Identifying features
the details that give a style away.
These are the 139 features Archie looks for in a photo and rings when it finds them. Each one says what it is and which styles it belongs to. For whole styles, see the field guide.
A
B
Balustrade A railing made of a row of short, shaped posts called balusters, topped by a rail. Barrel vault An arched ceiling or roof in the form of a half cylinder, made by one round arch extended along a room's length. Battered wall A wall built with a batter, meaning it slopes inward as it rises and is thicker at the base. Bay window A window projecting from the main wall, usually with three angled sides or a curved front. Beadboard Paneling of narrow vertical boards, each with a small rounded ridge, called a bead, beside the groove along its edge. Bell tower A tall tower that holds bells or a clock, rising from or beside a church or public building. Belt course A flat horizontal band of stone or brick running across a facade between floors, also called a stringcourse. Bracketed eaves Brackets, projecting supports often set in pairs, placed at regular intervals under a wide roof overhang. Built-in cabinetry Bookcases, benches, cabinets or sideboards built into a house's walls as part of the woodwork, not made as separate… Buttress A mass of stone or brick built against an outside wall to resist the outward push, called thrust, of the roof.
C
Cantilever A beam, floor or part of a building that projects beyond its support and is anchored at only one end. Carved stone relief Figures or patterns carved into stone so they project from a flat background, called low relief when shallow and high… Carved wood ornament Decorative shapes cut into a building's wooden parts, such as brackets (supports under the eaves), porch trim and… Cast-iron column A slender column made by pouring molten iron into a mold, often with classical details cast into it. Catslide roof A roof with one side extended much lower than the other, often covering a row of ground-floor rooms at the back. Ceiling medallion A round decorative panel of plaster or other molded material fixed to the center of a ceiling, usually around a light… Checkerboard floor A floor of alternating light and dark square tiles, often black and white marble, set straight or on the diagonal. Clapboard siding Long, narrow horizontal wooden boards called clapboards, each overlapping the one below, nailed over a wood frame. Classical column A column based on Greek and Roman designs, with a base, shaft, and decorative capital. Clerestory window A row of windows high on a wall, above eye level, often above a lower adjoining roof. Coffered ceiling A ceiling divided into a grid of sunken panels, called coffers, separated by beams. Colonnade A row of evenly spaced columns carrying a horizontal beam, called an entablature, or a roof. Conversation pit A sunken seating area a few steps below the surrounding floor, with built-in seating around its sides. Corinthian order A classical column style whose capital, the top block, is carved with acanthus leaves (a Mediterranean plant) and… Corner window A window that wraps around a building's corner with no post at the corner. Cornice A deep, overhanging ledge that caps the top of a facade. Courtyard An open-air space enclosed by the walls of a building or group of buildings. Coved ceiling A ceiling joined to the walls by a concave curved surface, called a cove, instead of a square corner. Crenellation A parapet, or low wall along a roof edge, with raised blocks called merlons alternating with gaps called crenels. Cupola A small domed or windowed structure built on top of a roof or a larger dome. Curtain wall An outer wall of glass and metal panels hung on a building's steel or concrete frame, carrying only its own weight. Curved parapet gable A gable end wall carried above the roofline as a parapet (a low wall) and cut into curves and scrolls.
D
Decorative tilework Glazed ceramic tiles, fired clay with a glassy coating, used to finish walls, floors and fireplace surrounds. Deep eave overhang Roof edges, called eaves, that extend well beyond the walls. Deep-set window A window set far back into a thick wall of stone, brick or adobe, leaving a deep reveal, the side of the opening. Dentil molding A row of small, evenly spaced rectangular blocks, called dentils from the Latin for tooth, set under a cornice… Dome A rounded roof shaped as half a sphere, often raised on a drum (a circular wall). Doric order The simplest classical order, or column style, with a plain rounded capital, the top block of the column. Dormer A window in a small roofed structure projecting from a sloping roof. Double-height space A room or hall whose ceiling spans two floors, often with tall windows or an upper gallery, a balcony overlooking it. Dougong bracket A set of interlocking wooden brackets stacked on a column to carry the roof's overhanging eaves.
E
Entablature The horizontal band above classical columns, in three layers: architrave (main beam), frieze (middle band, often… Exposed beams Wooden structural beams, such as joists (parallel beams that hold up a floor or roof), left visible instead of… Exposed brick An interior brick wall left bare of plaster, showing the bricks and their bond, the pattern in which they are laid. Exposed concrete Concrete left uncovered as the finished surface, often marked by the wooden formwork (molds) it was poured into. Exposed rafter tails The ends of the rafters, the sloping beams that support a roof, left visible under the roof edge instead of being… Exposed structure A building's frame, beams, trusses (triangles of linked beams), pipes or ducts left visible instead of hidden behind…
F
Fanlight A half-round or half-oval window above a door, divided by bars that radiate from the bottom center. Faux finishes Paint techniques that imitate costlier materials such as marble, stone or wood grain (faux is French for false). Flat roof A roof that is level or nearly level, often edged by a low wall called a parapet. Floating stair A staircase whose treads, or steps, are anchored in a wall or a hidden steel beam, with open gaps between them and no… Fluting Shallow vertical grooves, called flutes, cut into the shaft of a column or pilaster, a flat column set against a wall. Flying buttress A buttress standing apart from the wall, joined to it by a half arch that carries the stone ceiling's outward push to… French doors A pair of hinged doors in one doorway, glazed, or fitted with glass panes, for most of their height. Fretwork railing A railing filled with a geometric lattice of crossing wooden bars instead of upright balusters, a pattern called…
G
Gambrel roof A roof with two slopes on each side: a shallow upper slope and a steep lower slope. Gargoyle A carved stone spout, often a monster or animal, projecting from a roof edge to carry rainwater out through its mouth. Geometric ornament Decoration made of zigzags, chevrons (V shapes), stepped forms and other repeated geometric shapes instead of plants… Glass block Thick hollow glass blocks set in mortar to form walls or windows that admit light but blur the view. Glazed tile roof A roof of clay tiles coated with a shiny, often colored glaze, with decorated tiles along the ridges. Grand stair A wide, formal staircase rising from a main hall, with balusters (short posts holding up the handrail) and one or more… Green roof A roof covered with soil and growing plants laid over a waterproof membrane, a sealed layer that keeps water out. Groin vault A vault formed where two barrel vaults cross at right angles, with the curved surfaces meeting along diagonal edges…
H
Half-timbering A wall of visible wooden posts and beams with the gaps filled by plaster or brick, called infill. Hipped roof A roof that slopes down to the walls on all four sides, with no gables (triangular wall ends). Horizontal emphasis A design that stresses long horizontal lines through low roofs, deep eaves (roof overhangs), bands of windows and… Horseshoe arch An arch whose curve continues past a half circle, so the opening narrows at its base.
I
K
L
M
Mansard roof A four-sided roof with a nearly flat top and a steep, almost vertical lower slope, usually set with windows. Mantelpiece The frame around a fireplace, with side pieces called jambs and a top shelf called the mantel. Minaret A tall, slender tower attached to or near a mosque, usually with one or more balconies near the top. Modular repetition A facade built from one identical unit, such as a window and its frame, repeated in a regular grid. Monumental stairway A wide outdoor staircase leading up to a building's main entrance, often spanning much of the front. Mural painting A picture or pattern painted directly on a wall or ceiling, sometimes in fresco: paint on wet plaster that becomes…
N
O
Open floor plan A layout in which kitchen, dining and living areas share one room without dividing walls. Organic ornament Decoration based on plant forms such as vines, leaves and flowers, often with curving lines. Oriel window A bay window that projects from an upper floor without reaching the ground, carried on brackets or a corbel (a stepped…
P
Palladian window A three-part window with a tall round-arched center opening between two narrower, shorter rectangular openings. Parapet A low wall rising above the edge of a roof, terrace or balcony. Parquet floor A wood floor of small blocks laid in a geometric pattern, such as herringbone or chevron zigzags, instead of long… Pediment A low triangle over columns, a door or a window, framed by a projecting ledge called a cornice. Picture rail A thin molding near the top of a wall, shaped to hold hooks that hang pictures on wires. Pilaster A flat column projecting slightly from a wall, with the same base, shaft and capital (decorated top) as a freestanding… Piloti Columns, called pilotis, that raise a building one floor above the ground and leave the ground level open. Pocket doors Sliding doors that move into a hollow cavity, or pocket, inside the wall, so they are hidden when open. Pointed arch An arch whose two curved sides meet at a point, called the apex. Porte cochère A roofed structure over a building's entrance driveway, its name French for coach gateway. Porthole window A small round window based on the windows in a ship's hull. Portico A porch at a building's main entrance with a roof carried on columns, often topped by a pediment (a low triangle). Prominent chimney A large chimney built on an exterior wall, often of patterned brick or grouped into clusters of stacks (shafts above…
Q
R
Raised paneling Paneling of wooden frames, called stiles and rails, holding panels with a thick center and beveled, or angled, edges. Red tile roof A roof covered in overlapping rows of half-round clay tiles, called barrel tiles, usually orange-red in color. Rib vault A vault built on a framework of crossing stone arches, called ribs, with thin stone panels filling the spaces between… Ribbon window A continuous horizontal row of windows across a facade, separated only by thin mullions (upright bars). Roof finial A small upright ornament fixed to the top of a roof peak, gable or spire, often a spike, ball or carved figure. Rose window A large round window divided by stone bars, called tracery, that radiate from the center, usually filled with stained… Round arch An arch shaped as a half circle, often built from wedge-shaped blocks called voussoirs. Rustication Wall surfaces cut with deep grooves so each block reads as heavy and distinct.
S
Sash window A window made of one or more glass-filled frames, called sashes, that slide up and down in grooves. Shingle siding Wood shingles, small overlapping pieces of split or sawn wood, covering the outer walls as well as the roof. Shiplap Wooden boards laid horizontally with rabbeted, or notched, edges that overlap, leaving a small gap between boards. Skylight A window set into a roof to admit daylight to the room below, either flat or raised as a dome or pyramid. Spindlework Wooden trim made of rows of spindles, short rods turned on a lathe, set on porches, gables and eaves. Spiral stair A staircase whose steps wind around a central post, called a newel, or an open center. Spire A tall, tapering structure in the form of a cone or narrow pyramid, built on top of a tower or roof. Stained glass Pieces of colored glass held together by strips of lead, called cames, to form pictures or patterns. Steel windows Windows whose thin steel frames and muntins, the slim bars between panes, divide the glass into a grid. Steep gable The triangular upper part of an end wall, framed by the two slopes of a steep roof. Stepped platform A base built as a series of stacked terraces, each smaller than the one below, with a temple or building on top. Stepped setback Upper floors set back from the street in stages as a building rises. Streamlined curves Rounded building corners, smooth wall surfaces and horizontal bands or grooves running along the walls. Stucco wall A wall coated with stucco, a plaster of cement or lime, sand and water, finished smooth or textured. Sunburst motif A pattern of straight rays spreading from a central point or half circle, placed over doors, windows and gates or near… Symmetrical facade A facade, or main front, whose left and right halves mirror each other, usually with the main door at the center.
T
Tapered porch pier A thick porch support, called a pier, wider at the bottom than the top and often set on a brick or stone base. Terrazzo floor A floor of marble or glass chips set in cement or resin, then ground and polished smooth. Thatched roof A roof made of thick layers of dried straw, reeds or grasses tied in bundles, usually steeply pitched so rain runs off. Tin ceiling Thin sheets of tin-plated steel stamped with repeating raised patterns and nailed to the ceiling. Tracery window A window divided by vertical stone bars called mullions, which branch at the top into curved stonework called tracery. Transom window A small window directly above a door, separated from it by a horizontal bar called a transom. Tray ceiling A ceiling whose center section is set higher than its edges, with one or more steps between. Turret A small round or many-sided tower attached to the corner or wall of a building, often topped by a cone-shaped roof.
U
V
Vaulted ceiling A ceiling that rises above the usual flat height, either following the roof's slope or curving as an arch, called a… Vertical pier Narrow vertical bands of stone or brick, called piers, running the full height of a facade between recessed columns of… Vigas Round wooden roof beams whose ends project through the outer face of adobe (sun-dried mud brick) walls.
W
Wainscoting Wood paneling on the lower part of an interior wall, usually capped by a horizontal molding called a chair rail. Widow's walk A small railed platform on a house roof, often built around a chimney or on a cupola, a small rooftop tower. Window seat A bench built beneath a window, often inside a bay window, which projects outward from the wall. Wraparound porch A covered porch that runs along the front of a house and continues around at least one side. Wrought-iron balcony A balcony with a railing of wrought (hammered) or cast (molded) iron, often worked into scrolls and leaves.