Who would have ever guessed that musty old barns would spawn the modern farmhouse craze—the hottest design style in years? Few understand this better than Mark Bowe, the star of "Barnwood Builders," ...

Much of modern farmhouse style — the shiplap, natural materials and distressed finishes popularized by magazines and shows such as HGTV’s “Fixer Upper” — evokes a simpler time in a vague, nostalgic ...