Prairie Style Home and Its Characteristics

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Homes come in a variety of different styles. You immediately become conscious of how many types of architecture there really are, as well as which ones you really like while you are house hunting. A less common house style is the prairie style home. This style of home was constructed mainly in one area over a short period of time, but there are several reasons why you would want to build your own prairie style home. With very prominent roof lines, prairie style homes are low to the ground. These homes typically feature earth tones and natural materials and have a lot of solid horizontal lines, accentuated by roof lines.

What Is A Prairie Style Home?

Prairie homes first appeared in the Chicago area in the 1890s. Just before this period, Victorian-style homes were all in rage. There are very detailed and ornate Victorian houses. As a return to much simpler architecture and design, Prairie homes were planned.

This style of home has spread to most of the United States in the Midwest. Originally developed by Frank Lloyd Wright, prairie-style houses bring outdoor space and blend into the surrounding landscape. Through the 1920s, they continued to be quite successful.

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Characteristics Of Prairie Houses

Although no two homes are exactly alike, there are common traits that identify a home as a style of the prairie. Here are some of the typical features of the exteriors and interiors of classic prairie-style homes as well as contemporary prairie-style homes.

Exterior

Homes of the Prairie style are most noticeable by their exterior. They are low-profile homes with low-pitched, hipped roofs, mostly one storey. There are frequently overhanging eaves and prominent, broad chimneys on these roofs. The broad, flat roofs are meant to reflect an open American prairie's wide expanse.

These overhanging roofs are often used on the front and all-around a home to build large and deep porches. This provides dramatic overhangs with intent but creates an indoor-outdoor area as well. Wright was keen on taking the outdoors into the home and helped with that by adding these dramatic porches.

Homes of the Prairie style often have very different windows. They feature tall thin windows arranged in a row, almost like a wall of glass, to make one larger window. This serves to create the feel of the outside appear inside, but it also gives the homes a very unique look from the street. There are often sometimes cantilevered floors in addition to these windows, which is where an upper floor has an overhang that sticks out over the 1st floor.

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Interior

Although the exteriors of homes in the prairie style are somewhat different, the interior configurations often have similar themes. Prairie-style homes were some of the first homes to get rid of several small spaces and concentrate on getting a large open floor plan instead. With an emphasis on living and dining rooms, they were built to be ideal for entertaining.

There were also built-ins in many prairie style homes. There may be cabinetry, nooks, or seating built-in. Inside the spacious, open concept interior, this was a way to build defined zones. These built-ins were typically made of wood and a natural color was stained. Built-ins made each home feel very customary.

If you’re a minimalist and prefer a simpler architecture style like prairie homes, then contact the Best Architecture Company in CT