Category: HOME DESIGN & DECOR

A round wall beneath a conical roof creates a memorable house silhouette. These 14 original fictional concepts explore that relationship through different scales, materials, colors and connections, while acknowledging that rondavels belong to living Southern African building traditions. Rondavels are more than a decorative shape. Africa Ndude and Sinenhlanhla Memela’s research in Mbhashe, Eastern Cape […]

Enameled steel can give a house a distinctive combination of smooth color and an orderly panel grid. These ideas explore that visual language across compact cottages, urban homes and contemporary wings, using original fictional concepts rather than documented buildings. Vitreous or porcelain enamel is a glass-based finish fused to metal; it is different from ordinary […]

Federation-inspired houses offer a rich combination of face brick, expressive rooflines, timber detail and welcoming verandahs. Their character can be elaborate or restrained, depending on the building’s scale, materials and relationship to its garden. These ideas explore that range through original fictional house concepts. The Federation period contains several architectural strands, rather than one universal […]

Earthbag house ideas can range from compact rounded rooms to vertical walls beneath a conventional roof. Their visual appeal often lies in thick-looking openings, softened edges and a close relationship between the house and its landscape. These thirteen original concepts explore those qualities through different plans, finishes and settings. Earthbag is a construction family rather […]

A pediment, a balanced arrangement of windows and a well-placed porch can give a house an unmistakable sense of order. Palladian-inspired design offers many ways to use those elements, from compact single-story homes to larger compositions with lower connecting wings. The most useful starting point is a comfortable plan and a clear relationship between the […]

Explore 15 original granite house exterior concepts, with varied stone finishes, palettes, rooflines and settings.

Explore 15 original Basque-inspired house concepts with timber, color, stone and roof ideas grounded in regional context.

Explore fourteen original blackhouse-inspired house concepts, with low stone forms, thatched roofs and clearly identified contemporary interpretations.

Explore sixteen original pebbledash house concepts, with practical color and material pairings and a clear distinction from historic roughcast.

Explore 15 original board-formed concrete house concepts with timber-imprinted texture, varied rooflines and thoughtful material pairings.

Explore 13 original Usonian-inspired house concepts with warm brick, timber, low rooflines and close garden connections.

Explore 17 original shotgun house concepts, from colorful singles and paired doubles to camelbacks, side galleries and contemporary narrow-lot interpretations.

Explore 18 original cruck-frame house concepts with curved oak timbers, varied cottage materials and warm interior spaces.

A crow-stepped gable turns the sloping edges of a gable wall into a sequence of small horizontal and vertical steps. That simple change gives a house a memorable silhouette, whether the walls are rough stone, warm brick or a quiet rendered finish. The feature has a documented place in Scottish domestic architecture. Historic Environment Scotland’s […]

Fiber cement can support very different exterior looks, from familiar horizontal lap siding to crisp panels and shingle-like profiles. The most convincing schemes begin with the house’s proportions, then use board direction, joint spacing, color and trim to reinforce them. Manufacturer references show the range of possible appearances: James Hardie’s design explanations cover lap, panel, […]