Shingle Style: From 1874 to the Present
What exactly is Shingle Style? It doesn't even necessarily involve shingles at all, but usually these rambling homes are covered in shingles. It often includes a stone base, extensive porches, lots of eaves and gables, asymmetry, axial design thrown out the window, towers, and yes, usually, shingles galore!
At the turn of the last century, architects and homeowners began to rebel against the ornate fussiness of Victorian and Gothic style and went for something more less polished. Think of the extreme contrast after The Guilded Age between the uber-wealthy's mansions like The Breakers in Newport and the rustic, rough-hewn Vanderbilt camp in the Adirondacks. People were enjoying the idea of "roughing it," and the starker look of shingle style was reminiscent of the days of simple, Puritanical New England colonial style. Perhaps the rich yearned for a tiny bit of the hobo lifestyle that was happening at the time (kind of like when haute couture tried to go grunge in the '90s and you'd see Blaine Trump at a gala in a $900 grubby Gaultier wool hat).
Cynicism aside when I think of Shingle Style, I think of that unbelievable house Diane Keaton had in "Something's Gotta Give," and the once-beautiful Hamptons cottage in "Grey Gardens." The wealthy class loved to build large ramshackle "cottages" along the shores of New England, and ferry, hop a train, or eventually drive over to them on the weekends.
It's interesting to look at Shingle-Style on an architectural timeline. Somewhere after Victorian, contemporary with Arts and Crafts, and before technology allowed for International Style, it's easy to see why modern architects are still inspired by it today. From Stanford White to Frank Lloyd Wright to Robert Venturi to Robert A.M. Stern, Shingle Style has constantly morphed to fit in with the times, while providing nostalgia for the grand time of its origin over a century ago. Here are some great examples I've found on Houzz. Some are the original cottages, some are much more modern versions, some are small and simple cottages that simply have the spirit of the shingle style, if not so much the forms.
At the turn of the last century, architects and homeowners began to rebel against the ornate fussiness of Victorian and Gothic style and went for something more less polished. Think of the extreme contrast after The Guilded Age between the uber-wealthy's mansions like The Breakers in Newport and the rustic, rough-hewn Vanderbilt camp in the Adirondacks. People were enjoying the idea of "roughing it," and the starker look of shingle style was reminiscent of the days of simple, Puritanical New England colonial style. Perhaps the rich yearned for a tiny bit of the hobo lifestyle that was happening at the time (kind of like when haute couture tried to go grunge in the '90s and you'd see Blaine Trump at a gala in a $900 grubby Gaultier wool hat).
Cynicism aside when I think of Shingle Style, I think of that unbelievable house Diane Keaton had in "Something's Gotta Give," and the once-beautiful Hamptons cottage in "Grey Gardens." The wealthy class loved to build large ramshackle "cottages" along the shores of New England, and ferry, hop a train, or eventually drive over to them on the weekends.
It's interesting to look at Shingle-Style on an architectural timeline. Somewhere after Victorian, contemporary with Arts and Crafts, and before technology allowed for International Style, it's easy to see why modern architects are still inspired by it today. From Stanford White to Frank Lloyd Wright to Robert Venturi to Robert A.M. Stern, Shingle Style has constantly morphed to fit in with the times, while providing nostalgia for the grand time of its origin over a century ago. Here are some great examples I've found on Houzz. Some are the original cottages, some are much more modern versions, some are small and simple cottages that simply have the spirit of the shingle style, if not so much the forms.
This is the ultimate example of Shingle Style to me - check out the large stone base and posts, the roofline and the expansive porches, not to mention the setting.
Holy Gables Batman! The porches and irregular roof line make this Connecticut coastal home a great example of Shingle Style.
This newer iteration of Shingle Style borrows stylistic elements from that style as well as Victorian style, such as the details along the roofline.
I love this modern interpretation. It seems to get forms from vernacular structures like barns and sheds, and plays with the geometry in a very Venturi-esque way.
This modern version includes another popular Shingle Style feature, the screened-in porch. Often, an upstairs sleeping porch was included as well.
This home is more austere, barn-inspired than by a Shingle Style's usual forms, but that sea of shingles and its rustic sensibility compelled me to include it here.
Turrets are often a feature in Shingle Style homes.
This San Francisco rambler is a mish-mash of Victorian, Gothic, and Shingle Style elements.
The irregular roofline, gables, and porches give this home its distinct shingle style.
This Shingle Style farmhouse is my cottage dream home! It really doesn't get more charming than this.
I just had to throw in this fabulous pergola, which provides the perfect outdoor dining room.
Interiors were not always so rustic and included many beautiful built-ins and extensive trim work.
A stone base was often used on these homes in the past, and this modernized version includes its own version of that.