16 Classic Los Angeles Home Styles

Los Angeles, the magazine I have a lifetime subscription to, features “classic” LA things from A-Z in its February 2012 issue. Highlights include “Elysian Park” for “E” and, not surprisingly, “quakes” for “Q.” “Architecture” kicks off the letter “A” with a pictorial of the 16 most classic LA home styles. Certain styles, like Spanish Revival, are so ubiquitous that they’ve become synonymous with LA. Lucky us for living in a city overflowing with these beautiful character homes. – Los Angeles Magazine

16 Classic LA Styles

• Adobe: The city’s first permanent homes made from mud and straw
• Italianate: Also known as “neoclassical Italian Renaissance”

Italianate

• Eastlake: Characterized by vertical beams & linear details
• Queen Anne: Victorian details, domes and wraparound porches
• Mission Revival: Inspired by missions with romantic arches and arcades
• Craftman: Inspired by Japanese design and nature
• Bungalow: Craftsman-inspired with porches, gabled roofs and overhangs
• Spanish Revival: Inspired by the homes of Spain with red-tiled roofs

Spanish Revival

• Storybook: Inspired by French farmhouses with exaggerated roofs
• Tudor: Inspired by the medieval English country houses
• International: Stripped down with indoor-outdoor orientation
• Streamline: Early modern design
• Colonial: Elegant brick construction with shutters and chimneys

Colonial

• Minimal Traditional: Born during WWII, austere, simple homes
• Ranch: First suburb home that was as wide as the San Fernando Valley
• Modern: Clean lines, modern elements and high-quality materials