Building a custom home means having complete control over every aspect of the design. But, with countless architectural styles available, how do you choose? Here’s a quick summary of each of the top design styles to help you determine what fits you!
5 Architectural Styles
Cape Cod
Cape Cod homes, now synonymous with beachy style and weekends away, have been around for centuries, yet they continue to enchant us. A Cape Cod-styled home includes a symmetrical appearance with a centered front entry, steep roofs, shingle siding, gabled dormers, double-hung windows, and shutters, a centralized chimney, a large, open-concept living space, bedrooms in dormers or under gables, and lean lines with little aesthetic detailing.
The Cape Cod-style has evolved over the years and has three variations: the half-cape, three-quarter cape, and the full cape.
Colonial
Colonial-style homes are one of the oldest architectural styles influenced by European colonists settling in America in the 1600s. While there are many variations to this home-style, its qualities are quite distinct with a symmetrical structure, a pitched roof, decorative entrances, balanced window placement, paired chimneys, and center hall floor plan.
Many colonial homes are two stories with the family room on the first floor and bedrooms on the second floor.
Craftsman
The Craftsman-style home was born out of the Arts and Crafts movement first appearing in California during the early 20th century. This architectural style emphasizes natural materials such as wood, stone, and brick. It features symmetrical structure, low-pitched rooflines with hipped gables, overhanging eaves, and wide front porches with tapered columns or pedestals extending to ground level.
Other hallmarks of the craftsman style home are built-in furniture, bookcases, cabinetry, and eating nooks.
Modern Farmhouse
The Farmhouse style home’s most recognizable feature is the wide front porch. Modern Farmhouse designs stay true to the simple aesthetic of authentic farmhouses with simple exteriors rather than detailed crown moldings and simple square columns instead of turned. The Farmhouse is typically white and rectangular. It has a simple roof structure (often with gables), lots of windows, barn-style lighting, large covered porch, carriage-style garage doors, and large front doors.
Mediterranean Revival
If you are a fan of luxurious living, there’s no better architectural style for you than the Mediterranean. This style aims to emulate the feeling of being in a luxurious Mediterranean villa. Modern versions of this home-style can follow either a Spanish or Italian design. They usually feature open floor plans, expansive, updated kitchens, and emphasis on outdoor living. Many also boast stucco exteriors, low-pitched tiled roofs, arched windows and doorways, wrought-iron balconies and window grilles, and European-style gardens or courtyards.
Coming up! In our next article, we’ll cover five more architectural styles: Modern, Prairie, Ranch, Transitional, and Victorian. You won’t want to miss it!
There’s nothing like living in a home filled with choices made by you, for you. In Scissortail, you’re not limited to choosing decor for rooms in your home. Your home will have your vision and your style written all over it.
Let’s get started planning your dream home in Northwest Arkansas’ premier neighborhood. You’ll love our resort-style amenities, quiet streets, and the close-knit community atmosphere. Call today for a tour of our beautiful community, Scissortail.
I’m Ready to Build in Scissortail!
