Evoking thoughts of comfort, family, fertile fields and the aroma of baking bread, the farmhouse is more than a structural design. It’s a feeling.
The basic farmhouse concept originated in Europe and Scandinavia, subsequently migrating to Canada, then to Colonial America. Wealthy Southern landowners built magnificent plantation houses during the pre-Civil War era, but life for the average American farm family was harsh. Their homes were small, low-ceilinged and dark, except for the kitchen where most of the daily indoor activity took place.
As city dwellers began moving away from congested urban centers in the late 1800s, they often fashioned their country homes after European villas. But with the introduction of electricity and indoor plumbing to outlying areas in the 1930s, American farmhouse design came into its own. Adaptable to a huge range of architectural styles and décor—from traditional to rustic, European, Scandinavian, Coastal, even Boho, the nostalgic charm of farmhouse styling continues to appeal to today’s homeowners.
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