Beautiful houses and architecture

I have always had a love for beautiful houses, and some of my favorite posts on my blog have been about the houses that have caught my eye: French style houses, more French style houses, Tudor and English style houses, magazine houses, houses on tour, houses for sale. I truly love houses of all types and appreciate so many different kinds of architecture.

When I first started using Pinterest, I created a group of boards that largely reflected the folders I used to keep on Flickr or the hard drive of my computer. Architecture was one of the first boards I created, and it has become a bit of a catch all for both architectural features that catch my eye, as well as house exteriors that I admire.

I often like to see what people are pinning from my board. Here are the top house exteriors that people have pinned from my architecture board. To be fair, some of these have been on my board for a long time, and maybe have more pins based on duration on the board, but each and every one of these 15 houses are unique and incredible in their own way. My Pinterest followers have great taste! (Click here to see all of my Pinterest boards; click here to see all of my pins on Pinterest)

Pinned just four days ago, this is already top ranked in my Architecture Pinterest boards!  I love a picture that shows an open door – it gives a glimpse of what’s inside, and is so welcoming. As far as the house itself, it looks like a classic 5/4 and a door, with beautiful details such as an elaborate sidelights and transom, a portico with a detailed curved barrel roof, with a thermal bluestone floor. It’s easy to understand why this has such appeal. Image via Scavullo Design Interiors.

A am a big fan of a classic French style house, and especially appreciate when the back of a house is as beautiful as the front.  The U shape layout of this house creates a charming courtyard, and the landscaping is superb (this image came from Alex Smith Garden Design).  I like the boxwoods around the base of the house, the white roses surrounding the doors, the two trees that emphasize the symmetry of the architecture.

Clean lined and classic, this picture was noted as Tempo da Delicadeza. I particularly like the design of the door, with its central knob and round door knockers.

This Country French Renovation is from Eric J. Smith Architect. It caught my eye a few weeks ago and was immediately one of the top pinned houses on my Pinterest board.  It has such incredible charm and style.

I love a good door picture, and this one is a favorite. I like the combination of white painted brick and a perfect-shade-of-gray door. Via Greige Design.

I’m not sure if I pinned this for the blooming hydrangea, or the crusty stone house, or the beautiful style of the window above, but all of these combined make for an appealing photo.

One of my all time favorite houses, located in Dallas.  I always love a symmetrical French style house, and clearly many of you do too. There are so many beautiful architectural details on this house. I particularly like the scale of the dormers on the roof, the style of the front door, and the delicate iron balcony above it. This house was on the market last year and all sorts of new photos were pinned on Pinterest. 

This is noted as the original DuPont family home. The classic Georgian architecture has timeless appeal.

A simple French stucco cottage has a lot of fans.

This house, which belongs to Veranda contributing editor and author Danielle Rollins, all set up for an evening dinner party. Landscape design by John Howard. The back of this Shutze designed house is as beautiful as the front of the house, which is typical of Shutze designed houses. Image via Luxecrush.

Another off white painted brick with light with gray shutters, via Ferguson Shamamian.

This image was simply noted as ‘beautiful view’, and the design of the walk through caught my eye.

A picture of architect Norman Askins’ villa (blog post here), taken at an ICAA SE event at his house. I was thrilled to get the opportunity to see the inside, as I had admired the exterior for so many years.

A house in England.  I made this house the cover picture on my architecture Pinterest board, as I love the composition of the photo and the style of the house.

By far the most pinned, a French renovation in Atlanta (blog post here).  This house was recently on the market, and it is as charming inside as it is outside. Architecture by Stan Dixon.

Do you have a favorite among these fifteen houses?  I’ll keep on pinning architectural features and houses on Pinterst, so be sure to follow my Pinterest boards for more inspiration.  Have a great weekend!

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Tudor and English Style Houses

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As much as I love the symmetry of a beautiful Georgian style house, I also find myself myself drawn to interesting and often asymmetrical Tudor and English style houses. Given the diversity in architectural styles in the Buckhead section of Atlanta, there are quite a few examples to illustrate my fascination with this style!

When I think of Tudor style, I immediately think of decorative half timbering - strips of wood framing which form patterns on the masonry. This lovely example of a Tudor style home in Buckhead was taken down to the studs over the past few years, and lovingly put back together. I heard that there was a lot more damage and rot behind the walls than anticipated, so even though it was a renovation, virtually every bit of the house had to be replaced. Harrison Design Associates was architectural firm on the project. I love the part in front with the castellation and the Gothic motif in the stonework. The round decorative pot on the chimney is also a feature that is characteristic of Tudor style homes.

This Tudor style home is around the corner from the previous home, and was the winner of the 2009 Shutze award for small addition/renovation. The architects on the project were also Harrison Design Associates. The steep pitched roof is another characteristic feature of Tudor style homes. I think the brick pattern surrounding the door and downstairs window is so interesting.

This beautiful Tudor style home is on a gorgeous lot just shy of one acre. The house has been meticulously renovated, and is on the market; the kitchen in particular struck me as spectacular (see below).

The kitchen from the Tudor home renovation; there are no overhead cabinets, so the pantry on the right serves as the main storage area. I love the vaulted ceiling with beams to emphasize the shape of the vault. The window overlooks a beautiful backyard with a pool.

An unusally light Tudor style home in Buckhead, perhaps because there is no brick with the half-timbering.

This Tudor style home has a very steep pitch to the front gable, and a characteristic small arched front door.

Another light Tudor style home - the wood work in the half timbering has been painted a taupe color, which strikes me as unusual for this style home. I like the effect, though, as I tend to gravitate to light trim.

This Tudor style home has a detailed limestone door surround, and although there is some half timbering, the intricate pattern in the brick is what catches my eye. I love how this home is sited on the lot - at the top of a gentle slope.

Although I appreciate the characteristic Tudor style homes that I see around Buckhead, the homes that really capture my eye have some Tudor influence in shape and form, but are probably characterized more as English Revival (according to my fellow blogger Architect Design, my (much appreciated) resource when I have questions about architectural style). I had always thought of homes like these as Tudor, but apparently the term 'Tudor style' is overused and has become very broad and encompassing. This home was on the market last year, and I did a post on it; I occasionally look back to that post for interior design inspiration. Although Tudor and English Revival style homes are often quite dark inside because of use of dark wood panelling and small windows, this home is light and airy. It sold very quickly due to the beauty of the home, the interior design, and the desirable location in Buckhead (plus, it was before the financial markets crashed!).

This home is about 10 years old, and although the lot is quite deep, it is 100 feet wide, which is considered on the narrow side in this area of Buckhead (it's all relative, I know - in most places 100 feet wide would be a double lot!). These English Revival with Tudor influenced homes seem to work well on lots like this because part of their charm and beauty lies in the slight assymetry of their fascade. I went into this home on a tour of homes a few years ago, and one of the most charming parts was the piano room, which is the section on the left that sticks out a bit. Brian Bethea Smith was the architect for this home.

The English Revival/Tudor influenced home seems to have been a popular choice for new homes in Atlanta over the past 10 years. This home was built a few years ago, on one of Buckhead's premiere streets. Although it is large, it is also on a very large lot, and it is quite beautiful and impressive to see it in person. Look at that lawn - it looks like a golf course! I don't know who was the architect on this home; if anyone knows, please share.

This home is currently on the market, and was built on the same foundation as the ranch house that it replaced a few years ago. It was modeled on some of the many gracious English style homes found around Buckhead, but on a smaller scale. I love how the home has such a large sweeping front lawn.

I have driven or walked by this home countless times over the years, and was thrilled to be able to see the inside on a tour of historical homes in Buckhead. Built in 1923, it is one of the older homes in Buckhead. As is characteristic of homes of this style, some of the rooms were quite dark because of the wood panelling, but many of the rooms along the back had a nice light feel.

And finally, last but certainly not least. This house is one of my all time favorite houses in Altanta; I think it is so incredibly charming with its winding driveway and gas lantern, the two gables, the limestone surrounds on the doors and windows, the arched front entrance, the ivy that covers part of the fascade, the old slate roof. I have heard that the home is a bit dark inside, but the curb appeal is unbeatable.

I hope you enjoyed this tour of Tudor and English style homes in Buckhead. Do you have a personal favorite?

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