Characteristics of Bungalows

/

This month I want to talk about bungalows. There are a couple things about bungalows that I love - porches and built-ins. Let’s discuss!

After the era of the Victorian home we see the bungalow style come into play. Bungalows got their start in the mid to late 1800s in India. There they were characterized as single story homes with wide, covered verandas. They then made their way to England and then to the United states. They were mostly popular here from the 1910s to the 1940s in the United States. Adding to their popularity was the fact that you could mail order bungalow house kits from Sears and other similar companies. (Yes, mail order houses! A very cool thing that deserves it’s own post someday for sure.)

Like the bungalows of India, our bungalows here also are characterized by a wide, covered front porch. They are also often a single story or one and a half stories. They are well proportioned and nearly, but not completely, symmetrical. They have square columns on their porches that are often tapered. Their windows are typically multi-paned at the top and single paned at the bottom. And the finishes of bungalows are much simpler than Victorians - more muted browns and greens that fade into the outdoors more. They have lower sloped roofs with overhanging eaves and exposed beams.

When you step inside a typical bungalow you walk directly into the living area. This is also different than the Victorian that often had a very defined entry way. The living area is typically the entire front of the house with a large fireplace at one end. That fireplace is often bookend by built-in shelves, cabinets or benches. And these built-ins are one of my favorite things about bungalows. The woodwork for them is usually exquisite when you can find it in its original condition.

There is also often the same type of wood work framing the windows and doorways and even sometimes exposed beams in the ceiling. And there is also commonly build in shelving casing the entry way from the living room to the dining room. And many bungalows have built in china cabinets or buffet cabinets.

The next couple of weeks I’m going to spotlight a couple of my favorite Avenues bungalows to give you a better idea of what these details look like. Until then have a great weekend!