The Craftsman-style home is a fixture in neighborhoods developed from the 1900s to the 1930s. Clean lines, quality craftsmanship and balanced proportions made these homes American classics. This style remains popular today.
Adding Craftsman details to your home can give it instant curb appeal. It also offers a way to make your home stand out from the neighbors. If you are ready to upgrade, let’s look at some ideas on how to bring the Craftsman aesthetic to your home’s exterior.
Color Choices
An easy way to add the Craftsman appeal is with color. The traditional color palette would include earthy browns, muted greens and cool blues, invoking the earth, grasses and sky. This traditional color scheme tends to be darker than modern homeowners love.
If the deep browns don’t appeal to you, you can go with a modern take on the earthy palette by selecting lighter neutrals and soft grays. Add in hints of green and blue for the complete palette. Use multiple hues to replicate the use of color all around a Craftsman-style residence.
Details Matter
If you look at a Craftsman home, you often see shake siding, custom brick and glass fixtures. These details are what make this style so distinctive. If you were to have a traditional carpenter replicate them, it would cost you a lot of money.
The good news is that you can find these classic details made from modern materials that are durable and low-maintenance. That’s the perfect marriage of modern convenience with classic styling. Plus they are a fraction of the cost of having those details added the traditional way.
Transforming the Modern Home With Craftsman Details
The front of the home is the best place to add Craftsman details. Here are a few projects to get you started.
Transform Your Porch
A great place to start is your porch. If you have straight columns holding up your porch’s roof, replace them with tapered or square supports. Wrap the base of these supports with natural stone veneer. It will give your front an instant Craftsman boost.
Decorative corbels give the look of solid blocks of wood offering support to the roof structure above. It’s a classic detail found on Craftsman homes. Add corbels along the roofline to bring in an architectural element.
Use corbels made from long-lasting woods like cedar. That way you get the beauty of wood without a lot of maintenance needed. You can go with a smooth corbel that is easy to paint or a rough finish that brings the beauty of the wood to the forefront.
Change Your Door
If you make one change to your home, give it a Craftsman door. The upper third of a Craftsman door has glass panels that bring natural light into the house. Under the glass panels, there’s a thick piece of trim that sits atop flat panels below.
Most Craftsman doors are made of solid wood, stained a medium to dark brown. However, a door painted in a deep earthy color is another option.
Give Your Gable a Bit of Bling
Another architectural feature common to Craftsman homes is a gable bracket. These decorative brackets fit up into the gable end of a roof. They add the look of hand craftsmanship to any home they grace.
You can find gable brackets in a number of styles and designs. Curved, straight or a mixture of both, you can find a style to enhance your home’s exterior. You do need to order the bracket specifically to fit your roof pitch.
Give Your Windows an Upgrade
Windows are just as important as doors when it comes to Craftsman style. Large shutters on either side of the window give it balance and a dash of natural color.
Select a shutter shape that has a smaller cutout up top with a larger one below. That’s a reflection of the classic Craftsman door style. Another shutter option is batten and board design. Separate vertical boards are held together by strips of wood applied to the top or across in a diagonal. For low maintenance, select a composite PVC shutter. It lasts longer than wood and can be painted any color you choose.
Window boxes are another way to upgrade the look of your home’s windows. The simple box shape is held up by decorative corbels that invoke the Craftsman style. Add one under every window on the front of your home. Then plant seasonal flowers to bring natural beauty across your home’s exterior. Select boxes made from composite PVC material for long-lasting beauty.
Going the Extra Mile
If you really want to give your home a true Craftsman makeover, here are some suggestions.
Lap Siding – When it comes time to change your home’s cladding material, upgrade to lap siding in a natural tone.
Windows – If you want to change your windows, go with a double-hung look with separated glass in both top and bottom.
Single Dormers – Add single dormers to the roof to bring natural light into your upper floor.
Extend the Eaves – If you are upgrading your roof, extend the eaves to shade the windows and doors.
If you’re ready to give your home’s exterior a Craftsman look, check out the architectural options available at Flower Window Boxes. The company offers a wide assortment of architectural products that are low maintenance, high quality, and long lasting.
Author Bio
Matt Buquoi works at FlowerWindowBoxes.com, a company that offers premium-quality, no-rot flower window boxes, exterior shutters, cedar gables and outdoor planters at affordable prices.