In our understanding of human psychology, it is quite common to overlook the significance of the house. Our home is the centralized nucleus of our world; a place where we can find shelter, feel secure and most importantly have an environment that reflects our inner world. In our style of architecture and choosing of decor, we create an environment that is an extension of ourselves. All aspects of the house from its size, illumination and organization reflect the mentality of its inhabitants, almost as if the house were an agent with a mind all of its own.
Much as a house seems its own agent, various designs of houses reflect a difference in personality. It is difficult to gaze upon a home and not treat it as an entity in-and-of-itself. Its structure serves as mechanisms reminiscent of biological organs and its decor creates a psychic mentality when transitioning its inner walls.
While the psychology of the house is of much interest and shall be further explored in a future post, one aspect that is relevant to our discussion today is its size. In particular, we shall speak of the most grand manors that exist in our world: mansions. While traditional houses come in various different forms, mansions are no exception to this rule. Architecture is a study in-and-of-itself, and the quantity of style could be potentially infinite in their classification. While perhaps one day I shall undergo the task of classifying each style and decor, today I merely wish to discuss ten specific styles.
In my research, I came across an article explaining ten types of mansions, their history and the characteristics which classifies them accordingly. This post will serve as a ranking of these ten different styles and serve to classify them in order of their beauty and grandeur. This post is of personal preference and many of my readers will disagree due to the subjective nature of the topic. Furthermore, this post is free to serve as the initiation of a discussion, with my readers being free to leave their disagreements in the comments below.
With that being established, let us rank the grandeur of ten styles of mansion.
10: McMansions
McMansions are essentially large homes with the spaciousness of mansions but being virtually identical; that prizes physical appearance or sheer size over quality, or both. They have a disproportionate size on a small plot of land that is typically shared with a neighbour. The lack of an architect in their design gives them a cookie-cutter appearance and external characteristics that don’t match with the interior. While they can have a beautiful interior, the impossibility of predicting their interior design and disproportionate characteristics unfortunately puts them into last place.
9: The Mediterranean Mansion
Mediterranean mansions are a unique edition on this list. Their red tiling and multi-colored tiles present a distinct aesthetic from other houses on this list. While I find them somewhat appealing in the right circumstance, being especially fond of their wooden doors and pronounced decor, their red coloring and overall style seems out of place in comparison to the other architectures on this list.
8: The Neoclassical Mansion
There is no question, neoclassical mansions are absolutely beautiful and it’s completely understandable why they would be in first place for many. They are characterized, amongst other things for their grandiose size, sublime decor, columns and symmetrical features. While varying in some respects, they possess the commonality of revitalizing the styles of ancient Greece and Rome. Though I love the majority of their architecture, the brightly painted exterior and brightly lit interior subtract from my subjective taste, as I prefer darker schematics. For this reason, I have to put them at a lower score for my personal list.
7. The English Country Mansion
The English Country Mansion is the traditional mansion seen in classical novels. It is known for its colossal design and symmetrical architecture. Large enough to accommodate twelve bedrooms within two floors, these mansions are excellent for anyone looking for sheer size. While possessing a beautiful interior, I personally do not resonate with the exterior design. While the symmetry is quite beautiful, the coloring and presentation unfortunately does not bode well with me, putting them lower on the list.
6. The Cape Cod Mansion
Cape Cod mansions were designed to be reminiscent of the British thatched cottages. They are beautiful mansions with plenty of windows for natural light, six to eight bedrooms, double the amount of bathrooms and plenty of amenities. They have steep roofs with large chimneys to withstand the cold weather. While beautiful and diverse homes, their reminiscence of cottages puts them lower on the list as I feel this reduces the authentic mansion aesthetic.
5:The Craftsman Mansion
Craftsman mansions are an anomaly on this list. While I am placing them at number five, they are strange in that they are the only mansion that sometimes can be placed at number two. Their wrap around porches with extended eaves and thick columns are a personal preference. The in-built bookshelves, window seats and fireplaces are a further addition to the aesthetic. However, the cookie-cutter style, monochrome coloring and excessive use of wood, stucco and stone often subtract from the appearance. While having the potential to be amongst the second-most appealing mansions, their combined aesthetic often produces a result that does not meet expectation.
4: The Colonial Mansion
The colonial mansion is being placed in fourth place for its sheer diversity in style. Having over six different subforms, it is impossible to pin down one style and pass a final judgement overall. Though diverse, specific substyles are absolutely beautiful and run competitors for second place. Their consistent symmetry, abundance of windows, supporting pillars and consistent front porches are extremely appealing and render many of these houses an easy buy.
3: The Georgian Mansion
The Georgian mansion has a fantastic aesthetic for anyone looking for luxury. Their box-like architecture usually contains an abundance of five windows across to enhance the natural lighting. The shutters on the windows and front pillars to enhance the front door further convey an added aesthetic to these beautiful homes. The interior is in no way inferior to the exterior, often having between six to ten bedrooms, walk-in closets and an abundance of other amenities. The quantity of space, aesthetic combinations and focus on symmetry place these homes quite high on the list.
2: The Italianate Mansion
The Italianate mansion is a home design that I have recently begun to appreciate. Several characteristics place this style at an obvious second place. First, their embellished cornices, doorways and entrances are extremely welcoming and show you the beauty you are about to witness. The doors are typically doubled, adding a further grandiose aesthetic. Their roofs are usually supported by corbels or brackets which are heavily decorated and their long, thin windows set in groups of three create a lovely decor inside and out.
1: The Victorian Mansion
At the end of the day, I feel that nothing can beat the aesthetic of the Victorian mansion. Set up in an asymmetrical fashion to seem reminiscent of European castles, these homes further contain large rooms with elaborate detailing in the bedrooms and reception rooms. These homes usually contained at least two floors containing the totality of the mansion's elaborate details, and the front porch often provided a unique option for outdoor appreciation. Finally, it is usually this style of mansion that the haunted house trope is modeled after, providing a gothic decor option for fellow horror lovers. Ironic, considering the haunted house is the americanized haunted castle trope, with the castle being the inspiration for this architecture.
While Georgian, Colonial and Italianate each have a place at number two (and switch back and forth), Victorian always remains stable at number one on my list. As such, first place belongs to the Victorian mansion, and I can only hope to possess one of these homes one day.
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