Customer support portrait
How Can We Help?

Our team of Online Home Consultants is eager to answer your questions about our unique process.

Posted by Melissa Lynn Galland on Jun 14, 2017 8:00:00 AM
Find me on:

Craftsman-style homes emerged from the architecture world in the early 19th century as lifestyles shifted away from the Victorian era to one that we can still relate to today. Servants no longer lived exclusively in their employers’ homes, and families were likelier to take care of their own children. This led to larger and fewer bedrooms on the second floor and a more open floor plan on the first, often with an eat-in kitchen in addition to the dining room. Some other common features of a Craftsman-style home are:

  • A front porch that that extends under the roof
  • Exposed rafters under eaves
  • Columns in the front
  • A symmetrical form
  • A mix of materials like wood and stone

Although this type of home has been around for more than a century, you can get modern Craftsman-style home upgrades that complement these design features while supporting your family’s lifestyle:

1. Enhance the Exterior

As the outside of a home provides the first impression, it’s important to consider its curb appeal. Fortunately, a Craftsman-style home offers many opportunities to add your own personal style. Whether you choose a premium color palette that expresses your personality, add cedar shakes, or select stone steps to match other elements of the exterior, the mixed material style provides countless options to upgrade.

2. Give Yourself a Gourmet Kitchen

The kitchen is truly the heart of the home in a Craftsman, as the design allows you to be connected to both living and dining areas. Because we spend so much time preparing meals, it makes sense to create a custom kitchen that has everything you need to work efficiently and comfortably.

3. Love Your Landscape

What goes better with an inviting front porch than a carefully placed stone pavers to guide you there? Take advantage of your home’s symmetry by adding landscape features that complement it. Gravel or stone paths, plantings that pop, or a carefully planned flower garden can make your home stand out from the others on the block.

4. Consider Your Columns

As a unique feature to the Craftsman style, the columns on the front porch offer yet another opportunity for customization. Understated wood posts might fit your personality, or perhaps a tapered square feels more like home to you. Whatever your preferences, during the design process, think about how you might use these iconic columns. Will you highlight them with holiday wreaths, lean on them while you drink your morning coffee, or put potted plants at the base? Whatever your vision, make sure the design matches and consider upgrading to a style that you will love for as long as you will live in the home.

5. Don’t Neglect the Garage Door

Nothing can ruin the curb appeal of a home faster than a large element that doesn’t match. The garage is an integral part of your home, and if its style doesn’t match the rest of the home, it’s noticeable. Upgrade your garage door to one that includes windows at the top and has a look or texture that integrates well with the other materials used on the exterior. 

6. Don’t Forget the Details

Small details like decorative support brackets under the eaves, exterior lighting, and trim between different types of siding can transform the look and feel of a home. Consider upgrading to an exterior lighting package that brings out the character in your Craftsman.

Many Craftsman-style home upgrades center on the exterior, as that is where the most distinct design features are. As you design your new custom home, remember that you will be living in it for a long time to come, and if you do ever decide to sell it, you want it to offer both curb appeal and a comfortable lifestyle. If you’d like to learn more about this style of home and the Adair Homes floor plans that best accommodate a Craftsman exterior, contact us today.