Architectural styles and tastes are as fickle as the breeze. Unfortunately (or fortunately, as the case may be) a home is not an item which can be changed as readily as a dress or suit of clothes. What may be considered stylish today may be viewed as passe or dated tomorrow. Some styles such as ranch house plans come and go in current architectural fashion, so what is considered stylish at one time may come to be viewed as tacky and then as quaint or in revival. Therefore, since your house is very much a reflection of who you are and how you are seen by your community, you should consider carefully the sturdiness of the architectural style you choose for your house as well as how convenient or appropriate that style is to your lifestyle. It might be well to take into consideration those architectural styles which have proven their durability over the years or centuries which never really go out of fashion. For example, the French country style has been continuously popular in America - particularly in the South - ever since the colonial period. The French concepts of design and beauty have always resonated with Americans, ever since the early American architects studied in France and returned with the French eye and French taste. Many early houses in North America were inspired directly by the buildings of Paris and the pastoral setting of the French countryside. Today, many contemporary architects look to France for its eye-catching details such as French doors which are made with many small glass panes. The French country style also features designs embossed or carved on banisters, sconces, and moldings.
The French country style originated in America with French settlers in Louisiana, who created contemporary house plans suitable for a wet, hot climate. These homes had tall porches sheltered by steep, hipped roofs. This French Creole style is still popular in the southern Mississippi Valley and along the Gulf coast. Perhaps the most distinctive feature of many French country homes is the tall second-story windows which are often arched at the top, and which rise above the eaves, breaking through the cornice. This rather unusual design for windows - quite popular on American French Provincial houses - was modeled after the stately, formal French provincial country manor houses.
These homes are usually built of brick or stucco, are symmetrical in shape with the windows balanced on either side of the entrance, and have steep, hipped roofs. The tall second-story windows contribute to the feeling of height. In Normandy and in the Loire Valley barns and farm silos were frequently attached to main living areas instead of separated. After the First World War, Americans created a romantic version of traditional French country house plans called the French Normandy style, which is distinguished by an attached round tower of stone topped with a cone shaped roof, which serves as the entrance to the house. These houses are sided with brick, stucco, or stone and usually decorated with half-timbering (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal wooden strips set in masonry).
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