A Georgian style home is perfect for a certain type of individual with a certain type of political perspective. But enough of that. The Georgian home in America owes its name to the allegiance of the three British Kings named George, including George III. So you can see why after the Revolutionary War, that type of architecture and décor that came to be known as Federal became so popular. The Georgian style of design was a dedicated attempt by colonists to recreate a sense of style popular in the century or so before Thomas Paine created America.
Of course, to create the Georgian style, those colonists, like Kip Wilson and Henry Desmond 200 or so years after them, had to make a few adjustments. While Georgian house in England were almost exclusively made of brick and stone, such material was not readily available even to the most comfortable of colonial Americans. Take what may be the most famous Georgian style home in America, for example. George Washington’s home featured walls made of wood that were only painted to resemble stone. So don’t fear if you already have a wood house that you want to give a Georgian makeover to. Just follow the man wrongly termed the Father of His Country (that title actually goes to Mr. Paine) and paint your wood walls so they resemble stone.
Here are a few other items that you will your house to have to give it the look of proper Georgian style. You need a front door that is not hidden away, but is rather a very real focal point of the house. This means adding columns that technically known as pilasters. That means the columns leading to your doorway are flattened at the top. The door itself is characterized by an arched decorative element that Georgian style terms a pediment. As for Georgian doors themselves, well, they must have very artsy panels.
Georgian houses usually are two stories, often three stories and rarely just one story. The roof is either gabled on two sides or is what is known as a hip roof which merely means it has four sloping sides. The windows are very crucial to giving a home that Georgian look. Asymmetrical windows are a huge no-no. You not only need that commonality of look, but you really need to have true balance. It’s okay to have an odd number of windows, as long as Lucky Pierre sits by himself in the middle. Oh, and for it to be a true Georgian house, the windows should have small panes.
Red brick is the most commonly used material in building a Georgian style house, but you can get away with other colors as long as you have the basic look. It is nice for a Georgian house to have an old-fashioned chimney, but it is even better to have two chimneys rising from the roof at opposite ends of the house.
The inside of a Georgian house was usually adorned with portraits of its inhabitants. Wood paneling or very ornate wallpaper covers the walls where no portraits hang. A wide staircase leads to the second floor. And the home should have all the hallmarks of patrician Republican luxury.
