Each home has it’s own unique style. A home that was once easily identifiable to a particular style may become less so as homes are remodeled or expanded overtime. A home may have a single style or be a mix of many styles. With a plethora of house styles out there, it can be overwhelming to understand what qualities belong to each, below is a list of the most identifiable styles of home in the United States.
Cape Cod
The Cape Cod style originated in the 1700s in its namesake city in Massachusetts. These houses are charming but hardy – built to withstand the rough New England winters.
Original Cape Cod homes were simple with wood siding, roof shingles and a central door with a window on either side. Today, these same elements are incorporated, but the homes are built with more space and, therefore, more windows.
Key Features
- Shingles
- Wood siding
- Central door with flanking windows
Colonial
Colonial homes share a lot of similarities with the Cape Cod style. They have a simple, rectangular, symmetrical structure that dates back to the 1600s.
The colonial style has a variety of different influences, identified by the country that occupied the region at the time that they were built. These different types include English, French, Dutch, Georgian, Spanish and American (which closely resembles English) colonials.
Colonial homes are almost always at least two stories tall and feature a central staircase and grand entryway.
Key Features
- Two-plus stories tall
- Symmetrical
- Central stairway
- Formal look
Contemporary
The contemporary style is often confused with modern, but the two should not be used interchangeably. The term “contemporary” refers to the present, and “modern” refers to a time period that has already passed (for example, midcentury modern).
Contemporary homes today often incorporate elements from modernist styles. Many boast eco-friendly materials and design with a focus on clean lines and natural textures. The color palettes are usually more neutral with pops of color added in the interior.
Key Features
- Clean and simple lines
- Neutral colors
- Natural textures
Craftsman
The Craftsman style focuses on the value of handmade, well-constructed architecture. Craftsman houses go against the mass-produced or cookie-cutter home developments – they’re typically a horizontal, sturdy build.
They feature beautiful hand-worked materials, exposed beams, low-pitched gable roofs and tapered columns on their porches. Inside you may find custom elements like built-in bookshelves and a hand-laid fireplace.
Key Features
- Hand-crafted wood features
- Exposed beams
- Large columns
Farmhouse
Put simply, farmhouse-style homes pull inspiration from their namesake buildings for the interior and exterior of the home. They often feature tall ceilings, exposed beams, a large front porch, a rectangular layout and a central fireplace.
Some farmhouse-style homes have barn-shaped roofs while others aren’t as on the nose. The details are typically rustic, often featuring exposed brick and stone. Modern farmhouse style takes this rustic look and combines it with more clean lines and other updated features.
Key Features
- Rustic
- Rectangular floor plan
- Large porch
- Barn-inspired roofs and features
Mediterranean
Mediterranean-style homes feature elements from Spanish and Italian villas. A big focus is on indoor-outdoor living, so they’re most popular in areas with temperate weather like California and Florida.
These homes feature tiled roofs, white stucco walls, warm stone and wood as well as metal work on balconies and windows. Even though most Mediterranean-style houses have an understated look, you’ll often see splashes of color through gorgeous tile work.
Key Features
- White stucco
- Warm wood and stone
- Tiled roofs
Midcentury Modern
Midcentury modern design emerged after WWII from the Bauhaus movement. Midcentury modern homes possess a sleek, uncluttered design that meets an appreciation for nature through large windows along with a mix of natural and man-made materials. These homes feature well-thought-out architectural design that allows function to inspire form.
Key Features
- Mix of organic and geometric
- Sleek
- Uncluttered
- Large windows
Ranch
Ranch-style houses appeared in the 1930s, but their popularity boomed in the 1950s. These homes are typically one story and feature low-pitched roofs, large windows, sliding glass doors, large backyards, open living spaces and attached garages.
Ranch homes also come in a variety of iterations like split-level, storybook, California and raised ranch. For example, California ranch homes are shaped in an “L” or “U,” with a backyard to encourage outdoor living.
Key Features
- Single story
- Low-pitched roof
- Open living spaces and floor plans
- Backyard
Split-Level
Split-level homes emerged from the ranch-style home design and became popular in the 1950s and ’60s. What sets a split-level home apart is how the living spaces of the home are separated. Split-level homes have multiple floors that are connected with short flights of stairs (unlike regular two or three-story homes with long flights of stairs). Some love the unique separation of space while others find the numerous short flights of stairs to be cumbersome.
Key Features
- Living spaces segmented by short flights of stairs
- Low-pitched roofs
- Integrated garages
Tudor
The Tudor home style was brought to the U.S. by European-trained architects in the late 1800s and gained popularity in the 1920s. Late Medieval and early Renaissance architectural elements inspired the Tudor style’s stone masonry, timber framing, steep gable roofs and classic leaded windows. These homes are usually asymmetrical and look like something out of a storybook.
Key Features
- Timber framing
- Stonework
- Asymmetrical
- Steep gable roofs
Victorian
Named after Queen Victoria, Victorian homes emerged in the 1830s and were popular through the early 1900s. They are typically two to three stories and include ornate elements, bay windows, small towers, porches, steep gable roofs and brightly colored facades. A variety of different designs play off these core elements, including more ornate styles like gothic revival and Queen Anne, or less ornate, like the folk style.
Key Features
- Two- to three-plus stories
- Ornate
- Steep gable roofs
- Small towers
- Bright facades
