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I agree with Coldjensens about the Tudor. Nice to look at and I'm glad they were built but there is something dark and foreboding about them.
Not as wild about true Victorians as most people seem to be either. Very pretty on the outside, but livability - which was not a consideration when Victorian homes were built, is not there. Small rooms with lots of doors, (to preserve heat) narrow hallways, large dining rooms and small living and or family rooms do not translate well into the 20st C.
Many people like both Craftsman and Victorian homes, which rather confounds me since the Craftsman (and it's lovely cousin the American Four Square) were the anti- Victorians. The first homes built for living and not just for show.
They get my vote!
Honorable mention to the mid century modern ranch , with a double sided fire place, lots of glass and gleaming hardwood floors! Makes me want to slip into a black sheath, some spike heels, a strand of pearls and make a shaker of martinis.
If we're dreaming, then I want a big yellow brick (with stone lintels) mansion like this:
But!!! I want a slate roof, and lots of original details remaining intact.
(My example picture doesn't have a slate roof, and has been divided into apartments, so some original detail has surely been lost/damaged.)
I though the picture would follow but JR-C has a picture of an early Four Square in Youngstown OH. BEAUTIFUL!
Small rooms with lots of doors, (to preserve heat) narrow hallways, large dining rooms and small living and or family rooms do not translate well into the 20st C.
Not necessarily so.
Here's a house built in 1869, not Queen Anne, but Swiss style.
The living room and dining room are 14x18, the parlor is 15x19, the kitchen is 14 x 16 with attached pantry and a laundry. There's even a small library and a large coat closet. Upstairs are 6 bedrooms, plus 2 small bedrooms on the third floor.
There was an option available to add sliding doors between the dining room and the living room. The chimneys would be moved elsewhere.
Queen Anne Victorian because it's exterior is eclectic enough to design a modified plan for most any personal preference of the owner while highlighting character and a traditional sense of home (which is why Christmas cards tend to depict Victorian themes).
We're building something similar to the Taylor Ray House of Gallatin, MO but because of zoning and building codes, set-backs, and other restrictions we've had to compromise between what we wanted and what we could have. But the essence of the Queen Anne style is there.
However, for the interior, we are going more with a Craftsman/Prairie style theme since we prefer the simplicity of these styles without compromising the opportunity for creativity and craftsmanship.
-Ranch, raised ranch, split level ranch...no, thank you.
-Industrial loft-styling
-Anything where the emphasis is on "clean lines, "modern" materials, no ornamentation."
Basically, anything described as contemporary, modern, or minimalist is bound to be not my taste. I'm of the "the older and more historic, the better" school.
I also historically have never really liked the Prairie school, which, having grown up in Frank Lloyd Wright territory, is akin to sacrilege. But I've come around somewhat, to some examples.
Growing up, my favorite homes were Victorian era. My dad had a small business doing restoration and period-appropriate carpentry work on homes of this era, and his fascination with the style rubbed off. My grandma lived in a 14-room Victorian mansion that had been in the family since it was built, and it was my favorite house in the world to be in and explore. My dad never liked Arts & Crafts, since it was an anti-Victorian movement, but I've grown to love them, and bought a 1915 bungalow, which I adore. I spend so much time on my wonderful front porch, I love that it's small and cottage-y, and I love the history of it. I can't foresee ever purchasing new construction; it's not my taste at all, and just isn't interesting to me.
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