subject: Farmhouse Architecture Combines Function and Style [print this page] When we hear the term farmhouse in reference to architectural style we may get many impressions of what that means. While we may first think of function, what we don't realize is how today's farmhouse architecture is full of style.
The formal definition of farmhouse architecture varies, according to who is making the interpretation. Some say the term farmhouse within itself indicates a home built on agricultural lands that was built for function and out of necessity. The home's sole purpose was to protect the inhabitants who either owned or worked the farm.
Some historic farmhouse designs are also called folk' houses. This term stemmed from the geography of the home and was based on the characteristics of place, people, climate and materials available in a particular region. The earliest American style farmhouses were built by colonial families of the 1700s. Many of these homes were designed and built by the occupant as nobody could afford to hire an architect.
During the middle of the 19th century, with the capacity to move materials across the country via railroad, came a shift in architectural style which included changes in the standard farmhouse design. As new materials made their way into an area, a home's unique look and personality began to grow and change. While prior, when everybody's home may have been simply made of mud, stone or logs, now homes were built of lumber, brick or even quarried stone.
Another influence on the architectural style of a region's farmhouse was the ethnicity of the people living in a given area. In this time, people with common backgrounds settled together and with that, each ethnicity brought their own country's architectural flavor and skill. For example, some ethnic groups may have been more skilled in masonry while another in timber.
As time moved forward into the mid-1800s and early 1900s, the wealthier landowners began adopting new styles to add or alter their existing farmhouses. Many homes would turn into a combination of styles. One can now see farmhouses with a Queen Anne flair or farmhouses with Greek columns making it a Greek Revival Farmhouse. This eclectic look was added to with the availability of house plans and pattern books. People even began to play with various colors.
Now, the farmhouse architectural style is identified by a hybrid of architectural features due to the region, building traditions of the time and craftsmen. Farmhouse architecture is perhaps defined by particular core design elements that include: covered porches, dormer windows, white paint, and heavy stone and timber in regions where these natural materials were readily available.
Because the American Farmhouse architecture embodied the need for basic comfort and practicality, the homes were sturdy and built to last. They typically also contained formal spaces, generally positioned at the front of the house, while spaces for daily chores were placed at the back. Typical family homesteads often began very modest in size and scale and then evolved and grew into larger, more sprawling footprints. Random outcroppings and wing-like additions are indicative of the historic transformations these homesteads experienced over time.
Today, many favor the beauty of the American Farmhouse architecture. Whether it is the nostalgia of returning to an earlier and simpler time when one was connected to the land or an honoring of America's history, these homes are making a comeback, with a little more space, but with the same solid pragmatic design that people have loved for so many years.
Farmhouse Architecture Combines Function and Style
