CasaSugar

Guess What This Style of House Is Called?

CasaSugar — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 05:30:16 -0800

This style of house originated in New England in the 17th century. Traditionally, its features include a steeply pitched roof, end gables, a central chimney, and a low, broad frame. (Hint: It shares its name with a popular Massachusetts vacation spot.)

Casa Quiz: Creole Townhouses

CasaSugar — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 08:45:12 -0800

Last week I told you about Creole Townhouses, one of New Orleans most treasured styles of architecture. Can you remember some of the details of these buildings? Take this quiz to find out.

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Architecture Styles: The Shotgun House

CasaSugar — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 11:00:49 -0800

The Creole Townhouse isn't the only architecture style the world should thank New Orleans for. The Shotgun was also developed in the Louisiana city between 1850 and 1910, and is the predominant type of house there. A Shotgun is a long, narrow rectangular structure, usually no more than 12 feet wide with doors opposite each other at both ends. Each of its three to five rooms open onto the next with no hallways to beget privacy. The Shotgun gets its name, legend has it, from the saying that a shotgun blast at the front door could pass uninterrupted through all the rooms to the back. To hear more about Shotguns, read more

The structure is typically a one-story house raised 2 to 8 feet above ground on brick piers, and also features a narrow front porch covered by a roof apron and supported by columns and lacy, Victorian jigsaw brackets. There are several variations of this style, including the Double-barrel Shotgun, the Camelback, and the Double Width Shotgun. Double-barrel Shotguns are basically duplexes, or two separate Shotgun houses sharing a single, central wall to allow more houses to be built in an area. The Camelback is a Shotgun with a second story built onto the rear of the house. A Double Width Shotgun is a single structure that's twice the width of a normal Shotgun.
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Architecture Styles: The Creole Townhouse

CasaSugar — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 05:45:52 -0800

In addition to its thriving music scene, finger-licking grub, and propensity towards too much fun, New Orleans architecture is what makes it one of America's most unique cities. In other hoods, brand new, $20 million manses are coveted by celebrities and money makers alike. In New Orleans, where you'll find at least six distinct styles of architecture, old homes are the truest treasures. read more One of these styles, and perhaps the most iconic, is the Creole Townhouse, which you'll find scattered throughout the narrow streets of NOLA's historic Vieux Carré in the French Quarter, as well as the nearby Faubourg Marigny. These brick or stucco structures, marked by lacy wrought-iron balconies, courtyards, thick walls, and arcades, were built to replace many of the city's wooden buildings that burned in the Great New Orleans Fire of 1788. While their balconies are go-to haunts for bead-throwing tourists and swarms of late-night revelers, they're also oft painted and photographed by visitors and locals alike, and are a keen venue for a green thumb's display of ivy, bromelaids, begonias, and ferns. In most cases, the facade of the building brushes up against the property line, leaving room for privacy (and parties) in interior courtyards not uncommonly decorated with flowing fountains. Creole townhouses are also built with steeply pitched roofs, side gabling, and several roof dormers.

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Ask Casa: Books on Spanish Colonial Architecture

CasaSugar — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 10:00:58 -0700

Hello Casa,

My dream is to buy or build a Spanish Colonial home for myself one day. I was wondering if you could recommend some books on this architectural style for me. Some coffee table books would be fine, or something on the construction of the homes too and interior design . . . anything at all I would greatly appreciate. I also remember that you wrote a post about Reese Witherspoon and that her new house was a Spanish Colonial. That house was absolutely lovely too. Thank you in advance!

Always, PeachyKeen19
To hear my suggestions for PeachyKeen19, read more.

Hi PeachyKeen,

Thanks for thinking of me! I'm with you on this one; Spanish Colonial is one of my favorite styles of residential architecture as well. This is especially true of homes with original architectural details. There are a few books I think might be right up your alley.

Haciendas ($34.95) by Linda Leigh Paul, from Rizzoli Press (one of my favorites), highlights the interiors and exteriors of 25 Spanish Colonial homes, both traditional and modern, in Mexico and the US, and will give you a broad overview of the style. This book is quite photography-heavy, with 250 rich photos, but I think this is key for understanding the architectural elements. It also gives a great historical background on the style, with information on the hacienda's origin as homes for Spanish nobility, up to newer styles today throughout the US.
Spanish-Colonial Architecture in the United States ($16.95) by Rexford Newcomb traces Spanish architecture throughout the US, including Florida, the Gulf Coast, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. This book is a must-have reference, much more text-heavy than the former, although it is illustrated with 195 photographs and 50 measured drawings. Newcomb is a distinguished architectural historian who's written several books on various styles of architecture. This book is well-documented (no fluff here), and offers a range of perspective views, detailed close-ups, measured front elevations, and floor plans to get down to the grit of the style.
Another title out of Rizzoli Press, California Romantica: Spanish Colonial and Mission-Style Houses ($40.95) is co-authored by actress Diane Keaton and LA-native D.J. Waldie. In architectural circles, Diane Keaton is praised for her preservation of historic California homes, and considered a committed preservationist. California is basically the hub of Spanish Colonial architecture in the US, so this is a must-read even if you plan to live elsewhere. The book features residential examples of both California Mission and Spanish Colonial styles, and introduces you to influential architects like George Washington Smith, Wallace Neff, Richard Requa, Lilian Rice, and Paul R. Williams.

Beyond that, with her cinematic eye, Keaton made a point to specially commission the photography for this book, so the photos alone are must-see. The book also gives you a tour of Keaton's own Spanish-style home, which I've actually written about before.

Hope that helps! And good luck finding your dream home.

Cheers,
Casa

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Coveted Crib: Hip in the Hollywood Hills

CasaSugar — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 12:56:00 -0700

Interior designer Peter Dunham, whose signature style is marked by casual sophistication, was the perfect person to bring this 1920s Hollywood Spanish house back to its former glory. Working with an architecture firm, the designer collaborated on finishes, architectural details, and room layouts. Emerging from this collaboration is a home that exuberantly mixes luxurious and playful elements. From a Nanna Ditzel hanging egg chair to a fireplace in the spa-like bathroom, this home is all about easy, beautiful living. Want to take the full tour? Then read more.

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Would You Like to Live in a Gingerbread House?

CasaSugar — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:00:00 -0800

This Victorian home in Bouldin Creek, TX, one of Austin's oldest neighborhoods, is what you might call a gingerbread house: dripping with candylike ornate moldings and a very decorative picket fence, its style is straight out of a fairytale book. I love it, and I'd kill to live in it. That gorgeous front porch alone had me sold! But architecture this elaborate certainly doesn't please everyone's tastes. How about you?

What's Your Favorite Style of Residential Architecture of 2008?

CasaSugar — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 08:30:56 -0800

If it were up to me, my home would be a melting pot of many architectural styles (though that might look a little wacky). As part of our Best of 2008 polls, I want to know what type of house you would most like to live in. Source and Source

Your Favorite Style of Residential Architecture

CasaSugar — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 04:53:13 -0800

In our Best of 2007 polls, you chose Bungalow as your favorite style of residential architecture. I do love the cozy feel of bungalows, the large square columns, and of course, the affordability. But I have to part ways with you on this one and go with Creole style, which ironically was chosen by only 1 percent of you. There's something about the elaborate wrought iron details and requisite porches and balconies of New Orleans Creole houses that really makes my heart sing.
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What's Your Favorite Style of Residential Architecture?

CasaSugar — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 05:04:38 -0800

I love the wrought iron balconies of New Orleans' Creole townhouses, the bright colors of Victorian "Painted Ladies," the cozy feel of bungalows, the open floor plans of mid-century modern homes, and the regal columns of Greek revival style. If it were up to me, my home would be a melting pot of many architectural styles. (Although that would probably look pretty kooky.) As part of our Best of 2007 polls, I want to know what type of house would you most like to live in.

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