Federal Style Doors

Georgian federal style homes typically have one main entry door although there can be numerous auxiliary doors leading to patios decks the backyard or a side yard.

Federal style doors.

You can get the federal look with these new home furnishings that pay homage to the style s elegance but aren t too fussy to live with. The most common window configuration is five on the second story and four on the first. The entrance of a federal style house screams wealth. The federal look today photo by antonis achilleos.

Federal style hardware lots of leeway on what qualifies as federal hardware or not but this is the selection we have that we think might fit into the category of federal the federal period is generally accepted to have stretched from at least the last two decades of the 1700s through at least the first two decades of the 1800s. The first feature to capture one s attention in these houses are the fanlight doors. An elliptical fanlight or fan shaped window tops the door with long rectangular windows on either side. Windows are symmetrically arranged around a central door.

Wood or brick construction. Often positioned over doors along with an elaborate door surround fanlights are distinctly federal. These semicircular or elliptical details would often feature a window to bring in additional light above paneled doors. Based on a half oval these over door windows contain numerous versions of delicate tracery in wood and or metal creating a fan like shape.

It usually has three or four horizontal rails and three vertical stiles. Federal style homes typically emphasize the cornice with decorative molding most typically tooth like dentils or block like projections. The spaces between them are filled with thinner panels. These are the hallmarks of the federal style.

The oval shaped carvings called paterae flanking the door are universal on federal era furniture mantels and interior woodwork. Tall slender columns or pilasters frame the entrance. A panel door is a classic style. Either semi circular or elliptical these decorative windows are the biggest design signatures of the federal style.

The result is a richly textured look that is at home in both traditional and modern settings. Jun 20 2020 explore jessica sellitto s board front doors federal and farmhouse style on pinterest. Decorative molding or some representation of it called sticking surrounds each panel. Side doors share panel designs similar to main entry doors although the side doors are slightly narrower.

Occasionally a side door may include a large area of glass. The door is simple but the ornamentation around it is grand.