Some of the first examples of American structures exist in New England, where European settlers began assembling homes and communities with construction methods that obsolete to medieval Europe. With plenty of local timber accessible for construction, homes were both covered and framed in timber. Small, easy homes evolved into bigger, more refined fashions as people began to boom and stick to precisely the ever-changing trending fashions of both architecture and interior furnishings.
Ancient Colonial Style
Historical New England Colonial homes typically had a huge central chimney, which supplied heat and fireplaces for the majority of the rooms. The one-over-one floor program consisted of one room on the very first story and one room on the next story of the home. Some of the first examples of First Period Colonial homes featured asymmetrical door and window openings. This flooring program eventually developed to your four-room layout, with two rooms around the bottom and two rooms straight above. Saltbox -homes comprised a built-on lean-to in the rear of the home, typically a kitchen. The steeply sloped roof helped push cold winter winds over the roof of the house and kept snow from building up in addition to the house.
Defining Attributes
The typical facade of New England Colonial homes is symmetrical with a centrally located door and two windows on each side, known as a five-bay facade, as bay refers to door and window openings. Five windows appear on the next story, one straight over the door and two straight over the initial -windows on each side. Homes with central chimneys included an L-shaped stairs, using a tight turn going around the chimney, while homes with double end chimneys featured straight staircases. Outside, homes were covered with clapboard, weatherboard or shingles.
Evolving Colonial Styles
Ancient American architectural styles throughout the Colonial Era and soon after the Revolutionary War were defined by periods in time. Georgian, Federal and Greek Revival styles followed each other consecutively, starting in 1700 with Georgian. Named after the succession of English King Georges, these refined Colonial homes featured the five-bay facade using a heavy pediment supported by decorative pilasters over a paneled front door along with decorative interior paneling. Post-Revolutionary War Federal style homes, named after the federation of states, had further refinements such as swags, garlands, urns and geometric patterns on interior paneled wall inserts, fireplace mantels and exterior door encompasses, over windows and along cornices. Inspired by vintage Grecian architecture, Greek Revival homes were often rectangular, with some homes using the narrow, gabled ending as the front, featuring broad paneled pilasters and a vast entablature between the next story and the loft. Colonnaded porches supplied the appearance of a Greek temple, with whitened the colour of choice.
Colonial Interiors
Inside Colonial homes, simple pastoral furnishings additionally evolved into more elaborate and formal furnishings as fortunate Colonists became wealthy and wealthy. Interior walls had dado or chair rails with wainscot paneling underneath, decorative casements around doors and windows needed a picture rail, frieze and cornice near the ceiling. Most wood trim was generally painted white. Wallpaper and stenciled designs embellished walls in deluxe homes. Pine-wood flooring were covered using hand-woven rag rugs and later with Oriental carpets. Furniture styles of this time comprised Jacobean, Ancient American, William and Mary, Queen Anne and Chippendale. Spindle-back Windsor chairs continue being iconic Colonial style pieces. Candlewick bedspreads, handmade quilts and coverlets and hand-tied, fishnet canopies created comfortable, homey atmospheres in bedrooms.