The Colonial Styles of North America - Spanish

The Colonial Cathedral of Mexico City. Some of the richest colonial architecture is found in Mexico. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The final part of this trilogy of articles discussing the colonial architectural styles of the North Americas focuses on the legacy of the first medieval nation to explore, and later conquer, the Americas, the Spanish. They may have concentrated their colonial activities in Southern and Central America but they still made their mark to the North and leave behind a strong cultural presence.

The Spanish style of colonial architecture would have been, and still can be, found in the areas originally conquered and colonised by the conquistadors in the 16th and 17th centuries; areas in the US such as Florida and the south western states (California, Mew Mexico, Arizona) bordering Mexico as well as of course Mexico itself. There were effectively two strains of Spanish colonial architecture: that of the common homestead and that of the public building, in particular churches.

Homes
The oldest and original colonial homes in these territories would have been single story, single room houses with thatched and/or flat roofs. With their characteristic lime mortar whitewashed adobe walls they would have been very reminiscent of the ‘peasant’ homes back in Spain. The Spanish building styles and techniques originated in climates very similar to those subsequently encountered in the New World and so their features were well designed to deal with the heat experienced there. Cooling porches were built to provide shelter from the most extreme of the weather and the temperature within the buildings would have been regulated through the use of the thick adobe or stone walls and wooden shutters on the windows. As the buildings developed, and the settlers became more prosperous, they would have taken on second stories with porches and balconies and even ornamentation on their stucco walls.

Public Buildings
Public buildings such as churches carried much grander and elaborate ornamentation on a far larger scale to reflect the catholic churches and cathedrals of the Spanish homeland. In contrast to the functional homesteads they were built to dominate and inspire the local inhabitants and advertise the power and authority of both the Spanish and the mother church. They therefore reflected the latest European styles of the age, principally Baroque, but also Neo-Classical and Renaissance and were complete with colourful and extravagantly decorated internal spaces.

Town Planning
Perhaps one of the most enduring legacies of Spanish building however was the popularisation of the idea of organised town planning. The idea of laying out streets in predefined grids with open public spaces, such as central plazas, and prominent public buildings.

Towns were planned meticulously to give the key public buildings pride of place as well as to provide space for key social, communal and military functions within the town. Guidelines were even prescribed by the monarchy so that the town’s layout and its buildings therein would all work together to meet these aims. At the heart of these planned towns would be the impressive, dominating and awe inspiring churches and cathedrals that the Spanish built to spread the messages of their mission in the New World.

North America is, in every sense, a melting pot of cultural influences and this can be seen very clearly in its architectural styles. Influences may have travelled across the seas from the Old World of its European settlers but they have evolved and taken on characteristics of their own to suit both the demands of the new environments and the fashions of the inhabitants.
© Stuart Mitchell 2012

The Colonial Styles of North America - English

English: Georgian Colonial home of the Rev. Benjamin Wadsworth in Danvers, Massachusetts, est. 1784. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The first installment of this article looked at the colonial architecture of North America which originated with the imported styles and influences of France, Germany and the low countries such as the Netherlands. Perhaps the most significant cultural influences on the continent however came from the country which previously owned the colonies which now form most of the US and Canada, Great Britain.

The colonial architecture transported from Great Britain is referred to as English Colonial (due to the slightly archaic use of England to refer to the whole of Britain) and can be broken down into a few genres and sub genres. The two principle genres are First Period and Georgian.

English First Period
Otherwise known as late medieval, this architectural style dates back to the first wave of British settlers in North America at the start of the 17th century. It is therefore is prominent along the Eastern seaboard, and particularly the North East of the US around (logically) New England where the first colonisers set up home. As with all colonial styles the architecture reflects an evolution of the styles and techniques that the settlers would have known from Britain at that time, with adaptations to work with local resources and to suit the local climate.

The buildings therefore carried characteristics that would be recognisable in the UK from the Tudor/Stuart era such as steep roofs, large central chimneys and timber frames and an over-hanging first floor. However, the limitation of some resources in the new colonies as well as the availability of others led to other characteristics such as timber clad walls and small windows to conserve the use of scarce glass. The first houses were functional, sometimes resembling little more than a timber shed, and ornamentation only started to creep in later on as the colonies began to prosper.

English Georgian
The Georgian colonial architectural style became popular in North America as subsequent British migrants brought with them the popular Georgian and Palladian fashions from their homelands in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The style coincided with prosperity and wealth in both the colonies and Britain itself, as a result of its successes in the colonies, during the reigns of George I through to George IV. Grand houses were built with influences harking back to the classical architecture of Greece and Rome and as the wealth permeated the social classes more and more home owners looked to ape the fashions of the upper classes, thus popularising the style. The utilitarian simplicity and functionality of the core style also allowed its use on a broader scale for residential dwellings.

Georgian colonial buildings were characterised by square or rectangular shapes and a strong dependence on symmetry throughout. They were typically made up of two stories with the main entrance doorway in the centre of the building’s facade on the ground floor. Windows were larger than those found on First Period houses and were position symmetrically, sometimes accompanied by interior window shutters. The central chimneys of the early styles were gone and instead positioned on each end of the building. Although the style could be simple and functional, ornate plasterwork was often incorporated where the budget allowed, particularly over entrances and within reception rooms, but its use was more restrained than in English counterparts.

The revival of colonial architecture during the 20th century was primarily a resurgence in popularity for the Georgian Style, or Neo-Georgian as it became known back across the pond.

© Stuart Mitchell 2012

How to Recycle and Repurpose Old Shutters

As shutters become more and more popular and as people get more stuck in to home renovation, many of us will find ourselves with an old set of shutters that are no longer required or need replacing due to wear and tear. But if you are lucky enough to get your hands on a set of attractive antique wooden shutters for example, it would be a waste to throw them away or use them for firewood. Instead you may want to think about how they could be repurposed and used to add something different to your interior décor?

Building Distinctive Furniture
By taking your shutter panels and adding legs to each corner you can easily give life to your old shutter, turning it into a rustic coffee table which would make a unique centre piece in your living room. Obviously a solid shutter would work well here but even if louvred you can use a plate of glass on top to create a solid surface whilst still getting the aesthetic of the louvres underneath. And if you want to add some chairs to go with the table then why not use a shutter panel as a chair back.

Alternatively, shutters can be repurposed as distinctive storage boxes, such as box ottamans, either by fixing together separate shutter panels or by using a panel as a feature side or top to the box. Again solid shutters would give you a solid frame but for an interesting twist louvred shutters could be used to allow the contents to be 'posted' into the box without taking the lid off. Your finished boxes could also then double up as coffee tables to maximise your storage space whilst still being a feature.

Furthermore, the slats on louvred shutters can also be used elsewhere in the house to combine function with style by using them as attractive stands for storing many items such as post, magazines or newspapers.

Room Dividers
Exterior and interior shutters of all shapes and sizes can be reused in a myriad of contexts to form room dividers or separators. With a bit of a spruce up, old tired shutters can be regenerated into characterful features which define the room. Large shutters, such as full height shutters from doorways and conservatories, can be used to build interesting but substantial room dividers and screens to reorganise the layout of a room, whilst smaller panels can be used for screens to hide away unsightly elements such as electrical equipment.

Unique Décor Touches
Shutters can also be reused in many places within the home to create a unique aesthetic, purely as decoration. For example, they can be used to form special displays, either combining a variety of shutter styles if you're lucky enough to have them, or by using them as a centre piece, adding flowers and pictures to compliment them. Rather than holding practical storage like CDs and magazines, these repurposed louvred shutters could just provide a frame from which to mount or hang pictures or photos in such a display. The displays could then be created by hanging the shutter on a wall or simply by propping it up in the corner of a room. What's more if you have a piece of wall space which is slightly marked or stained these displays could double as cover for these blemishes.

In addition, shutters can be provide a deceptively cosy look when used as a headboard. Depending on the size of the shutter they may not even need to be fastened to the bed or wall and instead just propped up behind the bed. A set of weathered painted shutters can really complete a coastal or rustic theme in the bedroom.

Weathered Interior Shutters
Sometimes the weathering of external shutters in particular, when simply brought onto the inside of your windowspace, can give you unique rustic interior shutters that you'd be hard pushed to match with a new shop bought version. They may need a bit of care and attention to patch them up but the distressed look will add something really different to the room

You may already know about all of the practical and aesthetics attractions of shutters as window dressings or doors to cupboards and outside spaces but there really is no limit to the number of ways your old unwanted shutters can be brought back to life within the home. With a little imagination, you can put them to use in truly unique features of which your neighbours will be truly jealous.

A Potted History of Shutters

In the UK we tend to think of shutters as being closely associated with life on the continent, and the hotter Mediterranean countries in particular, or perhaps the colonial style dwellings in the US. We do, however, also have a longer and richer history of shutters in the British Isles than you might imagine.

From Ancient Greece and the Mediterranean
Their prevalence in the Mediterranean stems from the fact that they were first employed in Ancient Greece and, due the climate of the region, they have never ceased to be a popular and convenient solution. Shutters have always been used as a way of simply covering a window space and the original Greek designs would have consisted of basic stone constructions, latterly of marble, to do the job.

The Ancient Greek shutters not only filled the window space (and therefore provided privacy and insulation against the outside elements) but gave the dweller better control over the temperature in the building by blocking direct sunlight, whilst still allowing air to circulate for ventilation. This key feature led to their spread across the Mediterranean and, with this spread, their construction switched to the more practicable and flexible material of wood.

Shutters in Britain
Shutters were commonplace in the British Isles from the Medieval period to Victorian times. The reason behind their initial and longstanding popularity was also the cause of their fall from prominence in the 20th century - the availability and affordability of glass.

We now take it for granted thanks to modern production techniques but in Medieval England glass was rare, expensive and seen as a luxury. As a result only the wealthier homeowners could afford to fill their window spaces with glass panels and even then they often only installed it in the top half of the space (above the sash). To fill the bottom half they would instead use solid shutters to keep the elements out.

As the centuries rolled by and glass became more affordable, shutters became more of a decorative internal feature, however during the Victorian era a change in the approach to house building with thinner walls replacing the thick constructions of previous centuries meant that exterior shutters, which could be reached through the shallower window recesses, made a resurgence.

The Birth of Plantation Shutters
The shutters that we commonly refer to as Plantation Shutters these days came into being through the European colonisations of the Americas, in the south of modern day USA as well as the Caribbean. In particular, the Spanish popularised the louvred shutter across the region, which went on to become common in the homes of the wealthy owners of the burgeoning cotton and sugar plantations. Their popularity no doubt stemming from their aptness, in such a tropical climate, to regulate temperature

Settlers from England and France also took the shutter to the eastern board of the US and the slightly narrower louvred shutter (in comparison to the wider Spanish counterpart) is still poplar in colonial style buildings in New England to this day.

The Louvred Shutter
What we now consider as louvres or louvred panels are thought to have originated as vents built into the roofs or turrets of buildings to allow ventilation for the smoke and steam produced by kitchens, whilst also keeping out the weather. However, some of these early designs may not be that recognisable as louvres to us today as they could vary from timber to ceramic constructions and could sometimes take the form of caricatures with gaps in the features rather than simple slats.

There is also a quaint story of origin which assigns the creation of louvres to the court of the French King Louis XIV who wanted to prevent his guards from being distracted by bathing beauties in the pools of the Palace of Versailles, shortly after the court’s transfer from the palace at the Louvre. By installing shutters with controllable slats he was able to achieve this whilst still being able to observe the women for himself.

Modern Shutters
The humble shutter is now making another resurgence in the UK as not only an interior dressing for window spaces but also an exterior window dressing, a replacement for interior and exterior doors and component of furniture. Their popularity still owes a lot to the fact they allow the user to manage the temperature and light levels in a room although they now also provide more advantages in our modern crowded dwellings as a flexible solution to manage privacy and noise levels.

In addition there is a growing desire to achieve a more historical look in our homes and in particular to reinstate features which may have been faithful to the age of the property, and as such shutters are now making a re-appearance in homes dating from the Victorian era and before.

Modern production techniques mean that shutters, whether louvred or solid, can be made to sate any interior design requirement, fitting any space or aesthetic and providing bespoke flexibility. So if you want to discover what people across the world have benefited from for thousands of years, there has never been a better time to investigate that perfect wooden shutter.

Why Use Shutters?

Shutters are increasingly being seen as a staple of modern interior design on the UK as we realise what many continental Europeans have known for centuries - that there is an alternative to traditional curtains, blinds and doors which carries with it is own unique set of benefits.

When most people think of a shutter they are likely to imagine a typical square window shutter but one their most appealing features is the variety of shapes, styles and materials they can come in and therefore the number of different functions they can serve. Shutters can be installed not only to adorn a window space but can also be used to replace interior doors - especially cupboard and wardrobe doors - room dividers and conservatory blinds. The versatility of shutters means that they a are also available in both traditional styles, such as plantation shutters, as well as modern contemporary designs

The most common style of shutter is the full height shutter which covers the entire window or door space but there are many other styles with their own individual benefits such as Tier-on-Tier shutters and their individual panels covering the top and bottom of the window space. But even for the trickiest spaces, most shutter providers will make bespoke shutters to fit your requirements.

Again typical shutters may be straightforward wooden shutters but they can be purchased in many different material/colour combinations to not only suit the aesthetic and decor of any room but to affect the longevity of the shutters and the level of maintenance they may require. Shutters can be produced in many varieties of wood, each with their own individual qualities, from premium quality cedarwood and its distinctive finish to more affordable coloured MDF, but can also be made from metals and plastics.

The most distinctive advantages that shutters provide over and above blinds, doors and particularly curtains are that they offer the ability to control the levels of light, noise, heat and privacy in a room.

Solid shutters can provide a blackout to any unwanted light, noise and prying eyes entering a room while louvred shutters, particularly where the panels can be independently controlled (such as Tier-on-Tier or Full Height shutters) offer the most flexibility and control. People looking to maximise the levels of light entering a room whilst maintaining privacy, on for example a street facing town house window, can opt for Cafe style shutters which only cover the lower half of a space, but again bespoke shutter solutions can cater for any scenario and balance of needs.

Shutters in general are ideal for regulating the temperature of a room as they tend to keep a room cool in hot temperatures and warm in cold temperatures and, as above, the use of independently controlled louvred panels gives the homeowner greater control over these elements.

What’s more where window spaces are in hard to reach places, shutters can be installed which are remote controlled so that panels and louvred slats can be open or closed without a struggle.

In addition shutters are generally easier to maintain and keep clean which is ideal for people with busy lives and particularly those who suffer from dust or pet allergies.

Essentially whatever the requirements of a window space or the persons taste in interior design there should always be a shutter solution to satisfy it whether it be a bespoke round louvred wooden shutters or a tier-on-tier metal shutter.

The Benefits of Wooden Shutters

When it comes to dressing your window spaces the first thought for many will be to simply plump for a new set of curtains of possibly blinds, however there is a third option available to you which has many or its own benefits and can enhance the interior and exterior of you home in a way that blind and curtains cannot. This third option is wooden plantation shutters.

Wooden shutters are available in a myriad of materials, styles and shapes to fit any window space and to complement any decor. First of all they can be constructed using a diverse range of materials including Basswood, Premium Hardwood, Larchwood, Craftwood (MDF) and Cedarwood. Each coming with its own benefits and a distinct appearance.

Premium hardwood for example will provide a higher quality finish and come in a greater range of colours but will cost more than Basswood which has a more limited range but will still provide a quality finish. Craftwood is again more affordable but may not have the longevity or quality finish of a material such as Cedarwood. The choice of material will largely be dependent on budget and taste.

Secondly you can choose from shutters with either louvred or solid panels. The louvres are essentially slatted panels which can be opened or closed independently of the main shutter frame to add further flexibility when controlling light, noise and privacy levels.

Thirdly, the overall design of the shutter can vary considerably. Full height shutters are perhaps the stereotypical shutter. They cover the whole window space and are therefore the most popular design with the flexibility of individually controlled panels of louvres. They can be installed in any space whether it be raised windows or floor-to-ceiling patio doors.

Tier on Tier shutters provide even more flexibility in that they cover the whole window space but use separate panels for the top and bottom of the window. These panels can have different controls and operate independently. Cafe Style shutters however are designed to cover only the base of a window, leaving the top half free, and are as a result, a more subtle addition to a room.

Moreover, louvred interior shutters, in particular, can be produced to fit any window space that you require. Whether it be a small porthole window or a large arched window in the gable end of a church or hall, a shutter can often offer a more practical and aesthetically fitting solution than a curtain or blind.

Perhaps the most tangible benefit of choosing a wooden shutter is the control that it gives you over the levels of light that you want to let into the room. If you are looking to maximise the light coming in then cafe style shutters are the ideal solution. However, if you want to have greater control over the amount of light coming in, then tiered shutters, are perfect with the ability to independently control the separate panels (and specify whether each panel should be louvred or solid). Specifically, using louvred panels will allow you to have control over the light coming through each panel.

Shutters are also ideal for those looking to increase their privacy levels as they can provide a better screen than curtains or blinds, especially if you live in a town location where you are overlooked by neighbours or passers by. As well as prying eyes, the same can be said about wanting to block noise coming in (or out) of your home when living in built up area. Going for a full height solution with solid panels would create the most effective screen for both privacy and noise but again ultimate flexibility comes from the tier on tier shutter. Choosing a louvred shutter on the other hand would allow you create privacy whilst still allowing a certain level of light through.

Wooden shutters are perhaps more common on the continent due to another one of their principle benefits, their ability to regulate heat as well as light levels. Shutters can be used to keep the light out during the day and in during the night. The most effective, as with noise and privacy would be a full height solid shutter, however to provide the most control in our changeable British climate a full height louvred or tiered solution may be best.

Whatever your needs and whatever style you may choose, wooden shutters really can provide ultimate flexibility and style, fit any window space and can become a feature of any room.