New California Classics: Colonial Revival
Author:California Home and DesignThe Colonial Revival style, while rooted in the architecture of America’s East Coast, found a distinct and enchanting voice in California—particularly in the hands of master architects Paul R. Williams and Julia Morgan. Beginning in the 1920s, Colonial Revival architecture surged in popularity as a nostalgic counterpoint to the eclecticism of the early 20th century. But in California, it took on a unique flair, blending East Coast elegance with West Coast ease, sunshine and cinematic fantasy.
The style is both stately and intimate—an architectural love letter to an era defined by Old Hollywood glamour, beachfront leisure and understated sophistication. In California, the Colonial Revival was not simply a reproduction of the past; it was a curated lifestyle statement captured using proportion, material and elegance.
Colonial Revival homes were designed for Hollywood elites but carefully avoided ostentation. They had a kind of dignified glamour: broad, symmetrical facades with refined white clapboard siding, columned porticos and traditional double-hung sash windows. But this grandeur was offset by an openness—floor plans that encouraged indoor-outdoor living, gardens that invited the sea breeze and a layout that responded to the California sunlight.
Rather than rigid historical replication, California Colonial Revival is a template for imagination and refinement. Interiors often featured grand staircases, hand-carved moldings and graciously scaled rooms—elements inspired by the Georgian and Federal styles, yet softened with West Coast informality: French doors leading to patios, breezy verandas and palm-lined entryways. The result was both cinematic and domestic.
The charm of Colonial Revival homes lies in the way they paid homage to tradition without being bound by it. The hallmark details—fan-lights over front doors, dentil molding, balustrades, multi-pane windows—were executed with precision, but also with restraint: a trellis works as an outline for dimensional entryways, balconies and rails and there is a preference toward clean lines over ornament for ornament’s sake. Doorways are often understated yet perfect in proportion, drawing the eye not with grandeur but with grace.
–Story by Jaime Rummerfield, Elizabeth Graziolo, Lucy Ayres, Erica Hay
