You spend hours dreaming of a new home. In your mind’s eye, you see every detail—the way the sunlight streams in through the window in the dining nook and the gleam of your new stainless-steel appliances. You hang onto every word spoken by the hosts of your favorite interior design shows. Before you officially select your furnishings and finishes, however, you’ll need to choose a home style. If you’re not sure how to tell the difference between a Cape Cod and a Colonial, you’ve come to the right place. Read our short guide to the popular home styles trending in Fort Wayne, IN, this year.
The Charm of a Craftsman
The history of the Craftsman home goes back to the Arts and Crafts movement, which influenced home design during the early part of the 20th century. You’ll know a Craftsman-style home by the focus placed on natural materials. Wood, brick, and stone are all primary features of this design style along with wide front porches and entryway pillars. Low-pitched rooflines are another telling feature as well as wide, overhanging eaves with exposed rafters. The Greene brothers made the Craftsman-style famous when they designed the Gamble House, a National Historic Landmark. Today’s savvy homebuyers find this style irresistible, and it’s growing more in popularity every year.
The Warm and Open Ranch
If you watched TV during the 1960s and ‘70s, you remember this home design. Many of the most popular TV families of the era lived in ranch-style homes. The ranch home originated in the Southwest and exploded in popularity during the post-WWII building boom. Ranch-style homes include single-story design, low rooflines, and open floor plans. These homes are easy to build and easy to customize, and returning soldiers on a budget made them popular. Later, home designers added sliding doors, back patios, full basements, and attached garages. In today’s custom home designs, you’ll find elements borrowed from several of the most popular ranch home styles including the suburban, California, raised, storybook, and split-level.
Home Styles Blur the Lines
The popular home styles of both the early and late 19th century included ornate and often cluttered design details. Then came the modern architects of the early 20th century with a whole new trend in home designs. Modern home styles feature spacious open floor plans, asymmetrical lines, and lots of large glass windows. There’s a notable lack of frills and a blurring of the lines between indoor and outdoor living.
More Home Styles to Choose From
While we’ve covered only three of the most popular home styles, when you choose custom home design in Fort Wayne, IN, you’ll discover an entire world of design styles. You won’t need to pick a favorite as you can bring certain elements from several different styles together and create a home unique to your personality and tastes. Let Lancia Homes in Fort Wayne tailor a homebuilding experience to you! Contact us today and let’s design your new home.
