How To Choose a Home Design That Fits Your Personality
A lot of today’s new homes offer an eclectic mix of classic and contemporary architectural styles that you can see on our Spring Parade of Homes tour. But if you’re a purist, here’s some excellent information about home styles and how they can fit your own style from our guest blogger David Glenn.
Perhaps you’re ready to buy a home, but you aren’t sure how to choose a home design that fits your personality. If that’s the case, this brief guide will give you an overview of some of the most popular home design styles and the personality types they are well suited to accommodate. Whether you’re working with a real estate agent or browsing homes that are listed for sale by owner, one of these styles is likely to be just the right choice for your future home.
Bungalow Architecture or the Craftsman Style Home
This home style dates back to the early 1900s, with many surviving examples from the time period between 1900-1920. This style may suit your personality if you…
● enjoy the look of plainer furnishings and don’t want lots of extraneous ornamentation like fancy crown mouldings, ornate scrollwork and the like
● enjoy fine craftsmanship and natural materials
● want to decorate with Stickley wooden furniture
● want a home featuring an open floor plan and a fireplace
The Queen Anne Victorian Style Home
This home style dates back to the Victorian era. It is large, fancy and heavily ornamented. This style may be a good match for your personality if you…
● like architecture that includes lots of interesting details
● want to decorate your home with ornate traditional style furnishings
● enjoy formality
● would enjoy entertaining in a formal living room and / or a formal dining room
The Colonial Style Home
This is the type of English-inspired home architecture that was popular with the colonists in the early days of America. Choose this home design style if you…
● live in the American Northeast
● want to decorate your home with a less ornamented but still traditional style of home furnishings
● want a formal living room and / or a formal dining room.
The Ranch Style Home
The phrase “ranch style” is basically used to denote a single-story home. These homes were originally popular in the American southwest, but now they’re being built all over the country. You might feel comfortable living in a ranch style home if you…
● don’t like climbing stairs
● want to decorate with modern style or western style home furnishings
● enjoy a casual, less formal type of lifestyle
The Contemporary, Trendy Home
Contemporary homes can be furnished in various ways to appeal to many personality types. They can be luxurious or simple. The common elements: They tend to incorporate the latest trends, and they tend to feature clean lines and an uncluttered, minimalist aesthetic. (A good example is one from Sustainable 9 Design + Build in the Twin Cities.) Choose a contemporary style home if you…
● want a home in the latest, most up-to-date style
● like high-tech gadgets and want to incorporate them into your furnishings
The Retro, Mid-Century Modern Home
These homes feature the minimalist look that became popular in the 1930’s – 1970’s. Clean lines and boxy shapes are typical characteristics. These homes can include combinations of natural materials with synthetics. Choose this style if you…
● like an uncluttered, un-fussy look
● want to decorate with Danish modern furniture or furniture by designers like Charles and Ray Eames and Eero Saarinen
The Log Cabin Style Home
Log cabins can be rustic and utilitarian, but they can also be luxurious. The common element is that they’re constructed of logs, and the logs become the most prominent design elements. They lend themselves well to country style furnishings or lodge style furnishings. A log cabin home might appeal to you if…
● You want your décor to emphasize natural elements and motifs
● you want own property in the mountains or near a ski resort
● you would enjoy owning a home in a remote location
These are a few of the most predominant home design styles in America. Keep in mind that many homes combine two or more of these styles to give you even more choices that could suit your personality. With so many architectural styles to choose from, you’re sure to find a home design that appeals to your unique tastes and sensibilities.