Today, modern shingle-style architecture carries those ideas forward with larger areas of glass, more open interiors, and stronger connections to outdoor living. Since the form grew out of northeastern resort communities, its relationship with coastal settings is especially strong. Some areas with an abundance of these types of homes are Newport, Cape Cod, eastern Long Island, and coastal Maine.
Two Cardello Projects Show the Range of This Style
1. Our Riverside Shingle Style project in Greenwich shows how the approach can respond to a constrained property.
The owners valued symmetry and wanted the house to feel welcoming near the road. We lowered portions of the roof toward the first floor and used a central stair tower to create a more human scale. The tower also brings natural light into the house and helps organize circulation between levels.
2. Our Narraganset Shingle project in Rhode Island responds to a very different setting.
The house was planned around views of Narragansett Bay, using hip roofs, expansive glass, and stone accents. A large covered outdoor area and folding opening extend the living spaces directly toward the water.
Together, the projects show why these homes can vary considerably while still sharing a recognizable architectural language.
If you are considering a custom home inspired by New England architecture, contact us to begin the conversation.
What Defines Shingle Style Architecture
The movement emerged primarily between 1880 and 1900 and reached some of its strongest expression in northeastern seaside communities. The style relied on massing and material to create visual interest. It also borrowed selected ideas from Colonial Revival, including gambrel roofs and classical columns.
At a glance, the form is most often recognized by:
- Continuous shingle cladding that visually unifies the house
- Sculptural rooflines and asymmetrical massing
- Broad porches and varied windows
- Strong connections to the property and surrounding views
- Restrained architectural details rather than heavy ornament
The Historic New England Architectural Style Guide is another helpful resource if you want to see the historical characteristics in more detail.
The Isaac Bell House in Newport, Rhode Island, is one of the best-known early examples. Created by McKim, Mead & White in 1882–1883, the house is documented for its unusually open planning and wraparound porches. You can view photographs and measured drawings through the Library of Congress Historic American Buildings Survey.
Wood Shingles Create a Unified Exterior
One of the clearest characteristics is the way continuous cladding can visually connect an otherwise complex building.
Early examples often allowed the material to flow across the facade with limited interruption. Stone could ground the lower level, while the upper portions read as one continuous composition.
That same principle still works well today. Wood shingles can soften the scale of a large house and help projecting bays or changing forms feel related.
Current interpretations may use cleaner trim and a more limited material palette. The important idea is continuity across the facade.
How Modern Design Reimagines the Classic
The strongest new interpretations preserve the larger principles of the original form while simplifying selected elements. Broader glass openings can frame views and fill interiors with daylight. Cleaner trim can reduce visual weight. Large doors can also connect family spaces directly to a terrace or pool.
This flexibility is one reason Shingle Style homes continue to work so well for current family life. Even early examples used comparatively open plans, and today's versions can develop that quality further.
A successful update to this type of home usually starts with clear massing, a consistent material language, and a strong relationship between the roof and the rest of the home. Those decisions create a framework for more current features.
Some recent interpretations take the idea even further by reducing the architecture to larger planes of glass and a restrained material palette while retaining cedar cladding and recognizable regional proportions.
Architectural Details That Matter Most
Because the overall form carries so much visual weight, details are most effective when they have a clear purpose. A porch can define the entrance and provide shelter. Stone can give the base visual weight. A tower or cupola can mark an important part of the plan.
This selective approach creates depth while keeping the facade composed. It also allows craftsmanship to stand out where it matters most.
The result can feel detailed and substantial without relying on excessive ornament.
Wide Porches and a Strong Connection to the Landscape
Many early examples were seaside retreats. Their wide porches helped residents take advantage of views, breezes, and outdoor space. That relationship with the landscape is still central today. As also seen with covered outdoor rooms, they can extend everyday living while providing shade and protection from weather.
The flexible composition also allows different sides of the house to serve different purposes. This ability to respond differently to arrival, privacy, and views is one reason the form remains so well suited to large coastal properties.
Adapting the Interior for Contemporary Living
The original movement already allowed more flexible planning than many earlier formal traditions. That makes it particularly adaptable to today's needs.
Family spaces can center around the kitchen and connect naturally to informal dining or gathering areas. Circulation can also respond to the property, placing rooms where they receive the best light or views. Another key is that current systems and amenities can be integrated while preserving the larger architectural idea.
So that a house of this style can maintain a historically grounded street presence while providing open gathering areas and stronger indoor-outdoor connections within.
What to Consider Before Building
If you are considering this approach, begin with the property rather than a collection of individual features.
Scale is one of the first considerations. Complex forms can add character, but their proportions need to keep the building comfortable at both the street and human level.
Views and outdoor living should also influence the plan early. The composition offers considerable freedom to position rooms and openings around the strongest parts of the site.
Finally, consider how historical or streamlined you want the result to feel. Some owners prefer a more period-inspired expression, while others want a contemporary traditional balance with cleaner lines.
Your architect should resolve these choices as one composition. Roof, windows, and materials work best when they support the same overall design idea.
A New England Tradition That Continues to Evolve
Founded in 1999, our studio brings more than 25 years of experience to high-end houses throughout Connecticut and New England. Robert Cardello views traditional principles as tools for innovative expression, allowing regional character and current ways of living to work together.
As mentioned earlier, our Riverside and Narraganset projects show two different expressions of that exact idea. One uses scale and symmetry to respond to a challenging Greenwich property. The other opens toward Narragansett Bay and uses the building itself to frame waterfront living.
So if you are considering a custom home inspired by this New England tradition, learn more about our design process or contact us to begin the conversation.