Your Complete Guide to House Styles Across the United States
When it comes to our homes there is more than just “modern.” A whole world of residential architecture styles exists outside of the cookie-cutter image of the American suburb. From coast to coast, you can find houses that ache for ancient Greek classicism and Gatsby-era Long Island, with stories to tell in their turrets and towers and walls that speak of recent and remote periods of American history. In the most intimate of architectural scales we can glean a bit about how our forebears once lived and gather a great deal about how these homes’ stewards would like to live today. Follow along for a breakdown of some of the most cherished house styles on this side of the Atlantic.
Adobe
Adobe is one of the oldest building materials found in North America. A traditional adobe, or Pueblo style, home is a low-slung structure built from sun-dried mud bricks and timber beams around a central courtyard. The form is simple and the size can vary, but these structures spread outward, rarely upward. Most adobe homes feature a dotted line of wood penetrating at least one section of the front facade. These are just the ends of the timber beams that support the home’s roof, and offer visual excitement along with structural integrity.
Any art lover has seen an example of Adobe Revival architecture, whether they know it or not. Painter Georgia O’Keefe’s Ghost Ranch in Abiquiú, New Mexico, is the perfect domestic example of the architectural style. The oldest rooms in the adobe ranch are from the mid-18th century. O’Keefe modernized her house, making sure there was ample light to support her artistic practice, and scattered midcentury-modern classics throughout each room. If you’re a lucky adobe homeowner, follow suit by keeping
