Federal Style Doors

Often positioned over doors along with an elaborate door surround fanlights are distinctly federal.

Federal style doors.

The result is a richly textured look that is at home in both traditional and modern settings. The oval shaped carvings called paterae flanking the door are universal on federal era furniture mantels and interior woodwork. A panel door is a classic style. The door is simple but the ornamentation around it is grand.

Side doors share panel designs similar to main entry doors although the side doors are slightly narrower. Federal style homes typically emphasize the cornice with decorative molding most typically tooth like dentils or block like projections. Occasionally a side door may include a large area of glass. The most common window configuration is five on the second story and four on the first.

Based on a half oval these over door windows contain numerous versions of delicate tracery in wood and or metal creating a fan like shape. Georgian federal style homes typically have one main entry door although there can be numerous auxiliary doors leading to patios decks the backyard or a side yard. The spaces between them are filled with thinner panels. See more ideas about house exterior doors house front.

An elliptical fanlight or fan shaped window tops the door with long rectangular windows on either side. The entrance of a federal style house screams wealth. Federal style hardware lots of leeway on what qualifies as federal hardware or not but this is the selection we have that we think might fit into the category of federal the federal period is generally accepted to have stretched from at least the last two decades of the 1700s through at least the first two decades of the 1800s. A fanlight ornamentation above the door was also common.

The federal look today photo by antonis achilleos. These semicircular or elliptical details would often feature a window to bring in additional light above paneled doors. Federal style homes almost always have double hung windows typically with six panes per sash. The first feature to capture one s attention in these houses are the fanlight doors.

Jun 20 2020 explore jessica sellitto s board front doors federal and farmhouse style on pinterest. It usually has three or four horizontal rails and three vertical stiles. Tall slender columns or pilasters frame the entrance. Windows are symmetrically arranged around a central door.

These are the hallmarks of the federal style. You can get the federal look with these new home furnishings that pay homage to the style s elegance but aren t too fussy to live with.