Bungalow & Craftsman-Style Defined

Just how do you know if you have a Bungalow or Craftsman-style home or both?

First of all, " bungalow " describes a building type, referring to the form or shape and massing of a home. "Craftsman" implies a building style, referring to design characteristics and decorative elements added to the structure.

First, a bit of history on the origins of these homes-both the bungalow and the Craftsman-style residences were a direct result of the Arts & Crafts era. This era began in England in the late nineteenth century and spread to North America as a reaction to the negative effects of industrialization. This movement desired to find a new approach to living and working, one that would create a joyful union of art and craft. Architecturally, it gave rise to a variety of innovative house types and styles based on regional and medieval buildings. During the Arts & Crafts era, dating in North America from about 1890 to the early 1920s, the bungalow, foursquare, and cottage were common building types in Seattle and elsewhere in the United States. Craftsman style was one of the popular building styles for these homes along with Prairie School, West Coast Arts & Crafts, and Art Noveau.

The bungalow building type was adapted from the small dwellings of nineteenth-century British colonial officials in India. Bungalows feature low, horizontal lines; broad, gabled roofs; generous porches; and are typically one or one-and-a-half stories. The exterior is generally undecorated with interest expressed through sheltering eaves with exposed rafter ends and distinctive dormers. Bungalow interiors are functional with front doors usually opening directly into living rooms, which in turn, are usually directly connected to the dining, area sometimes only separated by a half-wall. Major features of the bungalow are a distinctive living room fireplace and beamed ceilings in the major rooms.

The Craftsman building style was initially popularized through The Craftsman magazine, the influential American Arts & Crafts journal published from 1901 until 1916 by Gustav Stickley. This style has a strong aesthetic connection to the earth and tends to emphasize horizontal lines and a relationship with nature. The integration of house and site was an ultimate goal with features that merge outdoors and indoors such as living and dining porches, sleeping porches, pergolas, and terraces. These houses emphasize the use of natural materials such as local wood, stone, and clay brick. Excessive ornamentation is shunned, replaced instead by picturesque massing, fine materials, and careful finishing-particularly in the use of wood detailing. Colors are generally muted earth tones with accents of natural colors. Doors are usually large and prominent but not ornamented; windows are large with double-hung sash and multiple panes over a large single pane, stained glass is often used. Built-in furnishings are common including sideboards, china closets, and glass-front bookcases sometimes serving as room dividers. Roofs almost always have steep eaves that sweep down over a deep front porch.