Modern style home with low pitch roof and an abundance of windows

Home styles 101

Bring your style to life with windows and doors!

Whether you’re searching for the right windows and doors for your replacement project or your new construction home, this is the right place to start. We’ll explain the design impact windows and doors can have and help you make the right choices for your home style.

Find detailed selection guidance tailored to some of the most iconic American architectural styles. Plus, find out how to add a more contemporary spin to one of these styles. If you don’t know where to begin identifying your home’s style, we have tips that’ll help you start classifying it. Finally, gain insight into the way the fine details of window selection add up to a specific look. Ready to start making your dream home a reality?

Explore our Home Styles Library

Our Home Style Library explains the unique features and history of some of the most popular American architectural styles. Get detailed guidance on making the most authentic window and door selections for your home.

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What's my home's style?

If you’re wondering how to tell what style your home is, a few basic details can steer you in the right direction.

When was it built? Different styles were popular during different eras. Identifying vintage can give you a starting point.
Where do you live? Certain styles reign supreme in certain locales. Sometimes, the style is unique to the place — architects call this the local vernacular.
What shape is your roof? Some roofs are steep and feature details like dormers or even turrets, some have a lower pitch, and some are flat.
How many stories is your home? The number of stories is often consistent across homes of a particular style.
What shape is your home? Architects describe the shape, form, and size of a building as it’s “massing.” A simpler way to think about this could be its silhouette.
Is it more ornate or more austere? Broadly speaking, ornate styles are more traditional and historic, while austere styles are more modern.
What material(s) is it made from? This could have to do with what was available in the place where the style originated or how the style was interpreted locally.
What types of windows and doors does it have? Generally, more traditional homes will feature more details while more modern homes will be stripped down.

It’s also common for homes to blend elements from multiple styles, so if your home doesn’t fit neatly into one category, that’s okay. Mixed architectural styles are common and can still guide your design decisions. Our Home Style Library can help you compare features and find the closest match.

A blue two story home with white windows, brick chimneys, and hills in the background.

Traditional

This stunning house is the perfect example of a traditional home style, with its wood shingles, exposed brick, and colonial grille patterns on the windows.

Modern

This design displays many popular window features of modern homes — large picture windows with black frames and no grilles. Some windows even wrap around the corners of the house to maximize views and natural light.

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Create a look with your window selections

A multiple-story house with green shingle siding and steeply pitched gray shingle roof, with colonial grille patterns on the windows.

Type

Different window types complement different home styles. Often, more traditional homes feature double-hung and single-hung windows while more modern homes feature single-sash types, like awning, casement and picture windows. Different types of windows open differently, so thinking about where the window is located will help you decide which type of opening is most functional.

Color

The paint color or wood species and stain you choose for your windows can dramatically impact your home’s look. Black or dark frames can frame a view and work well with modern styles, while neutral or wood tones might be ideal for more traditional styles. With our windows you can mix and match exterior and interior colors to suit your design preferences. Learn more about how to choose the right window color from our experts at Sherwin Williams.