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America's Best House Plans

 
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Prairie house plans are said to be the first original American architectural style and were characterized as a type of bungalow native to the Midwest. This new form of architecture, with its pronounced rooflines and low-to-the-ground proportions, was a natural extension of the sparse beauty of the prairie lifestyle.

Prairie-style house plans are one of the few architectural styles not imported from Europe, and much of its success can be attributed to Frank Lloyd Wright. As a master visionary and architect, Wright relied on horizontal solid lines, earthy materials, and organic interaction with the native landscape, which was then incorporated into the exterior spirit of the home. This sensitivity to the home's surrounding environment gave prairie-style house plans the appearance of emerging from the ground and belonging to the neighboring scenery.

This unique house style was engaged and flourished in the housing market briefly; however, the artistry and seduction of these key architectural design principles remain. From the late 19th century until perhaps 1920, Prairie homes flourished in answer to the overblown Victorian architecture of the time.

Not surprisingly, this home style has proven to be an adaptable version of many different home styles as their architectural design elements can be suitable for a wide range of home styles such as Craftsman, Bungalow, and Modern.

While the exterior characteristics were radical, newly organized, and represented a return to the spirit of seamless integration of the natural landscape, the interior arrangement was fundamental to Prairie style homes being separated from other home styles. These homes were a clear departure from the Victorian homes of the time, where small, independent, set-apart rooms were the norm. Instead, innovative, modern interior floor plans were now employed where rooms flowed one into the other with a solid connection to the outdoors.

Prairie house plans often include:

  • Low-pitched hipped roofs
  • Overhanging eaves
  • Cantilevered floors
  • Prominent massive chimneys
  • Wide porches · Masonry Construction
  • Tall windows · One-story projections
  • Open floor plans 
  • Natural materials  
  • Strong horizontal lines

Prairie house plans are often categorized as a two-storied house plan but can also have a one-story footprint. Either way, they usually have a simple square layout with airy, open floor plans where each room effortlessly flows into the next while incorporating built-in cabinetry, nooks, and crannies into the floor plan using decorative wood materials into the interior.

Prairie house plans continue to intrigue the housing market with their ability to blend comfort, utility, and elegance beautifully. No longer found just in the native Midwest, these homes have been introduced nationwide. They have come to be loved no matter the natural or urban environment they have been cast in with their compelling measure of patterns and movement.

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