Learn more about what this architectural feature can do for your homes design and function.
What Is a Cupola?
These roofline additions were a way to admit light and air into the structure below.
Credit:Werner Straube
In the United States, cupolas have particularly strong ties to 18th and 19th-century architecture.
Youll find them on many Victorian- andGeorgian-era structures.
It was a period of design focused on developing a homes architecture to better appreciate its surrounding landscape.
Credit:John Merkl
Many cupolas were simply added to the roofline.
Many decades later, cupolas were added to theranch-style homespopular in the U.S. from the 1930s through the 1970s.
Today, they can be simple ornamental additions.
Credit:Edmund Barr
Cupolas may be custom-designed to match a structures architecture and style.
Although cupolas are not as common today, they still serve a useful decorative function.
Aesthetically, cupolas change the profile of a building by creating a more dynamic roofline.
For example, cupolas add variety to low-pitch roofs and single-story homes.
The bottom portion that connects the cupola to the house is generally known as thebase.
Cupolas are also an opportunity to incorporate decorative elements into exterior architecture.
Copper is a popular traditional choice for cupola roof accents.
In addition to toppers, lanterns or light fixtures inside the cupola can add cozy ambience at night.
Cupola Tower.George Washingtons Mount Vernon, www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/cupola-tower/.
