Good House of the Week: Rhode Island (Patreon)

Hello Friends! I decided to post my Good House of the Week before my general post as a change of pace.

This 2001 home is probably one of the more stunning ones I've seen in my time doing McMansion Hell. It's almost a dead ringer for an authentic 19th Century Second Empire-style home, down to the craftsmanship and details.

The house is beautifully proportioned - note how none of the 3 stories dominate the other. Unlike those seen on a McMansion, the double bay windows do not look tacked on, oversized, or out of place, because they are visually broken up by the fine detailing; the cornice above the first bay window carries over to the cornice of the porch, which establishes a strong horizontal rhythm. 

Despite the fact that each of the sets of windows on the second story are slightly different, they are united by this same horizontal rhythm via the window hoods. Even though the mass on the far right is slightly dissonant because from this perspective it appears to be a different height, because it carries a strong visual continuity with the rest of the home, it does not look tacked on or out of place. Homes like this one demonstrate how important proportions and a consistent visual language are to architecture done right. 

Link to Listing