When you stroll through some of the streets in one of the states that used to belong in the group of the original thirteen colonies, you may see a lot of similarities in house design. Many homes have been preserved until today, and those that haven’t have been replaced by homes of the same style. This style is known as Colonial style, and though they have been around for much longer than the colonies, they are what we associate them with today.
Colonial style has its roots in the Georgian style homes that were built in England in the 1700s. Over time, the style became popular in the American colonies and was changed in order to suit the people living there for both function and, of course, aesthetics. This was where the Colonial style began as we are most familiar with it. In fact, we associate this style of house with that era and those locations. Seeing one outside of that space and time often either makes us think the house is out of place, or simply remind us of the style and the things associated with it.
A single glance at a Colonial style home is often enough to tell you that it is indeed of that particular architectural style. Even without any architectural study, people can see the overall design and know what the home’s roots stem from. In Colonial style homes, you will most likely see elements of a strong symmetrical shape (most often rectangular), a wood panel door in the center, decorative moulding around the entryway, large brick chimneys or even paired chimneys, and symmetrical windows. Roofs have a medium pitch to them and don’t often have much overhang.
While we have edited these features to suit necessary changes (for example, roof pitches to deal with snow and so forth), a lot of the main designs have remained the same in order to keep the original style strong. Doors can still be paneled and are most definitely made of wood, but with the ease of glassmaking we now have, as well as our abilities to make it able to withstand harsh weather and temperature changes, doors can be made almost entirely of glass lites.
If you are interested in transforming your home into a little bit of the Colonial style, tour old Colonial homes or look at images of both original and current Colonial houses to get a feel for what might work in your home. From an exterior door to moulding and crowning at the entryway, there’s certainly something you can do for that added touch of the old to the new.