One of the first questions a Realtor will ask you when buying a home is: what architectural style are you interested in? Here are 5 common home styles in the Scottsdale area, and photo examples of each.
As full service Realtors serving the Scottsdale area, we are very knowledgeable about which home styles are available in Scottsdale’s various communities. If any of these styles catch your eye, contact a member of The Matheson Team today and we’ll point you in the right direction.
1. Southwestern:
Exterior: Southwestern homes look like a mix of Spanish Colonial and Pueblo architecture. These homes are generally painted with unobtrusive, desert-blend colors and have flat, terra cotta or clay tile roofs. These homes are also generally finished in stucco.
Interior: When you walk into a home that has been decorated in the Southwestern style, you are often greeted by warm, earth-tone colors offset by brightly colored woven blankets and pillows. Leather and suede furniture pieces are often the most prevalent, but distressed wooden chairs and tables are also common. Accent colors for Southwestern homes include yellow, orange, turquoise, cactus green and red, and can easily be incorporated into pottery pieces, tiles and countertops.
2. Ranch:
Exterior: Ranch style homes are pretty easy to identify – with their long, one-story layout, L-shapes and low-pitched gable roofs, Ranch style homes emphasize simplicity and comfort.
Interior: Ranch-style homes have long, open floor plans – it is not uncommon to be able to see from one end of the house to the other. Simple furniture made out of leather or metal is common, and wall-to-wall carpeting in large areas such as a family room or den is pretty standard. Recessed lighting is common, as well as stacked brick fireplaces.
3. Mediterranean:
Exterior: Mediterranean-styles tend to mimic the design of homes found in Spain, France, Greece and Italy. This style is also referred to as “Spanish modern”. The outside of a Mediterranean home is generally characterized by the following: a stucco finish, a red tile roof and a front courtyard. Homes of this style are often accented with columns, arched windows and wrought-iron doors, gates and balconies.
Interior: Mediterranean homes tend to have walls that have been either plastered or sand-textured. Further visual interested is generated by laying colorful tiles on floors, kitchen backsplashes and table tops. The color palette of a Mediterranean home tends to stick to naturalistic colors that can be found in the Mediterranean region like terra cotta, yellow, lavender and blue.
4. Tuscan:
Exterior: Tuscan-styles homes are generally painted with warm, yellow-tinged colors (like umber) and are often accessorized with wrought-iron gates and sconces. Ceramic and terra-cotta tiles can be used in walkways or can be incorporated around courtyard fountains. Tuscan homes can also feature stone walkways, arches and colorful shutters.
Interior: Tuscan-style interiors are often identified by their iron accents, terra-cotta floor tiles and rough plaster walls. Accessorize Tuscan-style homes with large, antique rugs, wrought-iron finishes (like candle sconces and chandeliers) and leave your windows bare.
5. Spanish Colonial:
Exterior: Spanish colonial homes are often long and low and finished with adobe, plaster and stucco. Spanish Colonial homes lack extensive ornamentation and prefer to showcase architectural features like archways and small windows. Flat roofs with orange and red tiles are the most common, and many Spanish Colonial homes have exterior as well as interior shutters.
Interior: Spanish colonial interiors often have plastered walls and tile floors layered with large, ornate rugs. Architectural niches are a fun way to display decorative pieces. Other decorative elements like chandeliers, fireplaces and scones are generally made out of wrought-iron. Exposed, wooden beams are another characteristic of Spanish Colonial homes, and look great in bright, colorful Spanish Colonial kitchens.
Looking for DC Ranch homes for sale? Contact me at 480-360-0281 or fill out the form below to get started on your search.
Don Matheson
Realtor | Founder
The Matheson Team – RE/MAX Fine Properties
21000 N. Pima Rd., #100, Scottsdale, AZ 85255
480-360-0281
don@scottsdalerealestate.com
