Characteristics of a Neo-Eclectic Exterior

General Considerations

• The neo-eclectic house has no design or architectural center. It is a mix of design concepts without any commitment to any of them. It is almost as if the house itself has no identity at all but borrows from anything the designer or builder finds interesting. There is no specific aspect of the exterior that is dominant. Change in shape and mood is very common and very sharp as the eye goes over the contour of the facade.

Approaches

• The exterior of a neo-eclectic house is almost always based on a two-story design with a large garage. The point of the exterior is to reject function — the idea that the house is just to live in — and even economic considerations. Cost and energy efficiency are not issues with the neo-eclectic. Typically, the American neo-eclectic is a Tudor or Colonial home with some French, Spanish and even Grecian design elements used in seemingly random places. Spanish arches might be flanked by three or four Grecian columns. The roof might be Spanish tile sitting atop a powerfully imposing Tudor facade. These combinations are not uncommon in the school of neo-eclectic.

Balance

• At its best, the neo-eclectic exterior takes elements from all other styles but creates a synthesis that is an identity all to itself. A large front, bay window might have a second or third floor atop it with much smaller Tudor windows with their trademark diamond-shape structure. The garage might be almost as large as the house, and the roof might be extremely high and steep. In some senses, balance seems to be the key. At the same time, given the neo-eclectic rejection of function, the concept of baroque indulgence and passion might take over, rejecting balance altogether. The shapes are commonly very distinct. There is never any commitment to large squares and rectangles. These shapes are almost always balanced by lots of round sections and rounded corners. Often, sharp angles alternate with voluptuous shapes in the neo-eclectic architecture.

Maximalism

• The neo-eclectic exterior is based on extremes. Sometimes it is balancing different extremes, and sometimes it is a deliberate exercise in disproportion. A fairly small two-story neo-eclectic home might have columns of extreme height relative to the house size. Complexity rules: roofs, decorations, carvings and windows reach a point of design as to be totally gaudy, yet closely balanced by clean lines close by. In many cases, exotic styles like Egyptian, Chinese and Persian might be thrown into the mix. Front porches are sometimes very large, Southern wraparounds. What neo-eclectic exteriors do not have are minimalist, efficient designs.