Ethnic traditions, customs, and attitudes carry our family values ​​forward. Paying homage to family heritage and tradition also gives our children a strong sense of family ties. Our roots make us what we are, and respect for ancestral traditions gives the interior of your home a special uniqueness.

vernacular heritage

Regional architecture, called vernacular, designs structures to harmonize and blend with the environment. Designed to reflect the past, using historical influences, vernacular houses complement rather than dominate their surroundings. These houses recreate the traditional neighborhoods of the past with a strong sense of place.

Many vernacular structures provide friendly zones and encourage a relaxed lifestyle. For example, Santa Fe adobe and stucco block homes often have central patios. The cozy porches commonly found in Florida cookie houses invite neighboring cats. Key West’s wood-frame “shell houses” and North Carolina’s “low country” houses feature large decks and large windows to take advantage of the area’s cooling breezes.

Vernacular houses provide a protective transitional space from outside to inside, but houses without such transitional spaces can benefit greatly when structural or landscaping details are added to harmonize the home’s private interior space with the outside world. If your home doesn’t have a covered entryway, consider adding a wood or iron frame or awning to create a sense of protection and shelter.

Ethnic influence on American architecture and furnishings

Since Americans have always built homes that mimic their home countries, it’s no surprise that Italian and Mediterranean villas, grand English country houses, and simple French farmhouses can be found throughout the United States. Since the earliest days of our nation, Americans have taken design cues from around the world and copied, adapted, and redesigned their ethnic patterns and furnishings.

Patterns that originated in Africa, such as animal prints and complex geometries, have been duplicated in many ways. Mexican antiques, Danish and Swedish furniture, and Eastern-influenced accessories have intermingled in our homes. From the New England Cape Cods to the adobes of Santa Fe, our diverse heritage has influenced American architecture and interior design, while log cabins, rustic western interiors, and American folk art have all suggested different American origins.

Style and Emotional Environment

Style is the end result of decorating the combination of detailed features that are reminiscent of a particular era, art movement, or region, such as the Victorian era, the Art Nouveau period, or the Midwestern prairie style. Mood or emotional setting is the personal interpretation of style to evoke feelings, whether clean, elegant, casual, or romantically eclectic.

Architectural Styles: Structure and Furniture

It is better to reserve rooms of the same period or style for museums or exhibitions. Eclectic rooms combine furnishings from different eras, such as a contemporary sofa, a silver maple Chippendale side table, and a gilt Louis XVI mirror. The beautiful and the strange, the exquisite and the common, mixed with frivolity and delight, create joyful homes.

Architectural style can refer to a structure or a type of furniture. Mixing vintage styles with today’s lifestyles is called New Traditionalism. Style combinations with a playful twist create elegant, unpretentious rooms. A few grand pieces, interspersed with simple furniture, will bring informality to an otherwise dull home.

Architectural style also influences interior design. Understand the architectural style of your home and use it as a reference point for your decoration. In my case, our modern furniture seemed totally out of place in our 1878 home, so we swapped our glass dining table for a traditional wood one and replaced a sectional sofa with an antique, soft one.

Some Victorian homes look great when furnished with contemporary furniture, but this is more difficult to achieve than the reverse, which is a contemporary home furnished with antiques. Large old houses decorated with modern furnishings look best with plain, simple wall finishes and frill-free window coverings.

Juxtaposing styles from your heritage with other styles that suit your tastes creates interesting rooms and homes. Not every room in your home needs to incorporate the same style, but a few blends from room to room ensure harmony. Mixing inherited styles according to those who share your home also creates a harmonizing aura.

your personal style

If you have a strong affinity for a particular architectural style, incorporate it into your total design plan. Encourage respect for your family’s traditions by surrounding yourself with ethnic furniture and family heirlooms. Any style can be adapted to your way of life, be it serenely elegant, traditionally formal or casually casual, be it dressing up or reducing decorative embellishments.

(c) Copyright 2004, Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved.