What Style Is Your House?
These story-and-a-half homes include dormers and feature symmetrical windows with a central doorway.
Cape Cods became increasingly popular in the United States during the 1950s.
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Victorian
Victorian architecture refers to an era of design instead of one specific style.
Victorian homes were built between the early 1800s and early 1900s during the reign of Queen Victoria.
The era is generally associated with a rising middle class and increasing wealth resulting in large and elaborate homes.
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The homes are typically rectangular and feature symmetry and some bang out of dormer.
Each Colonial style was influenced by early American settlers depending on their country of origin.
You might also find these styles: Federal Colonial, Dutch Colonial, French Colonial, and Spanish Colonial.
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This style of house is popular on the East Coast but is common throughout the country.
American Craftsman
The AmericanCraftsman-style homecame about in the early 20th century during theArts and Crafts movement.
These homes focus on materials and motifs inspired by nature, especially on the interior.
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Youll commonly find naturally toned woodwork, geometric stained glass, and several built-ins.
Craftsman homes emerged in the U.S. primarily between 1900 and 1929.
The style was a backlash against the mass-produced, Industrial Revolution-fueled Victorian architecture boom.
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It focused on the beauty of natural materials.
Some common variations of the Craftsman style include Mission, bungalow, and Stickley.
Craftsman homes are found across the country.
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Prairie
Prairie-style homes are inspired by their relationship to nature.
They feature handcrafted details like simple woodwork, stained glass, and built-in furniture.
This style was heavily influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, but it is distinct from Craftsman-style homes.
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Prairie-style architecture did not flourish beyond the Midwest.
In the 1930s, ranches were inspired bySpanish Colonialsin the Southwest.
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Ranch homes are also called ramblers because they sprawl across a property.
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Tudor
Tudor-style homes are easily recognizable thanks to their dark timber details against a light-colored stucco.
They also tend to have ornate brick detailing.
The homes are made to be open and airy with stone, wood beams, and other natural details.
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Mediterranean architecture gained popularity in the warmer parts of the U.S. during the early 1900s.
Tuscan-style architecture differs from the Mediterranean style although they look similar.
Tuscan styles come specifically from Italy and Mediterranean styles originate from Spanish, Greek, and Moroccan regions.
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This style of house is found across the country, particularly on the West Coast.
Contemporary homes, by contrast, weren’t built until decades later.
The design tends to emphasize sustainability and energy efficiency, as well.
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The style is typically clean and minimal, but the edges can still be soft and rounded.
Contemporary-style homes are found throughout the country, especially in areas with new builds.
Farmhouse
A farmhouse-style house is a modern interpretation of the rural farm homes.
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Covered porches and exposed beams are also common in this style of home.
Old farmhouses were built across the U.S. starting in the 1700s and 1800s.
They are typically one to one-and-a-half stories high and often have small porches.
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The interior is cozy and informal.
Modest cottage-style homes originated in Europe in small towns and villages.
They now dot the U.S., especially in quaint residential communities.
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Cabin
Cabins are known for being warm and cozy.
The shape is simple, usually with an open interior with decorative nods to nature and wilderness.
This primitive style originally consisted of modest one-room homes in the wilderness.
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Nowadays, people build modern cabins as their primary residence in rural and suburban controls for the aesthetic.
The design style can vary depending on the architect’s preferences.
Home examples now can be found across the country.
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These homes featured more natural and lived-in elements than the ornate French architecture that dominated cities.
Saltbox houses first popped up in New England during the 1600s, and theyre still most common there today.
Art Deco styletook off in Paris during the early 1920s, and it arrived in the U.S. soon after.
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A porch typically stretches across the front of the house, potentially with a second-story balcony.
Queen Anne style is part of Victorian architecture and was popular during the late 1800s.
“The Painted Ladies” in San Francisco are the most known examples of Queen Anne-style homes.
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Its inspired by Italian Renaissance architecture from the 16th century.
Most Italianate house styles are in the eastern U.S., but examples can also be seen out west.
Eastlake-style homes generally have posts and railings with intricate, angular shapes.Latticeworkis common.
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The houses are traditionally painted in earth tones with trim in a lighter color to make it pop.
This style of house arose in the 19th century, and examples now can be found across the U.S. Romanesque Revival architecture developed during the 19th century in Britain and arrived in the U.S. in the 1840s.
Romanesque Revival buildings simplified some of those features but still retained their essence.
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The style uses prominent arches, round towers, and stone or brick construction.
Its not common to see a home fully in the style, though residences will have aspects of it.
Gothic Revival arose in the 19th century.
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Many buildings in the U.S., especially cathedrals, feature the Gothic Revival style.
Tudor Revival
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You’ll find Tudor Revival manor homes and suburban houses.
Tudor Revival architecture is a picturesque and composite architectural style found throughout historic neighborhoods in the U.S.
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The style’s popularity peaked in the U.S. in the 1920s.
Characteristics include large, open floorplans, and floor-to-ceiling picture windows.
These homes are often one story.
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Midcentury modern architecture emerged as a response to the heady times after World War II.
Federal
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Federal-style and Colonial-style homes tend to look similarly symmetrical on the outside.
Its shape is usually square or rectangular with a hipped roof.
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Federal-style architecture is a form ofGeorgian designof the Colonial period.
It can be found around the East Coast in the U.S. A neoclassical-style home has an elaborate portico with tall, symmetrical columns.
Neoclassical style flourished worldwide, including in the U.S., throughout the 18th and 19th centuries.
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The style became popular because it represented the principles of justice and democracy of ancient Greek and Roman architecture.
The White House (built between 1780 and 1830) is also neoclassical and also classified as Federal-style.
It’s easy to confuse Neoclassicism with Greek Revival architecture.
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Greek Revival heavily features columns with Doric, Ionic, or Corinthian details.
Neoclassicism architecture is grander and incorporates manyclassical featuresfrom other periods.
French Provincial
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French provincial architecture has been popular since it first appeared in the 1600s.
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The stone facade, steeply pitched roof, and high-arched windows always look sophisticated.
Originally, this style was inspired by the immense architecture of Versailles.
You’ll find light wood, glass, and bamboo in spaces that encourage harmonious indoor-outdoor living.
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Gabled or hipped roofs add dynamism to this architectural style.
This style gained popularity in 1920s Arizona and New Mexico and is found in domestic and commercial structures.
Bungalow
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Bungalows are charming, smaller homes typically 1 to 1 1/2 stories tall.
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Today’s newer house styles are called contemporary homes.
Many house styles are considered timeless, including Colonial and Craftsman-style homes.
Timeless design has elements of classical architecture that show symmetry and order.
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Prairie Style.Chicago Architecture Center.
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