Most home owners today are familiar with lovingly restored luxury homes that are faithful to the original architectural style and design period. Whether it be Prairie, Art Deco, Cape Cod, Victorian, or Log Cabin, the list goes on for many traditional architectural design styles that may be representative of neighborhoods and regions in the country. Today many architects and custom home builders are creatively blending different architectural styles and design elements, mixing materials in a fresh reinvention of traditional standards.
By drawing upon the varied design palates and materials that are traditionally aligned with specific styles, the architect and custom home builder are free to explore endless opportunities to bring together different styles and materials that are most appealing to the homeowner to create a truly unique and individual masterpiece. This is just as easily accomplished during a renovation of luxury home as starting fresh with a new structure. Changing a roof line or style, eaves, porches, windows and recreating outdoor living spaces will breathe new life and modernize the exterior while maintaining the integrity of the home’s traditional architectural elements.
In some special cases, homeowners can be drawn to the tradition of their property when designing a new custom built home. The picture below illustrates a new custom Tudor style home with modern design elements that ties in with an original 1911 Tudor style cottage on the property.
When it comes to customized luxury lake homes in the Lake Country area today, homeowners are blending many different architectural styles to create their own interpretation of a perfect lake home. Early settlers to the Lake Country area did much of the same, imposing their architectural preference from their city or ancestral heritage on their summer estates; today there are many century-old homes on the lakes with styles ranging from American Craftsman and Shingle style to Victorian and Tudor style. Today’s very definition of a lake home emphasizes the views and outdoor living spaces that maximize lake living, which can be customized to any traditional architectural style.
The following two new construction homes are excellent examples of the modern interpretation of the lake home: a beautifully rendered casual Craftsman style approach versus a more stylized contemporary feel. Entirely different yet both with flawless attention to detail that maximize their lake property.
Blending traditional styles and designs of course extends to the interior of the home as well. Most homeowners embarking on a renovation or new project prefer an open concept when it comes to the main living area as well as larger kitchens, baths and storage areas than traditional older homes afforded. Modernizing an older home often dictates taking down walls. Such updates allow for the introduction of new design elements and materials that can creatively reinterpret the home while maintaining the integrity of the original design, blending old with new, rustic with contemporary or cozy with formal. Visit our Pinterest board on blended styles for some creative inspiration.