By Lance McCarthy
Does your house have style? Of course it does! But which one?
I’ve asked Joel Perry with Indwell Architecture to talk about some of the common house styles around here. This week we are focusing on one of the most popular house styles in the Prairie Village area: the Craftsman.
Where did it come from? Most house styles evolve from a certain place because of things like weather and available building materials. The Craftsman style is different because it originated through a social movement. In the early 20th century, the Industrial Revolution was in full swing. Thomas Edison was a rock star, and Henry Ford would soon be one. People were moving from the country to the city. Technology was becoming more pervasive in people’s lives. And some people didn’t like that. They didn’t like mass production. They wanted to preserve the work of the individual craftsman and artisan. So, a house style evolved that used lots of natural products, and felt very connected to the earth. It was a style that would make it clear that skilled hands had worked to make it.
Interesting Facts/Features:
- Low sloped gabled roofs with wide eave overhangs make the house feel substantial
- Lots of stone and wood
- Usually only 1 or 1 ½ stories
- Lots of exposed rafters and beams
- Generous porches with plenty of room for swings
- Lots of built in woodwork (benches, paneling, etc.)
- One of the first open floor plan styles
- Fireplaces, and if you are lucky, an inglenook
- Less paint, more stain