, it also allowed for a covered rear porch running approximately 24-feet long by 10-feet deep.

“We knew we wanted the covered patio from day one and now have a relaxing outdoor space,” Joan says, adding that she and John converted the media room into a cozy home office with French doors.

A Gas Fireplace

Though a fireplace might not be a high priority for many of today’s buyers, John and Joan considered it a must for their home. Throughout the first fall and winter in their new home, they used the fireplace daily.

“We turn it on with the flick of a switch and it warms the room,” Joan says. “We absolutely love it.”

A High-Tech Shower

A high-tech shower system in the master bath stood high on John’s wish list. Per his request, Gallagher and Henry installed a large Moen showerhead on one wall with four additional jets and a hand nozzle on another.

“I’ll sometimes turn the shower on with the mobile app before I even get out of bed in the morning,” John says. “So relaxing and worth every penny.”

‘Ridiculously Easy’

Unsure of how Gallagher and Henry might handle their requested modifications, Joan calls the process of dealing with the family-owned homebuilding firm “ridiculously easy.”

“Nothing was rushed and Gallagher and Henry kept us updated throughout on both the investment and the timeline,” Joan says. “Their ability to customize our home and account for the changes we wanted has made the house even better than we expected.”

The burgeoning southwest suburban village features two Gallagher and Henry communities in Goodings Grove and Kingston Hills.

Homer Glen continues to solidify its standing as a gem of Chicago’s Southland region. Since being incorporated in 2001, the southwest suburban village of some 24,000 residents has become one of metro Chicago’s most desirable communities, providing its swelling residential population a high quality of life punctuated by award-winning schools, abundant recreational amenities, and a growing commercial scene.

In Goodings Grove and Kingston Hills, Gallagher and Henry boasts a pair of new single family home communities in this lively village.

On the Map

Homer Glen sits in the northeast corner of Will County, approximately 35 miles southwest of downtown Chicago. The village covers some 22 square miles, which makes Homer Glen one of Will County’s largest municipalities. The village is connected to the greater Chicagoland area with a pair of exits along I-355 as well as convenient access to downtown Chicago via Metra Southwest service to Chicago’s Union Station.

Satisfied Residents

According to the National Citizen Survey, an objective study of residents’ feelings on community livability, nine out of 10 current Homer Glen residents rated the village as a “good” or “excellent” place to live and raise a family, while 85 percent said they would recommend Homer Glen to others. Residents awarded the village particularly stellar marks for safety, ease of travel, K-12 education, and the natural environment.

Community Gems

Homer Glen residents enjoy access to accomplished public schools. According to U.S. News & World Report, Lockport Township High School ranks among the top 10 percent of high schools in Illinois, while Homer Community Consolidated School District 33C, which serves some 3,800 elementary school students across six schools, outpaces state averages in preparing students for the next level and instructional spending per pupil.

Looking Ahead

On August 22, 2018, Homer Glen village officials broke ground on the 103-acre Heritage Park. When complete, the “heart of the village” will feature a 1.5-mile multipurpose trail, an interactive water feature, a nature-themed creative play area, picnic groves, courts for tennis, sand volleyball, and horseshoes, a sled hill, and a multifunctional Village Green space designed to host farmer’s markets, community celebrations, and movie-in-the-park events.

Three Local Favorites

• Located on 151st Street, Bengston’s Pumpkin Farm is a fall staple that features pumpkins, pig races, a petting zoo, and a haunted barn alongside seasonal favorites like apple cider donuts and kettle corn.
• With strong ties to the patriarchs of Chicago’s famed Italian beef sandwiches, The Original Mr. Beef honors one of the Windy City’s most storied culinary traditions from its no-frills spot on 143rd Street.
• Homer Glen’s Bell Road hosts the Creamery, a tasty spot that serves up an array of sweet and savory delights, including a treasured South Side favorite – the original “Rainbow Cone.”

Residential builders from around the globe, including representatives from Gallagher and Henry, descended upon Las Vegas Feb. 19-21 for the annual International Builders’ Show.

The Show’s 75th anniversary edition featured the largest crowd in a decade with some 67,000 building professionals gathering information on the latest trends and innovative products in home construction and design. From established industry names like Andersen Windows and Whirlpool to connected home startups, more than 1,500 exhibitors filled 608,000 square feet at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

“By attending the International Builders’ Show, we keep up to date on the best practices and newest products available in the marketplace today. This helps us provide our homebuyers with the most relevant, current information possible and ensures we’re building the high-quality, durable homes they expect,” Gallagher and Henry principal John Gallagher says.

Some products that captured the attention of Gallagher and Henry personnel in attendance:

Connected Home Functionality

From Whirlpool kitchen appliances and the smart home technology available on Andersen’s 400 Series windows to WiFi connected locks from Schlage that provide remote access and other enhanced security features, digital technology for the home blanketed the Show floor.

“We’re actively investigating how to bring different smart home technologies into the home and also mindful of how these various solutions interface with the entire hub like Google or Alexa,” Gallagher and Henry director of operations Linda Staszak says.

Next-Level Faucets

With both its stunning design as well as its continuous push for innovative solutions, Moen always impresses. The company showed Flo by Moen, a smart home water monitoring and leak detection system that allows homeowners to monitor, control, and conserve water from their smartphone, as well as U by Moen, a smart shower technology that allows users to start, stop, and adjust a shower with their voice.

“Whether its Moen or another one of our long-time partners like Andersen, Whirlpool, or Schlage, we love seeing companies really push the innovation envelope because that enables us to offer a more and more solutions to our buyers,” Gallagher says.

Lighted Mirrors

The Show floor featured numerous decorative mirrors backlit with LEDs. Available in a range of shapes and finishes, these mirrors fit a diverse array of styles and add extra panache to spaces homebuyers are increasingly interested in making more stylish and luxurious than utilitarian.

“These mirrors are definitely eye catching and a bold addition to any bathroom,” Staszak says.

New-Age Fireplaces

Heat & Glo’s Foundation Series fireplaces   won the Show’s award for Best Indoor Living Product and it’s easy to see why: the product is contemporary in its design, offers different configurations, and delivers the cozy feeling a fireplace should.

“We’re always conscious of blending design and function because that’s what today’s discerning homebuyers demand. Whether it’s a fireplace, windows, or shake siding, it’s a win-win when we can present our homebuyers options that look beautiful and perform at a high level,” Gallagher says.

Once viewed as a pragmatic, simplistic home design lacking imagination and character, a mix of nostalgia, shifting lifestyle trends and modern spins on single-level living have propelled the ranch-style home back into national prominence. In fact, Trulia reports that the ranch is the most popular home style in 34 states, including Illinois.

“There’s no question we’ve seen rising interest in ranch homes like our Amberwood plan,” Gallagher and Henry principal John Gallagher says.

“Going back 10-15 years, we’d see scattered interest in our existing ranch plans, but when we released the Amberwood, a plan we specifically designed with the desires of today’s homebuyers top of mind, we could see there was a market for ranch homes, particularly those reflecting modern lifestyles in smart, innovative ways.”

Initially gaining popularity following World War II, construction of ranch homes accelerated throughout much of the 20th century’s second half before fizzling out in the 1990s. Ranch homes became increasingly associated with tract housing and careless suburban sprawl, while two-story homes with Craftsman, Victorian or Colonial spins surged in popularity.

Today, however, the ranch is enjoying a 21st century renaissance as homebuilders like Gallagher and Henry accommodate current lifestyle needs and tastes inside the ranch’s unpretentious, enduring style.

While there’s a degree of nostalgia fueling the ranch home’s return to prominence – a good number of contemporary buyers are quite comfortable with a ranch home having grown up in one themselves – the ranch resurrection is about more than wistfulness.

To many buyers, Gallagher says, ranches represent a practical housing option, especially for those buyers who see their home as a long-term housing solution. Yet more, ranches generally lend themselves to open layouts and more casual living, which complements society’s increasing movement away from formal structures.

Driven by young families as well as Boomers who reject the multi-family model, upgraded ranch plans that pair modern architecture and amenities with the ranch home’s long-held focus on functionality continue generating buzz.
Take Gallagher and Henry’s Amberwood plan, which characterizes the modern spin some of today’s forward-thinking homebuilders are putting on ranch homes.

The 2,243-square foot Amberwood features an open layout floor plan in which the kitchen and great room serve as the home’s core separating two distinct wings – one holding a luxurious master suite and another hosting two additional bedrooms, a full bathroom and dedicated laundry space. With a three-car garage, mudroom, blank-canvas basement, media room and covered rear patio, meanwhile, the all-brick Amberwood provides the functional, flexible spaces today’s buyers seek.

“With the Amberwood, we’ve hit on something very relevant for our buyers interested in single-story living, which is a home plan that is both remarkably straightforward and yet fully compatible with modern lifestyles,” Gallagher says.

For 30 years, Greg and Adrienne lived in a Gallagher and Henry-constructed home in an unincorporated patch of Downers Grove. The couple raised their two children in that two-story residence, crafting a lifetime of memories together.

“The house fits us perfectly,” Adrienne beams.

In early 2016, however, Adrienne began urging her husband to consider a move. Having undergone two knee-replacement surgeries, Adrienne yearned to simplify her life and Greg acquiesced, albeit with hesitation.

“I’m a creature of habit,” Greg admits, “and I loved what we had.”

The couple investigated various options including townhomes and other new home communities before quickly zeroing in on a familiar partner in Gallagher and Henry.

“Their Amberwood plan had my eye,” Adrienne says of the ranch home from Gallagher and Henry’s Lifestyle Series.

The couple discovered that Gallagher and Henry’s hands-on, customer-centric style remained just as they remembered, though the family-owned firm had also evolved into a more cutting-edge outfit befitting modern times, particularly when it came to customizing home plans.

“I like to work with people I know and quality I can trust,” Greg says of the decision to work with Gallagher and Henry once again. “We were confident in what they could do and what they stood for.”

After selecting a lot in Woodridge’s Farmingdale Village community, about five blocks east of their longtime home in Downers Grove, the couple committed to the Amberwood and began working with Gallagher and Henry staff to customize the home, a shift from the process they experienced back in 1987.

“It was just a different era,” Adrienne allows.

This time around, though, Greg and Adrienne detailed some specific requests, including:

• Shifting from a partial basement to a full basement with a three-quarter bathroom
• Constructing an extended-depth garage that would allow Greg extra room to store his motorcycle
• Pushing out the media room in the back of the home to create a more spacious home office and an expansive covered rear patio
• Wiring the entire home and backyard with surround sound speakers
• Installing solid white doors throughout the home and French doors on the home office
• Running a gas line for the outdoor grill
• Building custom closets in the pantry, mudroom and two front bedrooms

“And the list really goes on and on,” Greg says. “We knew what we wanted and Gallagher and Henry helped us accomplish that.”

When the couple moved into their new home on a brisk winter day in December 2018, Adrienne encountered a rush of optimism and gratitude reminiscent of what she had felt 30 years prior.

“Just like walking into our first Gallagher and Henry home back in 1988, I walked across the threshold of this one and thanked God it was mine,” she says.