If you have checked what are the latest architectural trends for sure you have seen that the bungalows are back. So, this is why we decided to add it to our house style series so keep reading if you want to find out more about this architectural style.
Making a bungalow style house is not that complicated if you understand the rules that you need to follow and what is behind them. Having this style is similar to having a part of the 20th century American history. If you like historic homes for sure you might want to go for a bungalow house.
A bungalow is a term used to refer to any small or medium home that was made in the first half of the 20th century. A bungalow style house is actually an important element of American history and they can be spotted even today in many places.
What is a Bungalow Style House?
Image source: Andrew Snow Photography
Actually, the bungalow stated in Asia from the Hindi word Bengali that means “house of the Bengal style.”. As English colonists started to see this type of house, they brought back elements like a porch, small rooms to England. That is how the bungalow style house really started.
The bungalow style was influenced in America by the arts and crafts movement of the people that had enough of the Victoria architecture and wanted something new. Basic lines together with natural elements made the bungalow style house to be a great choice and at the beginning of the early 20th century, it received a lot of attention.
Image source: Allen Construction
It was easy to build and could be adapted to any region. They were so popular that certain companies started to sell bungalow kits through mail-order catalogs.
Today the bungalow style house is known for its simplicity and efficiency and most of the times is being used as a vacation home. The growth of this style was also connected with the major trend pop-up in both the British and American culture and it was known as the Arts and Crafts movement.
Image source: Brooks Ballard
People like it a lot because it rejected the industrial mass production by going towards handcrafted detailed designs that are more personal and good looking. All building parts used to be delivered at the construction site where the workers started to put them together in order to create the bungalow style house.
A lot of this type of houses that have been built from kits can be found in Washington DC and the Palisades area of NW. Another fine example can be spotted at 5400 Galena Place NW
Having a nice style with simple features the bungalow style house can be more than enough for the American dream.
What Makes a House a Bungalow?
You are now probably wondering what are the elements that make a house a bungalow one. Bungalow homes are almost always 1.5 tall and this means they have a single room in their upper floor.
Usually, they are created to accommodate just a single-family and have a practical interior that maximizes the space inside. Although the floor plan is similar to the English country cottages it has ample windows that bring a lot of light and the rooms are situated around the central space.
Here are some bungalow style house characteristics that you might want to know
- They are 1 – 1 1/2 stories
- They have squarer layouts
- The roof is gabled or low-pitched
- The entry goes most of the times directly in the living room
- They have deep eaves with exposed rafters
- The floor plan is maximized for efficiency and it flows from room to room having minimal space
- They have little decorative elements in the exterior
- The most used building materials are wood or stone
- They have large covered front porches together with massive columns under the main roof
- Thick bricks are used for their chimneys
- Main living areas on the first floor
The materials that get used into a bungalow style house bring warmth as a feeling. Because they use natural materials this makes anybody that goes into such a home to feel relaxed and really enjoy the colors that he sees.
Types of Bungalow House Architecture
Some people might not be aware that this style can be different based on the region that we are talking about. So, let’s explore more about this and see how each region has more or less its own particularities.
California Bungalows
Image source: Angela Dechard Design
A lot of the times California Craftsman bungalows have overhanging eaves and sleeping porches. The interior goes for dark wood usually and plaster ceilings that have wood beams built-in. You can recognize them easily because they really don’t have any kind of interior hallways.
Chicago Bungalows
Chicago bungalows have a hipped roof and then to be narrow compared with the Californian style. You can recognize them due to their red brick exterior and the flat front that comes with a small porch.
Cape Cod
A Cape Cod bungalow has most of the times a pitched roof together with a central chimney. It is perfectly symmetrical and you can see the center door that gets flanked by side windows. In fact, the first bungalow was built on Cape Cod in 1879 by architect William Gibbons Preston and it was bigger than the later ones that got done.
Spanish Revival Bungalow
Image source: Jute Interior Design
This style is inspired by the exotic version of bungalows that look good and can be the right place if you want to have a vacation room. They have arched doors and windows and many other Spanish Revival details.
Tudor Revival
Image source: Lucy Call
Tudor revival bungalows have steeply-pitched roofs with large, elaborate chimneys and they also feature a wall cladding tall and narrow windows that go hand in hand with decorative half-timbering.
Prairie Style
Image source: VanBrouck & Associates, Inc.
This is one of the small indigenous American styles that was developed by an unusual creative group of architects. They became known as the Prairie school and what this bungalow style house has different is that the roofs are low pitched, they have two stories and some cool casement windows.
Craftsman Style
This style first appeared on the West Coast and it was designed by Stickley himself. It has street-facing gables and a sleeper porch. This are the first elements you need to check to see if it belongs to this style.
Image source: Moore Architects, PC
They usually are brown or green in order to show a connection with nature. Common elements that they have are fireplaces and bookcases.
Modern Style Bungalows
Image source: Rick & Cindy Black Architects
If you are still wondering what a bungalow is this style can answer your question. The modern style has usually curved corners that provide a sense of motion.
Image source: Moore Architects, PC
They are made out of concrete and brick and the interior is light with some modern finishes. Because they are simple people really like them especially due to the minimalistic vibe that they offer once you get in.
Ending thoughts on bungalow style house designs
In conclusion, the bungalow style house has really been a strong movement that started in the 20th century. As it is gaining again more and more popularity this means that we should expect to see more styles that come up and this can lead to more diversity for sure.
If you were thinking that this type of house can do the job for you to check the style above and see if you prefer a particular one.
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