Craftsman Style Is All About Details, Inside and Out
Your craftsman-style home is your pride and joy. You’ve agonized over every detail inside your home, from the countertop in the kitchen pass-through to the wainscoting in the den and the dining room. You’ve struck the right balance between the use of light and open space and the warmth and comfort of furniture that beckons you to spend the day with a book under a cozy throw.
Unique features like built-in window seats and bookshelves make your craftsman house more than just a box to live in; they make it a beloved family member with a personality of its own. That’s the trait of true luxury homes. Inside, your home has an identity. It tells each visitor the story of the hard work, pride and independence that brought it into being. Craftsman isn’t just a style or a decorative treatment; it’s the heart of the American homeowner. It’s the center of your world.
Bringing That Cozy Feeling Outside
If you haven’t quite tackled the exterior of your house, it isn’t complete. To be a true craftsman home, your house needs to show that you’ve applied the same care and attention to detail to its exterior that you’ve put into the rooms inside. During the construction process, you might even need something as minute as a hydraulic cylinder repair in order to efficiently construct the home of your dreams. Maybe you’re even a little wary of the path ahead. After all, the exterior of your home, that curb view, isn’t something only your favorite guests see — it’s your representation to the world at large. Everyone who passes by sees the fruits of your labor (and the shortcomings if something doesn’t work).
You have the major things down. You’ve restored that beautiful covered porch and repainted the pillars that frame the front door, and your roof flows naturally into the landscaping. You’ve put more than a few weekends into pulling weeds and planting just the right accent plants to create the inviting surroundings that set the stage for a classic craftsman home. So what’s missing? There are some simple accents that you can easily add to your home that will continue to spread that warm custom feeling to the exterior of your home.
What To Do With the Windows
Inside your home, you have handcrafted ledges and window seats, but what about the outside of those windows? How can exterior treatments make your craftsman home come alive? Your craftsman home has great windows that bring you lots of light inside, but from the outside, they can be a little featureless. So how do you give those windows a little more character?
Window Boxes Add Charm
Window boxes are a great way to give your home a custom touch. They’re a great idea that doesn’t have to be a hassle. Flower boxes add a quaint charm to the outside of your home and soften the sometimes stark look of large double-hung windows. The best part is, you can buy ready-to-apply PVC window boxes complete with support brackets and have them up in no time at all. They’ll bring your home the lovely cottage feel you yearn for, but since they’re constructed from durable, weatherproof PVC, they offer the beauty of the wooden flower boxes your great-grandmother grew sweetpeas in yet are low maintenance.
Exterior Shutters Complement Your Style
The addition of exterior shutters is a great way to tie the windows of your craftsman home into the central theme. Custom exterior shutters bring more warmth to the look of your house, adding interesting lines. Traditionally, shutters may be any of several different configurations. They may be louvered, feature raised panels or feature board-and-batten construction. They may even feature custom accents carved or cut out of the shutter panel. Frequently, a home may have fairly plain shutters while contrasting hardware is shaped into bold scrollwork or a fleur-de-lis. Traditionally, exterior shutter panels are built from natural wooden materials, but an easy-care alternative exists in PVC composite shutters. PVC exterior shutters offer the look of natural wood while making concerns over damage from insects, weather or warping a thing of the past. These natural wooden designs can even be an economic choice when made out of reclaimed wood.
The Finishing Touch: Embellishments for the Roofline
Details are what make the craftsman house an amazing home. Details create character, and at the roof level, there are a couple of embellishments that the craftsman movement loved. Decorative gable brackets and exterior wood corbels were added to the roofline on many custom homes for a distinct look that lets you know those homes were something special.
Wood Corbels: From Function to Flourish
Corbels can be used as support for the roofline of a structure, but with the rise of the craftsman movement, they evolved into a decorative flourish that remains a component of the distinct style and detail of those cherished homes. Exterior wood corbels are often crafted of cedar, a wood that has innate properties that allow it to resist weathering and rot. They are often carved with steps, scrolls or rolling curves that might feel somewhat frivolous for the common man’s castle, but when combined with the other small flourishes seen in craftsman homes, the effect completes the proud and much-loved craftsman façade.
Gable Brackets: The Pinnacle of the Craftsman Exterior
Gable brackets are one of the most distinct details you’ll see on the exterior of a craftsman home. Gable brackets add a flourish to the space under a roof peak. While craftsman architecture may share this decorative feature with Victorian-style homes, decorative gable brackets, combined with the natural flowing roof and welcoming porch structure of the craftsman house, let you know this is unmistakably a craftsman home. Gable brackets, like decorative exterior corbels, are often crafted of durable cedar and may be painted or left natural for a more rustic look.
Complete the Craftsman Exterior and Make It Yours
Creating the finished look of a craftsman home shouldn’t be a daunting task. The addition of decorative touches like window boxes and exterior shutters around windows will soften the look of your home and give it a more welcoming appearance. Exterior wood corbels and decorative gable brackets provide the detailed finishing touches that are a hallmark of the craftsman movement. Wood details and the flowing lines complete the warm, embracing presence of the craftsman home’s exterior so that the craftsman house is a place to call home, both inside and out.
About Author: Matt Buquoi works at FlowerWindowBoxes.com, a company that offers premium-quality, no-rot flower window boxes, exterior shutters, cedar gables and outdoor planters at affordable prices.
