Fourteen ways a house can look

Rooted in early twentieth century North American architecture and built around handcrafted detail: exposed rafter tails, tapered columns, built-in cabinetry, and a richly textured exterior that feels both historic and enduring.

Particularly popular in the Pacific Northwest and across Canada, where the warm artisan character resonates with buyers who value craftsmanship over speed. Craftsman detailing is regularly combined with other styles rather than built pure.

The most durable style request of the last decade, and it has broadened well beyond rural settings. Suburban neighbourhood or acreage, the character holds.

Defined more by feeling than by detail: a welcoming presence, a practical layout, and generous gathering space centred on the kitchen. It reads as natural in a rural setting and as a deliberate contrast in a suburban one, which is most of why it has lasted.

Emerged between the 1940s and 1960s and has never really left the conversation. Clean geometry, open interior flow, and a seamless dialogue between the house and its surroundings.

Floor to ceiling windows and open plan living work to integrate the house into its environment rather than set it apart. For anyone drawn to architecture that feels timeless and forward looking at once, it offers something hard to replicate.

Steeply pitched rooflines built to shed heavy snow, deep overhanging eaves, heavy timber and generous stone. Inspired by the alpine lodges of Switzerland and the mountain retreats of the American and Canadian West.

Inside, vaulted great rooms anchored by a central stone fireplace with exposed beams overhead and walls of glass. Outdoor living is central, with wraparound decks and direct access to the landscape. Timber framing is a natural fit here, in hybrid or full frame depending on budget.

Warm terracotta roof tiles, textured stucco, arched doorways and interior courtyards. Rooted in southern Europe and North Africa, it took hold across the southern United States in the early twentieth century and has stayed one of the most searched aesthetics on the continent.

The Spanish Colonial Revival variation leans harder into the historical character, with heavy wooden beams, decorative tile and interiors organised around light filled central areas.

Named after the Massachusetts peninsula where it took root in the seventeenth century, and one of the most recognisable forms in North America. A steeply pitched roof, a symmetrical facade, a central door flanked by shuttered windows.

What suits it to modern building is the practicality. The compact footprint keeps construction costs manageable, and the steep roof creates usable upper floor space for bedrooms or a bonus room without a full second storey. Dormers bring light and headroom while adding exterior character.