Introduction
An Overview of Home Styles
Although it’s not essential, you can bring continuity to your home by designing the interior in the same theme as its exterior architectural style.
Use the home and kitchen styles guide to identify the architectural style that most closely resembles that of your own home. Under each category, you’ll find a description of the style’s general characteristics and recommendations for what kinds of kitchen cabinets, countertops, flooring, and architectural details would best complement it.
You can also peruse the different styles and recommendations to get a general feel for which you prefer. You may end up selecting a style that differs from your home’s architecture yet still captures what you had in mind for your dream kitchen.
| Home Style | Period | Description | Cabinet Door Details |
American Colonial
Cape Cod
Farmhouse
Dutch Colonial
Saltbox | 1600-1800 | Cottage styles
Medieval influence; rectangular, one to two-and-a-half stories; few windows with small, divided panes; add-on looks | Plank doors or simple paneled doors; some vertical or diagonal boards; bucks; small, multi-paneled windows |
Classical
Georgian
Federal
Greek Revival | 1740-1860 | Neoclassical homes
Blocky, rectangular, or nearly square; two to three stories; columns; symmetrical with classical ornamentation | Symmetrical panel doors with varying panel sizes; Palladian-type windows; ornate features |
Victorian
Eastlake
Queen Anne
Gothic Revival
Italianate | 1830-1880 | Picturesque
Board-and-batten siding; decorative barge boards, high gables, and gable pendants; shingles, ornamental trim, and turrets | Vertical planking with arched top; expressed framework |
Arts & Crafts
Craftsman
Foursquare
Prairie | 1880-1940 | Beauty in function/anti-industrial
Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired; sensitive to materials and natural setting; box shapes; low-rising hip roof; geometric forms, art glass, and angular protrusions | Clean, geometric shapes; off-center lights; contrasting textures and lines |
Modern Movement
Art Deco
Moderne | 1920-1975 | Sophisticated simplicity
Interplay of indoor-outdoor living; blend of International Style & Machine Age technology; geometric forms; walls of glass; natural woods and metal | Elegantly simple; geometric patterns and plain, clean lines; metal and glass accents |
