How to Recognize a Queen Anne-Style Home

The Queen Anne style was among the most popular approaches to home design to take hold during the reign of yet another British monarch, Queen Victoria. As a result, Queen Anne homes often are called simply "Victorian." However, these full-figured abodes feature unique architectural touches that set them off from other earlier designs popularized during the 1838-to-1901 reign of Britain's longest-ruling monarch. Here are some easy-to-recognize characteristics of a classic Queen Anne residence.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Look for imbalance. Unlike earlier and more symmetrical architectural styles, Queen Anne architecture can look rambling and less planned. So, for example, you'll probably see more windows on one side of the front door than on the other. On the inside, where Federal- and Georgian-styles feature mirror-image floor plans, with matching parlors on either side of a front hall, Queen Anne-style homes may include irregularly shaped rooms and quirky spaces.

2. Observe the flights of fancy. Queen Anne-style homes are known for their round, protruding corner turrets, spacious wraparound front porches that extend from the facade and key-hole shaped windows and doorways. Architects during this period took their influence from a range of preceding Western and Asian ideas and often combined them in a riotous way.

3. Count the materials. In the Queen Anne home, a stone foundation is often combined with clapboard siding, shingled dormers and prominent brick chimneys. Some may try to unify these disparate materials by painting them all a uniform color, but real Queen Anne enthusiasts call out these varied elements in the intricate decorating schemes that have earned these homes their well-deserved "Painted Ladies" moniker.