Charming, warm, rustic and functional, farmhouse style home design has been all the rage for quite some time, with no signs of this trend slowing down. From mason jar chandeliers and shiplap accent ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Jeffrey Steele has been a freelance writer for one-third of a century. Fashion fads come and go, as do popular home design trends.

But when modern farmhouse becomes overly popular, it becomes prosaic, something that Karens and Eat, Pray, Love crowds enjoy. Joanna Gaines herself is now mass producing the style via a partnership ...