American Architecture: 6 Luxury Shingle Style Homes

Is there an architecture more quintessentially American than the Shingle Style? Yale architectural historian Vincent Joseph Scully, who coined the term, called it “the architecture of the American summer.”

 

Born in the 1880s in American seaside towns and genteel, wooded suburbs, the style unified complex forms with a cladding of cedar shingles. It emphasized the horizontal with rambling verandas and gambrel roofs, yet with the asymmetrical punctuation of towers, balconies, turrets, gables, and dormers.

 

The late 19th century was an era of superb craftsmanship and design, but the Shingle Style’s costs of construction and materials kept it at the high end of fashion—outside the mainstream—until it went out of style in the 20th century.

 

Scully, whose scholarship helped revive the movement, called it America’s return to “simple, truthful places.”

 

In this Luxury Defined collection of homes, we present six variations of the Shingle Style—some old, some new—but all with an air of rustic simplicity, understated elegance, and an endless summer.

 

 

A classically inspired Shingle Style Maine cottage, this year-round residence opens to reveal a luxurious, 21st-century style of living. Perched on a rocky ledge overlooking Penobscot Bay, Stonescape evokes the classic Shingle Style Maine cottage, with its porte cochere, turrets, coved ceilings, beadboard wainscoting, interior decorative columns and finishes. 

 

At its heart, though, Stonescape is utterly contemporary: Granite counters, extensive porches, decks and balconies with stunning views, and a stone-paved terrace with hot tub, grill, and outdoor pizza oven are among its 21st-century amenities.The focal point of the open living space in this year-round residence is its dramatic fireplace of native granite. Adjoining are the dining room with bow-style casement windows and a spacious chef-friendly gourmet kitchen, and wood-paneled library and office. A custom ironwork passenger elevator rises to the three en suite bedrooms on the second floor. A two bedroom, two-bath guest house includes a full kitchen, fireplace, balcony and living space over a two-car garage.

 

Set on 10.69 acres with 1,374 feet of shorefront, Stonescape blends native flora with colorful perennial plantings offering natural beauty and total privacy. Walking paths and moss trails throughout the property allow easy access to neighboring Barred Island Preserve.

 

 

This newly built home abides in the prestigious estates section of the Ridgewood Country Club in Bergen County, New Jersey. Architect Jordan Rosenberg designed the home in the spirit of a Hamptons-style beach house. NuCedar siding clads the exterior for a modern update on the traditional cedar shake. Other grace notes include the quintessential gambrel roofs, corbels, carefully articulated molding work, and dormer windows.

 

The interiors have a modern aesthetic with a cool color palette. Travertine marble finishes, wide-plank herringbone hardwood floors, and high ceilings with custom light fixtures bow to the past. The focal point of the great room is a raised fireplace. The space opens to a dining area and huge chef’s kitchen with off-white countertops, a 10-foot marble island, and appliances by Wolf and Thermador.

 

There are seven bedrooms and six-and-a-half bathrooms. The principal suite has a spa-like marble bathroom and large windows facing the treetops.

 

“Panorama,” so-named for its scenic views, is a 16-acre estate with a classic Shingle Style cottage. This Shingle Style “cottage” presides over an idyllic hilltop setting in Stowe Hollow with spectacular views of the Green Mountains of Vermont.

 

The meticulously maintained four-bedroom, six-bathroom home offers more than 7,000 square feet of living space across three floors, with majestic views of the mountains and valley from nearly every vantage. Among the appointments are a contemporary kitchen and breakfast space with expert cabinetry, flooring and woodwork finishes; a warm formal dining room with museum-grade display cabinetry; and an airy, light-filled living room with a big fireplace. The long, open sundeck wraps around the house to become a cool shaded veranda. Upstairs, the primary suite offers a luxurious marble bathroom, and huge walk-in closet worthy of Hollywood. There’s also a vast room that could serve as a private office, gym, or media lounge.

 

The grounds include flowering shrubs, perennial gardens, a wildflower meadow, and a large, professionally built fire pit for outdoor gatherings in any season. Miles of trails extend into the protected CC Putnam State Forest and the Worcester Range, while a short walk from the back door leads to Gold Brook for a quick dip in the numerous swimming holes.

Related: Explore More Architecture from the 19th Century

 

Built at the turn of the 20th century, Dartholm is a grand waterfront home on Mount Desert Island, Maine. The property includes a 1900s Shingle Style main residence, a charming summer cottage, landscaped gardens, and a private dock on Southwest Harbor.

 

This waterfront estate on Shore Road in the Maine town of Southwest Harbor has an unusual history. Built as a dance hall in the early 1900s, Dartholm was repurposed as the summer residence of the president of Dartmouth College (hence the name). Since then, the grand Shingle Style cottage has been beautifully restored and renovated for year-round use, with traditional elements balanced with all the creature comforts. Dartholm offers a deepwater dock and two moorings and a deck to take in the views of Somes Sound, the Cranberry Islands, and the mountains of Acadia National Park.

 

There are five bedrooms in the main house with the primary suite and an additional bedroom suite on the first floor, a warm and inviting living room, cottage-style dining room, modern chef’s kitchen and den. The seasonal one-bedroom guest house provides living space with a full kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room. The grounds include a two-car garage, garden shed, and landscaped lawns. Southwest Harbor, a vibrant year-round community and yachting destination, has a multitude of quaint restaurants and shops.

 

This private five-acre compound includes two Shingle Style residences, a resort-style pool area, English formal gardens, and open fields.

 

Not one but two Shingle Style residences grace this five-acre estate at the entrance of the picturesque Sweetened Water Farm, an 87-acre horse farm near the New England summer resort town of Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard. A long, sweeping driveway winds through a wildflower field bordered by tree-lined paddocks and open fields. The property is subdivided into three three parcels. The primary lot is a 6,289-square-foot two-story cedar-shingled residence on 2.2-acres of formal English gardens with a swimming pool.

 

The second parcel is a 3,389-square-foot residence, also in the Shingle Style, with five bedrooms and a great room with two stone fireplaces. The third parcel is a 1.2-acre vacant lot that overlooks large expanses of open, protected land and paddocks.

 

Related: Explore Massachusetts’ North Shore

This circa-1910 Shingle Style mansion in the affluent Chicago suburb of Barrington Hills, Illinois, would be right at home in the Hamptons. A grand entrance opens to a long, tree-lined drive sweeping through 10 bucolic acres to the 8,000-square-foot residence.

 

An impeccable renovation by the owners seamlessly blends traditional, turn-of-the-century details with contemporary updates. The classic shingled exterior and wraparound porch overlook the gardens and the wider grounds. The main floor is styled for comfortable everyday living as well as lavish entertaining. The formal dining room is served by a country kitchen. The great room is an elegant space with a beamed ceiling and wood-burning hearth. The primary suite (one of six bedrooms) has its own wood-burning fireplace. A six-bay car-collector’s garage and an oversized pool are among the amenities.

 

Meticulously tended grounds and sweeping lawns bounded by mature trees offer enough space for an equestrian complex, and the property is close to a network of bridle paths maintained by the Riding Club of Barrington Hills.

 

 

 

 

Christina Gibbons Group