By todays standards, wed still find Italianate quite traditional thanks to its characteristically ornate exterior trim.
Italianate architecture dominated the housing market in the United States for a few decades in the 1800s.
And even though landscaping was important to its inception, the style was adapted in urban areas, too.
Credit:Pam Spaulding
Thefictional home of Carrie BradshawinSex and the Cityis among many iconic New York brownstones in the Italianate style.
Read on to find out what brought Italianate homes to such pervasiveness and learn about their signature styling.
During this time, the Picturesque movement was in swing.
Credit:Getty Images / Rebecca Todd
The adaptability of Italianate architectural features also helped extend the styles reach.
Italianate houses' most prominent features are their adornments, like bracketed cornices and windows with ornate trim.
Even the city’s iconic shotgun houses have incorporated Italianates ornately bracketed overhangs.
Credit:Paul Dyer
Though widespread, Italianate styles began to fall out of popularity in the 1880s.
According to the National Park Service, they usually have asymmetrical floor plans inside.
They appeared in a number of places on the home’s facade.
Tall and narrow windows and doorswere critical to both Italianates vertical sensation as well as its decorative flair.
Windows were installed in singles, pairs and even triples.
Bay windows were common, though not mandatory, and often found on a side of the house.
Italianate homes also frequently incorporatedsingle-story porches.
Porticoscovered entries, without the porchmay also be found.
The roofs and eaves are underscored byornate cornices and decorative bracketsthat are sometimes doubled together for extra emphasis.
These features may be painted in multiple colors for added prominence.
Accessed December 19, 2023. https://www.britannica.com/art/picturesque.
Alfred A. Knopf; 2017.
Italianate Style 1850s - 1880s (U.S. National Park Service).
