House in the English style: following the traditions and modern features. Projects of houses and cottages in the English style English house projects

English style houses combinations of two currents: Victorian and Georgian. In most cases, buildings have two floors or an attic; one-story structures are very rarely observed.

Among the main distinguishing features are the following points:

maintaining the symmetry of the facade, which is faced with brickwork or stone;
sustained right angles of the elements;
the absence of any decorative solutions that are often traced in other currents;
dedicated entrance groups, while there is no dependence on the facade;
the presence of a large number of window openings, rectangular or bay windows are used in shape;
the foundation of the buildings is low, sometimes it seems that the houses are standing right on the ground;
roof with steep slopes, complex elements.

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You can order an English cottage right now. Leave your details and our specialists will contact you to discuss all the details. After agreeing on the nuances and preferences, the designers will prepare the design documentation for the future structure as soon as possible.

On the basis of the project, an estimate is drawn up, reflecting the prices for the construction of the structure. All prices are final and do not change throughout the entire cooperation.

English-style houses are in demand all over the world. The style incorporates conservatism, rigor, practicality and sophistication. Such houses are considered the standard of reliability, stability and correspond to the moderate life size of the British aristocracy. Historically, the architecture of modern England combines three styles: Victorian, Georgian and Tudor.

Peculiarities

The houses of old England are very similar to the classical ones. At first glance, it may seem that the English-style massive stone houses with a wide facade do not look concise, and the architectural elements do not fit together. But design projects prove otherwise: elegance, restraint and spaciousness - everything is perfectly mixed in one style.

The English style combines functionality, rigor and shows the character of its owner.

The architecture of English houses is a kind of visualization of the mentality of the British. Its design should take into account traditional features, restraint and some isolation. In addition, such houses are always distinguished by reliability and durability. The main features of the English style:

The first thing that becomes noticeable is the predominance of natural red stone in the decoration of buildings. The peculiarity of architecture was influenced primarily by the rainy and cool climate of England.

Large square or rectangular windows.

High and pointed roof with red tiles and a stone chimney.

asymmetrical architecture.

A large number of flowers, trees and bushes on the site.

Given the closed nature characteristic of the British, most of the sites are fenced off from prying eyes. This is a must-have feature of an English-style home.

A rustic-style fence creates a unique look and complete picture of an English home. The most common option is a hedge with climbing plants.

The house is always located separately from the garage and other outbuildings. All structures are usually located in the backyard in the middle of the site in order to hide away from prying eyes. Often houses have a small terrace, a lawn with a flower garden and evenly trimmed bushes, also hidden from prying eyes.

Facade

The finished house in the English style looks massive and strict. The facade is characterized by the use of natural materials. Usually such a building can be described as a stone structure with a wide facade, which, however, attracts attention with clarity of lines and accuracy. Usually, the house is plastered and made of red brick with classic masonry. Cladding, light-coloured stucco, and any façade decorations are not considered traditional in the British style.

The facade has distinctive features:

natural stone or brick;
lack of carved and decorative elements;
high pediments and columns;
lack of a porch;
even distribution of large windows;
color palette of red or gray shades.

When building houses, the British prefer natural materials - brick and stone. Such material has a long service life and is able to withstand temperature extremes and high humidity.

A real English house should be built from natural red brick.

The main advantages of brick houses:

environmentally friendly finishing material;
resistance to temperature and humidity changes;
excellent sound insulation;
reliability and durability;
small cost.

Often, clinker tiles or brick-like thermal panels are used to imitate a brick facade. Wooden houses are built from logs. Such houses speak of the impeccable taste and status of the owners. But often you can find houses with a combined facade of wood and stone.

Roof

Due to the complex configurations of the roof, the roof is given a high shape. The pointed roof of the English style is difficult to confuse with another architectural or design solution. Steep, with red or dark tiles- is considered a kind of calling card.

Also popular materials for the roof of a country house are slate and straw. Such houses have their own special and unique style.

In the middle of the 17th century, roofs were covered with straw or water reeds; such houses testified to the difficult financial situation of the owner of the house. Today the situation has changed: thatched roofs are considered environmentally friendly, therefore they are gaining popularity among wealthy citizens and are a sure sign of well-being and prosperity.

The cool climate, constant humidity and frequent rains have left their mark on the construction of the roof. All houses have an additional canopy around the perimeter. It is rare to find a porch in a classic English house. But a canopy in the form of a pointed roof is a necessary attribute of the entrance group. Green ivy curling along the canopy looks great here.

Window

The high windows of the cottage are located very close to each other and have a strict, uniform shape - a square or a rectangle. They play a special role in the interior of the house and have two or three wings. They are distributed evenly around the entire perimeter of the building. In rare cases, and often as an exception, there are round or arched windows.

On the ground floor of the house in the living room there can be panoramic windows and bay windows. Windows should have additional wooden beams that separate the glass into separate squares.

The ideal option is the Dutch system of sliding frames, which involves the vertical lifting of the lower part of the frame.

In the interior, windows are hung with voluminous curtains, decorated with drapery, cords and floor-length veils. This gives a special elegance and sophistication to the room.

Number of floors

Traditionally, houses in England were built according to a plan, the basis of which was a rectangle. Modern buildings have retained the correct form. The project of a two-story house will be an excellent solution for a suburban area. But even a small one-story house, immersed in greenery, will allow you to relax away from the metropolis.

The buildings have a small foundation, and the height of traditional houses reaches two and three floors. The floor on the first floor is almost at ground level. Cellars are usually absent, but a small cellar may be provided in which the British prefer to store rarely used things and objects.

The most important room is the living room. It is located on the ground floor and includes an entrance hall, a dining area and a hall. There are many large windows in a large room, so there is always a lot of air and light in it. On the ground floor there may be a library and a study, as well as a kitchen.

The second floor is allocated for sleep and rest of the household and is traditionally a bedroom. One of the rooms can have a bathroom and wardrobe.

Sometimes the house may have an attic. Despite the fact that the roof has a complex, large shape and occupies a huge part of the building, according to the plan, this part of the house is practically not used as free space. Under the roof, it is customary to hide a non-residential utility room with large windows. The attic can be used for domestic needs: for drying clothes or as a pantry.

Interior decoration

Choosing an interior is a very important and painstaking work. The English interior is considered one of the most difficult among the stylistic trends. It is often equated with classical style and associated with something majestic. The main palette in the decoration - all shades of red: soft burgundy, rich and dark red. As well as gray, white and olive.

The English style is characterized by a large amount of wood in the interior. Ideal for interior decoration of the mahogany room. Expensive and elegant material perfectly complements the conservative style. And this applies not only to the floor, ceiling and skirting boards, but also to ceiling beams and wall panels in combination with wallpaper.

However, not all wallpapers are suitable for an English-style interior. Preference should be given to vertical patterns and clear geometric shapes, as well as floral motifs.

floors

The floor, windows and doors of a private house are made of noble woods: oak, walnut and mahogany. Natural parquet is ideal. To give a special shine and preserve the natural deep color, the boards are varnished and waxed. It is also possible to use light-colored tiles or parquet boards in some areas of the house.

Walls

The lower part of the wall, like the floor, should have a wooden covering. Wallpaper with a geometric pattern or dense floral patterns can be glued on top. The joint is closed with a wooden lath at the level of the back of the sofa. Often, light paint is used as wall decoration in combination with wooden slats.

If the house is built of logs, then the interior decoration hides the tree with drywall constructions. Paintings, mirrors and photographs in large gilded frames can give a finished look to the design of the walls.

ceilings

The ceiling throughout the house is white. To create the effect of a centuries-old family home, you can use wooden beams on the ceiling, imitating antique ceilings. Stucco can be used as decoration.

Furniture

Furniture and any decorative elements in a country house should be made of expensive natural materials and be of high quality.

Products and furniture made of plastic and artificial synthetic materials must not be used in the English style. The main materials are wood, bronze and silver.

The main feature of any English house is a real fireplace. In damp and dank weather, it performs not just an aesthetic function. Facing is carried out with stone, wood, marble with an openwork forged fence. On the mantelpiece are clocks, tall candles, porcelain sculptures and flowers. It is advisable to use antiques.

A sofa or armchairs with "ears" are placed opposite the fireplace and are located in the center of the living room. An obligatory attribute of the living room is a classic coffee table made of natural wood. All furniture should have clear smooth lines and thin carved legs. You can complement the interior of the living room with a velvet ottoman for legs and a metal forged stand for fireplace accessories.

Our clients are constantly talking about "English style" houses. And each of them means different things. It's time to deal with the English houses. We bring clarity.

Let's get rid of excessive detailing of styles and historical twists and turns. We will cut off majestic castles and huge residences. Fortunately, everything fits into a simple scheme. In the "classical" suburban private architecture of England, three periods can be distinguished, in which three images of residential buildings have developed. If we hear about an English-style house, most likely we are talking about one of these three images.

Here it should be noted that all these once established styles are willingly repeated by the modern generation of architects and willingly bought by homeowners. They do not mix, because each has its own canons, which cannot be stepped over without leaving the boundaries of style - English styles are very different.

Tudor style (1500-1600)

Rustic medieval English house from fairy tales. The style proved to be resistant, despite the order architecture of the Italians, which penetrated everywhere into Britain.

Features of the English Tudor style - a brutal look. Very high gables on the main façade, often of different sizes. Huge chimney, next to the front door on the main facade or side. Arched entrance. Small dormers. Sometimes an imitation of a thatched roof. In new versions of buildings, large bay windows are made on the facades.

Tudor style features

Very high gables
Steep roof, often with a broken edge.
Dedicated chimney, often on the main façade
Windows with small glazing
Asymmetrical plan and general view
small dormer windows
The main entrance is often lined with a large stone

Examples of Tudor style houses in our database of facades.

Georgian style 1700-1800

We can say that this is a democratic version of the Palladian style, which was used in England at the same time in stately residences. The style is serious, sometimes even pompous, but quite simple.

It is from these houses that London is made up. Georgian is the urban English style of modern Britain. Georgian style can be traced even with its bold modifications. Most often, this style is meant by our compatriots when they mention the English style.

Even if the facade is not symmetrical, in the old urban development of London
Georgian style is still readable.

Examples of Georgian houses in our database of facades.

Features of the Georgian style

Rectangular, symmetrical plan.
Uniform distribution and dimension of all windows.
Brick, little decorated walls,
Low entry with portico or crown
Roof slopes of medium height.
Minimum roof overhangs.
Five windows on the main facade (in the classic version)
Twin pipes
Pilasters on the sides of the door
Doors with panels

Victorian 1800-1900

At that time in England, construction was not regulated by the state, as, for example, in France, so young English architects willingly practiced on private houses. A lot of practice led to free composition. The architects paid attention to the internal convenience of the house and the variety of social roles of the residents. Less attention was paid to the external attractiveness of the house, Palladian and generally Italian order canons began to be forced out in favor of a convenient layout.

The Industrial Revolution and the mass production of decorative items made it possible to decorate even relatively poor estates. Hence the general decorativeness of the facades. The most striking style of the Victorian era is the style of Queen Anne.

Victorian style features

steep roof
Complex asymmetrical shape
Gable (pediment) overlooking the main facade
Veranda framing one or two sides of the house
Turret (round or square)
The walls are decorated with stone, fachwerk or siding)
ornamental patterns
bay windows
Decorative consoles

See examples of Victorian houses in our database of facades.

If you know these three English styles, you will recognize all classical English architecture. Unless, to expand our cultural horizons, next time we’ll talk about

In terms of architecture, the UK is perhaps the most diverse, as it has always been influenced by the traditions of not only neighboring Ireland, Wales, Scotland, but also by many emigrants from all over Europe. In this country, you can see a variety of buildings, built both in medieval traditions and in the classical style. For more than three hundred years (from 1180 to 1548), Gothic architecture flourished in England, first borrowed from the French, and then overgrown with its own details.

How it all looks today, and what projects of houses in the English style are offered to the attention of developers, we will tell in this article.

Tudor style - one of the directions of the English style

The architecture of any country is closely connected with its history, which is very clearly seen in the example of England. All military and political initiatives came from its regions, but the country could not but reckon with the cultures of the peoples living nearby.

In England, and now you can see the medieval mansions of special beauty

It took centuries for England to unite them and unite them into one kingdom, and during this time it acquired a mass of traditions that joined the existing ones. In general, English architecture developed something like this.

How it was

Even before N.E. Celtic (Franco-Germanic) tribes settled in the British Isles, but their purely rustic style with fauna-themed decor did not have any significant impact on local architecture.

Historians and archaeologists believe that it's all about the materials: the Celts built mainly from wood and straw, and the British - from stone. Although in some places picturesque houses in a similar style can be seen now.

Mite of ancient tribes

Later, the southern outskirts of Britain fell under the heel of Ancient Rome - the Romans failed to capture the entire island due to the fierce resistance of local tribes.

Interesting! This colonization turned out to be beneficial for the island, since the Romans not only used natural stone in construction, but also knew how to make brick and set up its production in England. After that, brick became a priority material, and the masters actively mastered the techniques of artistic masonry.

The project of a brick house in the English style with artistic masonry - Georgian style

In the early Middle Ages, the island was chosen by the Anglo-Saxon and Jutish tribes who sailed from Germany, mixed with the Celts. It was this mixture that formed the nationality, which today is commonly called English.
Primitive wooden huts gradually turned into spacious houses with a hall - an elongated structure under a gable roof (read the article), where all working family members gathered in the mornings and evenings. A prototype of a modern living room.

Modern English hall

European emigrants brought Christianity with them. They destroyed ancient Roman and Celtic houses, and from these building materials they built churches, some of which have survived.
For more than two centuries (IX-XI centuries), the British lands were ruled by Denmark, which also contributed to English architecture. Complex configurations on the facades then became a tradition and were developed during the Gothic period.

An abundance of architectural details - Gothic traditions

In the 11th century, England was again invaded - now it was the Normans who created a feudal state structure there. It was organized by William the Conqueror, who openly supported the construction of churches and castles in the Romanesque style.
Military detachments built towers of wood for themselves, later it was everywhere replaced by stone. Castles grow in size, improve and become a characteristic feature of medieval Britain.

Private Romanesque castle

English manor

Closer to the beginning of the XIII century, the concept of a manor house arose. It was built either from wood or using fachwerk technology, which was already widespread throughout Europe at that time (offered on our resource).

Fachwerks are a sign of purely European architecture

On the ground floor of such a house, barns and a hall were arranged, living rooms were located upstairs, where a spacious staircase led. By and large, it is on this principle that modern houses and cottages are designed (learn from the article).

Hall downstairs and bedrooms upstairs

Norman traditions very quickly came into use, as the conquerors forcibly drove the local population to construction sites to build cathedrals.
The realities of the local climate forced us to adapt, to provide tiers of numerous windows on the upper floors. French windows, characteristic of Franco-Norman architecture, did not take root here.

Enfilade of windows on the upper floor and beamed ceiling

The walls are thick, the volumes of the rooms are rectangular. The ceilings were made flat with large geometric details, but sometimes like tented roofs.
From those times, the fashion for beamed and coffered ceilings came to us, which has survived to this day. It’s just that then they were built in this style, but today they are simply designed visually.

Gothic

The Gothic style reigned in England for quite a long time, until the 16th century (the era of the reign of the Tudor dynasty), because endless internecine wars and the weak development of European fleets contributed to the reduction in construction. And the one that was, more adhered to French architecture.

Gothic style houses in England can still be seen today.

But the English version was dominated by elongated and geometric forms filled with decor. It could be an unusual shape of windows (including due to curtains) or internal partitions, which immediately caught the eye. It was with changes in decor that the whole evolution of English Gothic was connected.

English style in a modern living room

The main emphasis in the English architecture of the XVI-XVII centuries was placed on the ceilings. Up to the point that the masters compete in the invention of ever new ornaments and complicated patterns. Because of this, the interiors very often turned out to be overly congested.
When trading and industrial companies gained power, built workshop buildings and houses, attached chapels to cathedrals, the appearance of the premises began to change, halls appeared with large windows and vaulted ceilings, decorated with geometric, star-shaped or fan-shaped patterns.

Complicated ceilings came to us from English architecture

Secular construction, which replaced the church, coincided with the Renaissance, which England entered with some delay. Italy was at the forefront in this regard. Therefore, British nobles often invited Italian masters to build, but not architects, but decorators, or, as they are commonly called today, designers.

The structure of English buildings, along with high roofs and bay windows (available on our resource), often with several chimneys, did not correlate with the Italian concept of architecture in general. Therefore, in England, it turned out to be so conservative and slowed down even more after the expulsion of Italians who professed Catholicism from the island.

20 photos of houses in the Gothic style

Fachwerks

Germany and Holland had a much greater influence on the order (compositional) architecture. In buildings, they did not depart from English traditions, but they made their contribution to the design of buildings. Maximum attention was paid to half-timbered timber, which had previously been used only occasionally, but now began to be used everywhere.

Fachwerk style is actively used now

Initially, the principle of mass half-timbered construction was prompted by the need to conserve forest resources, because ordinary people did not have the opportunity to build from stone, but mercilessly cut down trees.

Picturesque country house

In the half-timbered house, only the spatial frame was wooden, and the gaps between the uprights and beams were filled with brick, stone, wattle, smeared with clay. Such buildings, which prevailed in the south and northwest of the island, were very picturesque, although they learned to cover them with plaster and whitewash.

Modern English manor

Note: today this technology has been transformed into a frame technology, when the frame spans are filled with finished panels (shields), or sheathed right on the spot with rigid sheets filled with insulation.

Facade of an English house with half-timbered elements

Most often, typical designs of English-style houses are framed, as this is the most profitable. As for half-timbered houses, today this is not a house design as such, but simply a beautiful design style that is used not only on facades, but also in interiors.

Photo gallery of the interior of half-timbered houses

You will find a historical digression into the origins of a comfortable and so sweet looking English dwelling. Photos of houses and interiors - modern.

In the XVI-XVII centuries, England became the center of world trade and a powerful colonial power. Country estates are becoming the defining type of English housing. During this period, the architecture, named after the ruling dynasty, was called "Tudor". The estates have already lost their fortress character, residential buildings have increased in width, large and frequent windows and bay windows have replaced the slit-like openings of medieval castles.

At this time, many Flemish architects were working in England, fleeing the persecution of the Spanish Inquisition, they had a significant impact on the development of decorative motifs in the design of buildings. The requirements of reliability and defense gave way to concerns about the best lighting and ventilation of the premises, now housing had to be comfortable, have not only cozy living quarters, but also beautiful front rooms, and the beauty of their decoration testifies to the power and wealth of the owner.

As before, in the center of the house, as in medieval castles, there was a hall - a front hall, but now it was richly decorated on the walls with carved oak panels, and hunting trophies, weapons and portraits of eminent ancestors were hung above them. The ceiling was covered with stucco or carved open rafters.

On one side of the hall were living rooms, and on the other - utility rooms. This configuration of the house goes back to the old wooden dwelling of the Saxons, where the utility and living quarters were located around the threshing floor, the ceiling of which was the open roof rafters. An indispensable attribute of the house was a huge fireplace that reached almost to the ceiling. And another characteristic detail is the wide staircase in the hall, decorated with sculptures and carved wooden railings. The owners of the estate were very proud of the beauty and size of the stairs.

The outside of the building was clad in brick with white hewn stone trim. These details were decorated with intertwining scrolls of carving, masks, figures of monsters. The contrasting combination of decorative white stone parts and brick planes is a characteristic feature of English architecture.

At the same time, half-timbered houses began to be built in large numbers in English villages (the influence of Flemish architects affected). Their facades are covered with a frequent grid of wooden beams - fachwerk, which stood out brightly against the background of white plaster and picturesquely decorated the streets of villages and small towns.

Two centuries later, residential buildings of Victorian England, common in both the city and the countryside, retained many of the architectural features of the estate of the past, but became more compact. The traditional hall and staircase continued to form the center of the building, with the rest of the rooms grouped around them.

Utility rooms have moved to the basement. As before, the houses were brick with white stone trim, and in the center of the facade there was a door framed by white columns.

The cozy interiors of such houses were especially attractive. Their decor was based on antique motifs. Carved oak-panelled walls, carved fireplaces and white sculptured staircases.

And in the rooms - the stylish furniture of Chippendale, a famous master of that time, as if "quilted" with many nails. The cosiness and comfort of these houses were loved by the next generations of their inhabitants, carefully preserving the interiors and supplementing them with items from their eras. As a result, a completely original style was formed - a traditional English house.

Loyalty to traditions, as you know, is a hallmark of the British. The reason for this was the island isolation, and the restrained nature, and the measured way of life of the subjects of the kingdom. The well-known motto "My home is my fortress!" It is a kind of philosophy of their life. And in our time, respectable English people prefer antiquity to avant-garde, and authenticity to stylization, so if there is oak furniture in the house, then it really is made of solid oak, and not finished "under oak". Everything in this house is established firmly and permanently and is passed on unchanged from generation to generation. For example, the Windsor hardwood chair, invented three hundred years ago, is just as popular today. And the wood species used for the production of furniture are the same as many centuries ago: oak, walnut, yew. But this furniture, on which many generations of ancestors sat, is, as it were, fanned by a special aura and creates an indescribable charm of an English house.

Each new generation of its inhabitants, without changing anything inherited from their ancestors, brought something of their own to the atmosphere. So from the colonies they brought wicker rattan furniture for the terrace, from travels to the East - Arabic lamps, Japanese screens and engravings. And, as a consequence of the gradual acquisition, the pieces of furniture in the interior differ in tone and style, generally creating a kind of harmony.

A large place in the decor of an English house is occupied by textiles: lamp shades, covers on sofas and chairs, pillows and blankets on chairs, curtains and a canopy over the bed. The color scheme is usually light, calm. And the drawings are varied from Scottish plaid and printed chintzes in a small flower in the kitchen, strict stripes on silk and colored cashmere in the living room to luxurious bouquets of "English" roses on the canopy, bedspreads and curtains in the bedroom.

A typical English drawing with juicy bouquets of roses scattered on a light background has become popular not only in England. But he could have been born right there: with such curtains and a canopy over the bed, you can isolate yourself from damp fog and drizzle outside the window, recalling centuries-old English lawns and luxurious flower beds. Plain, striped, small floral pattern or covered with antique oak panels, the walls of the house are decorated with tapestries and paintings: watercolors, engravings, landscapes, painted in oils, of course, originals.

An indispensable attribute of a house in foggy and cool England is a fireplace. It can be different: simply finished with bleached bricks with a dark wood mantelpiece, lined with tiles or natural stone. But in any case, this is the center of the living room, around it is upholstered furniture, low tables, woolen carpets with a soft pattern on a wooden floor. Such fireplaces look very stylish even in modern interiors:

The kitchen in an English house is a special room. Solid hardwood furniture, carved and painted in light colors: a chest of drawers, a slide with dishes, open shelves with ceramics, most often white and blue. Plates with a discreet pattern of all sizes, candlesticks, teapots. What used to be used, today serves as a decoration for the kitchen. Modern household appliances in such a kitchen are "hidden", but the hearth-fireplace serves as a decoration for the kitchen, which was previously used for heat and cooking, and now creates a cozy atmosphere of an old house.

All the details of life in such a house, be it trinkets and souvenirs on the mantelpiece, a carpet, a lamp, a picture or furniture on the terrace, correspond to the customs and habits of this particular family, are associated with family stories and legends. The English interiors of the Victorian era are very individual and natural - this is their main distinguishing feature and this is also the special charm of the style of a traditional English house.

Unfortunately, today’s middle-class Englishmen do not strive to follow centuries-old traditions, while Russian-speaking people who moved to Albion recreate replicas of such spectacular and book-loved Victorian interiors with pleasure and meticulousness, skillfully inscribing British notes into modern style with the help of designers: