Cottage and Bungalow Style Architecture: A Timeless Appeal

Cottage and bungalow style architecture offers loads of charm in a modest footprint. These house plans are right at home on small urban and suburban lots as well as rural spreads. With period details reminiscent of Colonial, Victorian, and Craftsman architecture, bungalow cottage designs feature up-to-date interior layouts that use space wisely. Designed for couples and smaller families, bungalow cottage plans make great starter homes, and they’re perfect for older homeowners looking to downsize a bit for retirement.

Understanding Cottage Architecture

Cottages dot the landscape of the United States and many countries throughout the world. Cottage-style architecture is celebrated for its simple design, coziness, and ability to weather the passage of time. A cottage is a type of small house that can fit any number of architectural styles and house designs. The definition of a cottage varies among cultures, but a cottage tends to be a small, cozy home in the countryside-often a summer home or vacation home. Most cottage-style houses are single-story, but multi-story houses can also be referred to as cottages, depending on the context. Cottages are not necessarily confined to rural areas. Small, simple home plans in cities can look remarkably similar to country cottages, and they serve the same modest residential function.

Origins of the Cottage Style

The word "cottage" traces back to the Middle Ages, where it was adapted from the Latin word cotagium. An old English cottage was the home of a cotter, a person who lived on the property of a nobleman's manor. These old English cottages tended to have a thatched roof and stone or wood walls. Thatched-roof cottages were built throughout many eras of English architecture, including the Tudor and Victorian eras.

Similar cottage house plan styles developed in Norway (the Norwegian word for such buildings is hytte), Finland (the Finnish word is mökki), and Sweden (the Swedish word is stuga), and little cottages also dot the landscapes of nations such as South Africa, Chile, Russia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Types of Cottage Styles

Nearly all modern cottage floor plans feature traditional home living spaces including a master bedroom, a living room, a dining room (or a cottage kitchen with a dining area), and bathrooms. Cottage design can also vary depending on location and the period in which it was built.

English cottages: Cottages on the English countryside often have thatched roofs, which were built as an economical form of weatherproofing. These English structures often feature cottage gardens that grow up against the buildings.
Nordic cottages: In Nordic countries, cottages tend to be built from wood and are often painted red, which helps them stand out from the summer greens and winter whites of the surrounding countryside. These cottages often serve as holiday getaways for Swedish, Danish, or Norwegian families.
Canadian cottages: Many Canadian cottages have two stories and are small vacation home designs built near a body of water.
American cottages: American cottages on Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket often feature wood shingles that turn gray in the salty air.
South African cottages: In South Africa, langhuis (Afrikaans for "long cottage") are built with stucco walls and a thatched roof.

Exploring Bungalow Architecture

If you’ve heard the term bungalow before but don’t know exactly what it means, there’s likely a good reason: The definition is rather vague. A bungalow is typically a little, single-story house with a sloped roof, a porch, and an open floor plan-but it isn’t always. The only element that a bungalow always has is its small size. “A bungalow is a house with a petite footprint,” explains Redondo Beach, California-based interior designer Brooke Abcarian of Carian Design.

All the other features of a bungalow home are up for debate, perhaps because there are so many different types of this compact abode. The Craftsman bungalow was arguably the first of the architectural styles to emerge in America, in the early 20th century. From there, other varieties of bungalows quickly popped up throughout the country, each with its own aesthetic and set of quintessential characteristics. Which is why, as we mentioned above, the word bungalow is difficult to define. But we’ll do our very best.

Defining Elements and Characteristics of Bungalows

Even Merriam-Webster can’t decide on one definition of “bungalow,” as its entry reads, “a one-storied house with a low-pitched roof; also, a house having one and a half stories and usually a front porch.” Such lack of clarity means that many small single-family homes may be a bungalow. All a bungalow must be is small. But there are a handful of defining elements that most bungalows have in common.

External features:

One story or one and a half stories
Balanced but asymmetrical façade
Low-pitched gabled or hipped roof
Covered front porches or verandas
Wide overhanging eaves
Support columns, often thick and tapered
Lots of windows
Dormers

Internal features:

Small square footage
Open floor plans
Built-in cabinets and shelves
Custom benches and window seats
Attics
Natural materials like wood, stone, and brick

History of Bungalows

All of the bungalows that exist in America can be traced back to the single-story huts that were found throughout 19th-century India. The South Asian country was under British colonial occupation at the time and military officers were often housed in these easily constructed huts, which were called bangala, meaning “belonging to Bengal” in Hindustani.

In the early 20th century, the concept of a bungalow was imported from England to America, where the Craftsman style took hold. “Architects in California played a key role in popularizing the Craftsman-type bungalow, designing such homes as early as 1903 in Pasadena,” says Laguna Beach, California-based interior designer Lisa Berman of Studio Gutow. “The Craftsman bungalow became a hallmark of the Arts and Crafts movement, emphasizing craftsmanship, natural materials, and a connection to nature.”

In addition to serving as primary residences, bungalows also became vacation getaways. By the 1950s, it was common practice for Jewish families from New York City to spend their summers in bungalow colonies in the Catskill Mountains. These resorts offered all-inclusive amenities and camp-like activities along with the bungalow lodgings.

Different Types of Bungalows

Craftsman: As Berman says, Craftsman bungalows are the product of the American Arts and Crafts movement, which focused on quality craftsmanship and natural materials. This type of bungalow was built all over the West Coast and Midwest in the early 1900s thanks to furniture maker Gustav Stickley’s magazine called The Craftsman, which supplied residential blueprints. Their wood siding and trim are typically painted in earth tones.
California: California bungalows are quite similar to Craftsman bungalows-both have gabled roofs, overhanging eaves, and sizable porches. The exterior of a California bungalow is often made of stucco, horizontal wood siding, or shingles.
Mission: Found throughout California, Mission bungalows take cues from Spanish-style architecture. With their smooth, light-colored stucco siding, terra-cotta tile roofs, and arched windows and doors, Mission bungalows look like they belong by the Mediterranean Sea. For this reason, they are sometimes called Mediterranean Revival bungalows.
Chicago: According to the Chicago Bungalow Association, there are approximately 80,000 historic bungalows in Chicago. The bungalow style that’s associated with the Windy City is distinctively made of brick and includes one and a half stories above a full basement. Chicago bungalows also often have low-pitched hipped roofs, porches accessed by steps up from street level, and overhanging eaves. Sometimes, they have off-center front doors or side entrances. And while they’re rectangular in shape, they differ from wide-faced Craftsman bungalows with their narrow fronts.
Prairie: Though markedly different from Chicago bungalows, Prairie bungalows also originated in Chicago, as the brainchild of Frank Lloyd Wright and his fellow architects at the Prairie School. Prairie bungalows are known for their strong, long, and low horizontal lines. They have hipped roofs with overhanging eaves, flat chimneys, contrasting exterior materials, narrow windows, and decorative doorways.
Tudor: A departure from the simplicity of most bungalow styles, Tudor bungalows are whimsical and detailed in their designs, recalling medieval and fairytale architecture. Tudor bungalows frequently include steeply pitched roofs; ornate half-timbered façades; elaborate chimneys; tall, narrow windows; and intricately embellished doorways.
Modern: Modern bungalows are just what they sound like: small single-story homes built in the contemporary architectural style of today. Much like other new builds, modern bungalows are usually made of popular materials like concrete and glass and feature sleek lines and sharp angles.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Living in a Bungalow

Advantages:

The benefits that bungalows offer are truly endless. Firstly, people with limited mobility appreciate bungalows for their accessibility. “One level living can be a game changer, especially for those who don’t want to deal with stairs daily,” says Berman’s Studio Gutow cofounder Melissa Rohani. Abcarian agrees, adding that bungalows “are good for smaller families or gently accommodating elderly people because they are single-story.”

For Abcarian, though, the perk of buying a bungalow is its patina and charm. “It’s owning a piece of history,” she says. “It’s always a good idea to preserve what we can and appreciate the quirks that come along with older homes. Another pro is that having a smaller space cuts down on maintenance costs.”

Berman is a fan of bungalows for their indoor-outdoor living capabilities. “With their characteristic porches, bungalows bring the outside in, creating a strong connection to nature,” she muses. “Bungalows are also cozy. The smaller space lends itself to a warm and intimate home.” Meanwhile, Rohani loves bungalows for their versatility. “Bungalows are like design chameleons-they can easily adapt to different styles, giving homeowners a lot of flexibility in how they want their space to look,” she says.

Disadvantages:

For some people, the petite size of a bungalow can be a drawback. “Small can be cozy, but it can also feel a bit tight, especially if you’ve got a big family,” Rohani admits. Abcarian points out that the limited space can be especially challenging in the kitchen, which many view as the heart of the home. “Older kitchens are smaller than what we’ve come to think of as normal and functional,” she notes.

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Renovating a bungalow, especially one built over 100 years ago, to accommodate contemporary life can also prove to be difficult. “Updating older bungalows for today’s needs can be like solving a puzzle,” Berman says. “It’s not always straightforward and might need some creative problem-solving.” The only real cons of the bungalow are the very low potential security risks. This is because a one-story house might seem just a little bit easier to break into than a larger home. In addition, their one-story layout sometimes makes things a little tight.

Global Distribution of Bungalows

Bungalows can be found all over the world, from Bangladesh and India to the United Kingdom and the United States. Here in the US, there are far more bungalows in the Midwest and West Coast regions than there are anywhere else in the country.

Cottage vs. Bungalow: Dissecting the Differences

The word “cottage” can refer to any type of small house regardless of style. By contrast, a bungalow is a specific architectural style that evolved in the Bengal region of India. By definition, small bungalows can be cottages, but not all cottages are bungalows. Bungalows tend to be characterized by sloping roofs, dormer windows on the second floor, overhanging porches, and a large first floor and smaller second floor.

The square footage and external appearance of bungalows can vary from region to region. For instance, Craftsman-style bungalows are often built in a post-and-beam style with exposed framing and overhanging eaves. By contrast, the Chicago bungalow style features brick exteriors and second story gables parallel to the street. Bungalows and cottages are both small, yet very popular house styles in the United States and beyond. However, their names aren’t exactly interchangeable.

The primary difference between cottages and bungalows lies in their architectural styles and origins. Bungalows, on the other hand, are single-story homes that originated from the Bengal region, known for their low-pitched roofs and functional layouts, often including features like a large porch or veranda. Original cottages were small houses built for rural workers in the English countryside. In contrast, modern-day cottages have evolved considerably.

Lifestyle Considerations

Most people who live in cottages tend to choose them because they are a part of a lifestyle. Whether you have a cottage in the countryside or near the ocean, most residents enjoy the break from urban life. They enjoy the chance to slow down, relax, and birdwatch from their front porch with a morning cup of coffee. However, if you just love the cottage-style home but don’t want to build in the countryside, you can still enjoy all a cottage has to offer but in an urban setting. And, when doing so, homeowners report that they enjoy bringing a slice of the countryside into the city with them. The bungalow lifestyle is all about comfort and convenience. A key attribute of a bungalow-style house plan is its accessibility.

Bungalows are a great option for first-time homebuyers, as well as those dipping their toes into investing in real estate. In addition, since bungalows have wrap-around porches, they tend to be very popular with parents of young children because there are plenty of great vantage points to keep an eye on the kids playing in the yard. Finally, the original two purposes of a bungalow still stand: they tend to have great circulation, so they are great for warmer regions. And, they won’t flood as easily as other homes will since they are elevated.

Financial Aspects

Cottages tend to carry a higher price tag than bungalows. This is typical because they are larger and have more intricate floor plans. So, if you are saving up to purchase your first home or are just starting to think about purchasing a place to rent out, a cottage might not be the best first choice. In addition, because cottages tend to be located in pretty regional areas, you can typically expect that the maintenance and overall upkeep of the place is going to be rather expensive. This might be for no other reason than the distance from which you have to source supplies and labor to fix the problems.

Making the Right Choice

In the great bungalow vs. cottage debate, the home style you end up choosing really just comes down to two things: your overall budget and your style preferences. Think about the weather patterns and overall climate of where you plan to build, as well as house much space you would like to have. Then, consider your budget and aesthetic preferences. For example, cottages are perfect for rural areas and are often used as vacation homes due to their cozy atmosphere and rustic charm. On the other hand, bungalows typically feature open floor plans, making them great options for warm climates because they allow air to circulate freely through all living spaces.

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