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Renovation Detail: The Eyebrow Dormer
Breaking up a straight roofline with curvy appeal, eyebrow dormer windows add a dramatic touch to a home's exterior architecture
Houzz Contributor. I'm an interior designer, homeowner and founding blogger of the before + after super-site, http://www.raenovate.com/.
Houzz Contributor. I'm an interior designer, homeowner and founding blogger... More »
I collect celebrity fun facts, and one of my favorites is that Whoopi Goldberg doesn't have eyebrows. She goes from eye to hairline, with no brow in between. It doesn't hold Whoopi back at all, but eyebrows are important — they break up the forehead and add curvaceous interest to one's facial structure. So when a house comes along with a large expansive roof, sometimes you've just got to add an eyebrow dormer.
Eyebrow dormers have a low profile and raise a wave in the plane of a roof's shingles. Originally designed for medieval thatched roof cottages, the eyebrow dormer was created to welcome light and add ventilation. However, eyebrow dormers were made popular in the United States when shingle-style architecture emerged in the mid to late 1800s. Mainly found in New England, eyebrow dormers were used as an enchanting visual device to break up the long expansive roofline of seaside shingle-style homes.
Today, eyebrow dormers are found on houses of all shapes and sizes. And while they're expensive to install and complicated to create, if a talented craftsman is up for the challenge, they'll drastically enhance your home's appearance.
Eyebrow dormers have a low profile and raise a wave in the plane of a roof's shingles. Originally designed for medieval thatched roof cottages, the eyebrow dormer was created to welcome light and add ventilation. However, eyebrow dormers were made popular in the United States when shingle-style architecture emerged in the mid to late 1800s. Mainly found in New England, eyebrow dormers were used as an enchanting visual device to break up the long expansive roofline of seaside shingle-style homes.
Today, eyebrow dormers are found on houses of all shapes and sizes. And while they're expensive to install and complicated to create, if a talented craftsman is up for the challenge, they'll drastically enhance your home's appearance.
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by TEA2 Architects
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| Centered above the front entrance, an eyebrow dormer breaks up the long expansive roofline on this lakeside shingle-style home. |
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An eyebrow window was cut into the roofline to flood this converted attic with daylight.
Multiple eyebrows create an undulating wave effect.
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| The eyebrow is treated as a separate roof on this pool house, with the curve covered in malleable copper. |
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| The curvaceous lines of the eyebrow dormer offset the sharp peak of this home's front gable. |
| An eyebrow dormer combines with diagonal cross balustrades, a cupola and cedar shingles to create an exterior rich with architectural interest. |
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| Multiple dormer styles can work beautifully together on a home's exterior. On this coastal New Jersey home, an eyebrow and a shed dormer team up. |
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| Feast your eyes on this wonderful cathedral ceiling featuring a pair of eyebrow dormers. |
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by TEA2 Architects
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| Centered above the front door, an eyebrow dormer breaks up the wide monotonous roofline on this lakeside residence. |
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| An eyebrow dormer graces this Arts and Crafts–inspired home and melds beautifully with the home's knee braces and square tapered columns. |
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| Reminiscent of a thatched cottage, this home goes back to the basics. |
Comments
Casart Coverings Rachel, your funny intro to this ideabook really caught my eye and raised my brow! Wonderful photos.
11 months ago · Like
jlavelle Thank so much for this article since this is the first time I've seen photos of eyebrow dormers in the U.S.. I have 4 large eyebrow dormers on my house in Poland that is currently under construction but now that I have them installed, I'm wondering what kind of interior window treatment (drapes? shades?) can be used to block out the light in the bedrooms. Any suggestions?
11 months ago · Like
pinky42384238 Hi
11 months ago · Like
Karlene Hunter Baum, Allied ASID I have always loved eye brow elements in a home. Thank you for your fantastic expamples. They are a great cross section of ways in which one can incorporate an eyebrow into their roof design.
11 months ago · Like
Bowden Carroll Design Glad to see the eyebrow from inside the house! Here's an example I saw on a recent trip to the very charming town of Bordentown, NJ 
11 months ago · Like
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Lisa Hawker Absolutely LOVE all of these photos. Thanks for sharing!!
8 months ago · Like
carrievd Love this look!
3 months ago · Like
Ideabook published on June 12, 2012.
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