Tudor
Named for the Tudor period in England and Wales, spanning the late 15th to the early 17th centuries, Tudor house styles today take loose inspiration from late Medieval manor homes. Originally combining Renaissance and Gothic design elements, today’s Tudor houses often feature white stucco exteriors framed by half-timbering or a dark brick or stone construction. It’s a storybook style of home that is often punctuated by a gabled roofline and long, rectangular windows. Though the Tudor trend was popular in the US in the 1920s and ’30s, it fell out of style in the 1950s, but it’s still possible to see Tudor home styles across the country today.
Particularly on the East Coast, the Georgian style is one of the most consistently popular house styles today. It saw its heyday in the American colonies from the 18th century through the Revolutionary War and was heavily influenced by Renaissance design. These types of houses are characterized by their rigid symmetry—think windows and front doors evenly lined up and spaced, with rows of windows breaking up a flat façade. Typically expressed in red brick structures with hip roofs, these types of homes rarely feature excess decoration and have restrained exteriors. With the Georgian style, proportion and balance reign supreme.
Gothic Revival
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Many styles of houses aim to capture a single theme or ethos, but Gothic Revival house styles are defined by eclecticism. Drawing from many different time periods, architectural ideas, and forms, Gothic Revival houses merge architectural ideas and forms from a range of times and places. Many may associate the term Gothic with medieval Gothic cathedrals, but the Gothic Revival style is actually a European invention originating in Gothic towns of the English countryside, primarily in the 19th century. Typically, these types of houses have steep roofs, pointed arches at window and door openings, roof gables with lacy ornamented woodwork, front porches, and oriel bay windows. Because the Gothic Revival style was defined from the outset by its eclecticism, today it is popular for the range of creative expression it can embody. “Many architectural styles can be predictable, and very rigid in their expression. Gothic Revival embraces complexity and contradiction,” says Chip Bohl, of Bohl Architects, a member of the AD PRO Directory. Angela Healy, also of Bohl Architects, agrees. “Gothic Revival is romantic, enchanting, and dramatic architecture with an old soul. Who wouldn’t love that?”
