Exterior Home Design Ideas for Colonial Homes
Colonial homes, named for the period of time between the first settlements by Europeans in America in the early 1600s and the Declaration of Independence in 1776, are typically two stories high and two rooms wide. They are based on symmetrical, late medieval architectural styles prevalent in England. The formula for this type of home is quite strict: It usually has a steep roof, door centered in the front of the house and a chimney. Despite this somewhat rigid structure, you do have some creative leeway for the exterior of the house. Does this Spark an idea?
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Georgian Colonial
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Georgian colonial homes capitalize on the inherent symmetry of colonial design. Leaving the entire structure of the house intact, Georgian colonials often have a several columns evenly spaced across the front of the house with a flat crown above the columns, creating a space by the front door that almost resembles a porch. This simple design concept transforms the exterior of the house, giving it a more stately appearance, but keeps the symmetry.
Red Doors
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Pastels and muted colors were common on original colonial homes, and colors like light blue, mint green, cream, light brown, yellows and grays abounded. Painting your front door red is an effective way to draw attention to the front and center of your house since red provides much contrast. To heighten this effect, paint the shutters and window trim of your home red as well. Red is also a historically accurate color for a colonial home since common exterior paint colors of the 1600s were warm, earthy colors like red and brown. Many doors were painted red in the colonial period.
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Side Porch
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A side porch provides an outdoor space attached to the house that won't conceal the balanced appearance of the front of the colonial house as front porches can. A side porch should connect directly through a door to a kitchen or living room, providing opportunities for dining al fresco. Ideally, you should build two side porches, one on each side of the house, to maintain the inherent symmetry of the colonial style.
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- Photo Credit new england colonial home. image by Tom Oliveira from Fotolia.com
