Good morning friends! I’m so glad you stopped by because today marks the first day of a fun and what I hope will be an informative new series here at Sincerely, Marie. I hope that you’ll love Sunday’s Swoon Worthy Style as much as I do. My goal is to share all of those amazing architectural home styles out there one month at a time. For a long time now I have felt that so many deserving styles have been over shadowed by the current trends. My hope is to show you some styles that you might not be familiar with but will love and inspire you to branch out in your own decorating. This week I picked a style that is near and dear to my heart, the colonial home style.
Oh the colonial, how I adore you! I’m a brick colonial owner and I don’t think I’ll ever move. Really though, our drive way is so steep that J said we’re never moving because there’s no way he’s taking everything down that hill! We’re in our home for the long haul and I really couldn’t be more pleased.
The colonial has some European influence and began to pop up in the US in the 1700’s. You typically find them in New England and the southern states of the country. They’re always symmetrical with the front door centered in the middle of the home. The staircase normally sits behind the front door in the foyer dividing the home right down the middle. You’ll see more brick colonials in the south while in the north more have use wood siding.
Let’s take a look at the colonial exterior. They’re regal, elegant and are just the epitome of American architecture.
Colonial Home Style
I’m seeing colonials with painted brick more and more often. It gives it a bit of a french feel that I just love.
The stone exteriors have a European cottage feel that is absolutely stunning! What do you think?
There’s also the more simple and primitive colonials. It’s clean, classic and doesn’t require a lot of frills. This particular home reminds me of Martha’s Turkey Hill colonial.
We can’t forget about the Dutch colonial! I don’t know that there’s a style out there that’s more homey.
Colonial Interiors
There’s so much to love here. The vintage bell chandelier, the windows and that beautiful banister.
Isn’t this staircase trim stunning? I’m in search for my own currently and this is a huge inspiration for me!
You wont see too many ornate details in most colonials. They’re fairly simple yet very timeless and elegant.
Martha Stewart’s kitchen at Turkey Hill will always be a favorite of mine.
Planked ceilings are a true element in older colonial homes. We decided to stick to that style and plank the ceilings in our own home. One room at a time, if we don’t break our necks for it’s all finished!
Most colonial homes use muted colors but from time to time you’ll see a bolder choice of paint colors on the trim.
Source
There’s never a shortage of vintage chandeliers.
This Spanish colonial is very simple but that stained island and copper accents give it a pop!
Windsor chairs will always be a symbol of the colonial style. So, of course we made sure to add a set of our own to our dining room.
You don’t always have to stick with the muted tones. Pops of color are a great way to add an unexpected touch while still using traditional pieces.
We made sure to incorporate brick flooring into our recent powder room remodel. Brick floors are common in old colonials and we wanted to have a piece of that timeless design.
My Vintage Inspired Powder Room Makeover
It’s a love affair that I don’t think will ever end. It’s an understated elegance that draws me to the colonial style. It has similar style to the American farmhouse, french country, and cottage style but it’s a style all of it’s own! It reminds me of times gone by yet it’s still just as relevant. If you love colonials too, we’re going to be sharing our renovation progress on our home soon. I can’t wait to show you how far we’ve come in the last two years!
If there’s a style you’d like to see on Sunday’s Swoon Worthy Style please let me know. I want to make sure I cover them all. If you don’t follow me on Pinterest yet, hop on over and join me! I’m pinning home inspiration every day and would love to have you follow along. Until next time, have a great week friends!
Happy Fall, Amanda. I’m already enjoying this series of yours. And the Colonial examples you show indeed demonstrate the streamlined, classic beauty of the style. Thank you for sharing. Cheers, Ardith
Oh, I’m so glad to hear that Ardith! They really are classic beauties. Have a lovely week!
P.S. I just realized that my favorites of this Colonial collection are from your home.
Thanks for your post! I learned quite a bit about colonial houses. Love the door frame of the dutch colonial house!
Thanks for stopping by Eileen! That was one of my favorites as well. Have a great week, friend!
Yours is the first fantastic post about colonial homes. Mine is so similar with red brick etc, and traditional, yet I’ve opened the floor plan a bit as the formal areas were dead space, but have kept its bones. Thank you!
Love the colonial look. Yours is so lovely and inspirational. Just signed up. We bought a sad colonial this summer so have lots of justifiable changes to make. Major concern that it’s not symmetrical but with a too small garage attached I am looking for ways to fix that. Will enjoy your site for ideas…like there’s one livingroom bay window on the left and with the garage conversion, there will be one on the right. Etc. As well as upstairs window matching