Skip to main content

What Classifies A House Style: What Makes A Bungalow Home?

If you’ve been paying attention to architectural trends lately, you know that bungalows are back in a big way. With that in mind, we thought it was the perfect addition to our What Classifies A House Style series. Keep reading to learn what makes this architectural style so unique and why the bungalow home has held a special place in our hearts for so many years.

bungalow home

Bungalows originated in Bengal, India. Image: M Valdes Architects PLLC

History of the bungalow home

The word “bungalow” derives from the Hindustani word “bangala,” meaning “belonging to Bengal.” Bungalow houses were first constructed in Bengal, India in the mid-nineteenth century. At the time, India was under British rule and the ambassadors who traveled there sought to design an informal, easily-constructed rest house to use during their visits.

Soon after, the style became popular in England and it was eventually brought over to America. Architect brothers Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene are credited as the most influential early practitioners of this style in the United States.

Together, they designed bungalows in Pasadena, California. Their designs were well received and were highlighted throughout the country through popular magazines like House Beautiful and Good Housekeeping. Soon enough, pattern books featuring bungalow designs and complete mail order house kits became widely available, allowing the bungalow style to spread quickly across the country.

types

Bungalows come in many shapes and sizes. Image: Bovender Team with Allen Tate Realty

Types of bungalow homes

Believe it or not, not all bungalows are created equal. The bungalow home comes in many different variations throughout the country. We’ve listed a few of the most popular styles below. Read them over to get an idea of the different types of bungalows that exist in today’s design landscape.

Craftsman bungalow

The term “Craftsman bungalow” is used to describe classic bungalows, no matter where they might be located. Traditionally, these homes feature street-facing gables with shingled roofs. Additionally, they’re often painted or stained brown or dark green to blend with nature. Finally, they’re most known for their wide, overhanging eaves

California bungalow

Since the California bungalow is very similar to the Craftsman, the two can be told apart by the materials used in their construction. California bungalow home exteriors typically use stucco, wood – especially redwood – shingle and horizontal siding but not brick. However, other bungalow subtypes do use brick.

Modern

Modern styles have curved corners to provide a sense of motion. Additionally, they may have portholes or bulkheads. They’re usually made of materials like concrete, glass and brick. Meanwhile, the interiors are typically light and airy with modern touches.

Tudor revival

Tudor revival bungalows have steeply-pitched roofs with large, elaborate chimneys. Additionally, they feature wall cladding, tall and narrow windows and decorative half-timbering.

Prairie style

Prairie style bungalows were developed by an especially creative group of Chicago architects known as the Prairie School. Frank Lloyd Wright was among the members. These homes have massive piers, used to support their porch roofs, as well as rows of casement windows, broad and flat chimneys and contrasting wall materials and trim.

characteristics

See the list below for some of the defining characteristics of bungalows. Image: Carl Mattison Design

Characteristics of a bungalow home

Even though there are many different types of bungalows, the style still has a defined set of characteristics that ties them all together. To that end, we’ve taken the liberty of listing some of those bungalow home characteristics below:

Exterior

  • Balanced and well-proportioned, but not symmetrical, appearance from the front
  • A low, exposed roof, often with beams or rafters showing
  • A modest front porch or veranda
  • Square, tapered columns, sometimes called “bungalow columns”

Interior

  • Usually 1.5 stories
  • The front door opens to the main living space
  • An open floor plan that lacks a formal parlor or sitting room
  • Simple decorative accents
  • Plenty of built-ins as a means of decoration

The post What Classifies A House Style: What Makes A Bungalow Home? appeared first on Freshome.com.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SKÅDIS: 5 ways to make the IKEA pegboard even better

IKEA introduced its own pegboard system, SKÅDIS, two years ago and I’d say it’s one of the best systems IKEA launched in recent years. I love how super customisable it is, with a growing range of accessories that help keep things organized. It works everywhere, in your wardrobe to bathroom . Probably anywhere you have a flat surface to hang it up. Photo: IKEA.com SKÅDIS pegboard system See it on IKEA.com But no matter how perfect a system, you can trust IKEA hackers to improve on the SKÅDIS. And they’ve settle these 5 issues you may have faced with the handy IKEA pegboard. Read on for their fixes. 5 IKEA SKÅDIS issues and fixes #1 Expensive hooks? You’ll need quite a number of hooks and accessories to fill up the SKÅDIS pegboard, and Kenyer was shocked at how quickly they all added up. So he figured he could make his own hooks to save cost. Photo: Kenyer Over at Instructables , he shows us how to twist copper wires into the SKÅDIS hook shape. It works s...
Post a Comment
Read more

Enjoy Sweet Dreams With These DIY Headboard Ideas

A headboard is one of the last things you see before you fall asleep and one of the first things you see when you wake up. Demonstrate your unique design style by creating your own. Below are some ideas and tips to get you started. Do you think the formula for sleep is on this London bedroom’s headboard? Image: Clifton Interiors Ltd Chalk headboard Create this look with a can of black chalkboard paint. Almost any type of wall – drywall, plaster, wood, brick or concrete – will work, as long is it is properly prepped. Chalkboard paint is easy to apply, dries fast and can be cleaned with soap and water. But you’re not limited to the color black – chalkboard paint comes in just about every color. If you don’t want to use paint, consider chalkboard contact paper – and yes, you can use chalk on it. An Edmonton hockey-themed room. Image: Cameron Homes Hockey goal headboard For the ultimate hockey fan, nothing beats a hockey goal headboard. Complete the scene with a team blank...
Post a Comment
Read more

A beautiful design idea for the IVAR cabinet with doors

A wall of IVAR cabinets with doors engraved is astonishingly captivating. Because IVAR is real solid wood (unlike a lot of flat-pack cupboards), it makes a great blank canvas for CNC machining work and engraving. IKEA items used: IKEA IVAR cabinets in 30mm (12″) and 50mm (20″) depths. IVAR cabinet | IKEA.com Other materials and tools: CNC Router How to engrave the IVAR cabinet with doors: Build a wall of IVAR cabinets to your preference. It’s not too difficult to shorten some in order to fill a wall exactly. I shortened the top row to 695mm and reduced the depth of the middle column to 40mm to create a 50/40/30 sequence so that I didn’t block the window but maximised storage capacity. Take a drawing, trace it in Inkscape or Adobe Illustrator into a black-only flat design. You can simplify the path at this point to reduce the time needed to engrave. Chop up the drawing in Inkscape or Adobe Illustrator into door-sized sections. Save as an SVG. Import the ...
Post a Comment
Read more