Design of the Period House - by Style

In this area of Bricks & Brass we look by at the various architectural design styles used in domestic architecture and interior design.

The architectural and design styles examined include Classical, Georgian, Italianate, Gothic, Aesthetic, Arts and Crafts, Eclectic, Queen Anne, Art Nouveau and Edwardian. For each, there is an overview of their influences on architecture, interior design and on decoration.

Most styles have come and gone, and later been revived. A good example is the 'Classical' style of architecture; the original ideas come from the time of the Greek and Roman empires. These ideas were re-explored in the 16th century, revived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, again in the Edwardian period from 1900-1914, and yet again in modern decades. So we may find a house built in 1980 where the front entrance is highlighted with columns on either side.

It is rare to be able to label any house as being of a single style. The typical middle or working class home was built by a small builder who would buy a plot of land, build one or two houses and immediately sell them freehold or leasehold to a landlord. This speculative builder built what he liked, was familiar with and could sell easily and profitably. These houses were influenced by contemporary fashions but were no more 'designer houses' than the typical house of today.