Find 96+ Enchanting Canadian Victorian-style House Not To Be Missed

When looking for Canadian Victorian house designs, you’ll want to start with the traditional homes of the time. These grand designs, featuring ornate woodwork and plenty of turrets, are iconic of Victorian architecture and will provide a beautiful backdrop for your home. From the sharp angles of the gables, to the intricate spindle work, to the daring colors of the trim and clapboard, Victorian homes created a distinct style that stands the test of time.

The main features of a Canadian Victorian home include an asymmetrical multi-level body and a low pitch roof. The front may have a front porch, often with gingerbread touches. An entry door may have a fanlight or sidelights, and the windows may have decorative detailing. Other accents include bay windows, bay doors, gable decorations, and patterns on the brick or wooden panels.

A Victorian style house in Canada will typically incorporate lavish interiors with high ceilings and a staircase in the large entrance hall. Attention to detail is key in creating a valid Victorian style home, whether it be intricate ceiling mouldings, Kira Chente doors, fancy piers, or lavish fireplaces.

As the 1800s began and Canadians began to move to the cities, pictured-frame and free-form homes of every sort grew in popularity. One of the most prevalent was the ‘Central Canadian’ style housing, a distinct collection of Italianate and Second Empire designs. These Victorian homes came with thicker masonry and plenty of ornamentation as compared to their American counterparts.

Central Canadian Victorian homes are typified by an imposing presence, featuring robust masonry details, multiple balustrades, one or two story depth porches, overhanging or freestanding roof lines, and a central tower atop it all. Often, this Canadian version of the Victorian-era style incorporates an elegant block siding plinth in the architecture.

The Italianate style of the Central Canadian homes can be identified by the height of the second stories, full width porches, shallow roofs, tall windows, and attached shutters. Meanwhile, French Second Empire homes differ by their Mansard roofs with dormer windows and rounded arches. Going with the townhouse nearby or the free-standing house on its own, Central Canadian Victorian homes create an unforgettable presence.

For a more true classic Victorian style, Canadian homeowners should look to the designs of the nation’s east coast. Known as the ‘Second Empire’, these Victorian homes, particularly the Victorian gingerbread homes of Halifax, Nova Scotia, are typified by gorgeously ornate façades, steep Mansard roofs, and bay windows on the top floor.

These traditional Victorian homes of the East Coast have a side gable roof and are often painted in bright colors, with asymmetrical markings, including richly detailed brickwork, and copious amounts of elaborate wooden trim. Windows were typically strong, sturdy, and tall, with entry doors featuring transom or fanlights. They also feature a two-story bay window, helping to create a spectacular living area, oftentimes with spiral staircases leading to the bedrooms.

When looking to create a grand Victorian home with an authentic Canadian flavour, traditional Second Empire designs are always going to be the best pick. Filled with ornate patterns and bright colors, these homes will impress the moment you step inside the door.

Canadian Gothic Revival houses were a popular trend from the 1830s to the 1920s, with older medieval designs often accompanying the new. The characteristics of this style are quite distinct, featuring steeply pitched roofs, asymmetrical shapes, turrets, towers, wall dormers, and plenty of intricate trim.

Gothic Revival homes were often made of brick or stone walls and featured complex porches, decorative steeply-pitched gables, stained glass windows, leaded glass windows, steeply-pitched roofs, and ornamental carpentry on the façade. Many feature pointed arch lintels and paneled windows, as well as steeply sloped roofs and paired brackets in the eaves.

Imposing and timeless, Canadian Gothic Revival homes have a unique flair that helps to stand them apart from other, more traditional, designs. A perfect marriage of traditional old-world style and dramatic inventions of the Industrial Revolution, these houses make for the perfect grand residence.

Italianate architecture is traditional of the mid-19th century, with Canada’s Italianate homes often having a large central dual-pitched roof, square towers, and classic boxy shapes. The style was based on 15th century Italian farmhouses and villas, but it had more aesthetic freedom than the narrow Revivalist approach.

Italianate homes often have multiple levels, balconies with carved columns or spindles surrounded by intricate metal trim, side porches, bay windows, or traditional juliet balconies. Characteristics of Italianate architecture can include low-pitched roofs, tall windows with shutters, quoined and deep cornices at roof lines, and a front porch incorporating columns and heavy brackets. These homes typically have an ornamental cupola or tower as well.

Italianate architecture in Canada can be observed anywhere from the mid-19th century onward. It often incorporates beautiful intricate touches of detailed carvings, scrolls, floral motifs, and lotus/star patterns. These details add a sense of sophistication and a touch of the Italian countryside, adding character to any house.

Queen Anne style architecture was very popular in the late 19th century, and has become an iconic Canadian style. These ornate houses have towers, steep pitched roofs, and a dominant front-facing gable. They often feature asymmetrical shapes, polygonal towers, and an array of roof lines which can include clipped gables and flared eaves.

Other typical characteristics of the Queen Anne style includes turrets, bay windows, oriel windows, charming porches, exotic wood trim, and details like fish-scale shingles and patterned brickwork. Windows were often grouped, and the entry door was often round-headed and had a fanlight or decorative sidelights. In terms of colors, Canadian Queen Anne homes often had light yellow siding with darker trim.

The Queen Anne style is one of the most iconic and recognizable Canadian design styles, so why not consider it when looking to build your own Victorian era inspired house. A creative blend of the home’s dominant features, such as porches, rooflines, and colors, will help to ensure that you create a stunningly unique abode.

Edwardian buildings are the perfect combination of Victorian and modern design elements. While the aesthetic is still classical, the shapes are typically less ornate, allowing for a sleeker, more contemporary look. From grand homes to smaller summer cottages, this style is versatile and looks stylish in any home.

The Edwardian style often has rectangular windows, allowing for more unimpeded light than the traditional Victorian style. The design style includes features like a dominant gable front, a round-arched entrance, steeply pitched rooflines, projecting bay windows, and stone and brick details.

Canadian Edwardian buildings really emphasized that charm of symmetry, with a balanced façade, and occasional Gothic-inspired round towers. It’s one of the few Victorian-inspired styles which can easily cross the traditional Victorian lines. Its hard-lined yet still classical aesthetic is sure to bring a unique sense of grandeur to your home.

The foursquare house may not be the most traditional of Victorian houses, but this particular style was an integral part of Canadian home designs, and is especially well-suited for the colder climates. Also known as the ‘American Foursquare’ style, this type of single-family home was a popular trend in the early 20th century.

A Canadian foursquare house shows long overlapping gables, hipped and/or pyramidal roofs, and spacious versions of the entry porch. Typical motifs are overhanging rooflines, multi-paned windows, exterior siding in seamless clapboard, and paneled doors.

The foursquare form offers a practical and efficient way to build an abundant yet pricey house. These homes used box-shaped forms to create a solid foundation and much more interior space. Oftentimes the foursquare house was positioned on large lots with well-manicured grounds. If looking for a practical yet still beautiful design, foursquare houses are certain to look perfect in any Canadian home.

Bungalow houses were one of the popular architectural trends in the early part of the 20th century, and have become a ubiquitous style in Canadian homes. Bungalows are typically thought of as one-story homes with an open floor plan, an entry porch, and plenty of exterior detailing and materials.

In addition to typically being one-story, a Canadian bungalow house will often feature wide eaves with overhanging brackets, a low-sloped roof, porch pillars or columns, and an array of decorative windows. They are often asymmetrical in shape and incorporate stained-glass windows and authentic-style doors.

The bungalow house is a classic Canadian style, fusing both a vintage feel with just the right amount of contemporary features. Bungalows look perfect at any spot, but are especially beautiful to behold when lined in rows along suburbs. Combining rustic features with modern details, these homes will always be a timeless choice.

Log cabins of the Canadian North have been a lasting part of our country’s history and culture since its inception. These homes, while having a rustic feel, are still very stylish and perfect for those who want a classic country home.

The main feature of a log house is its logs, naturally. The most common log style for Canadian log homes is D-Log which utilizes whole logs to create an uninterrupted wall of wood with the bark or exterior of the log remaining on the outside. Other common types of log are V-groove, Saddle Notch, and dovetail.

Canadian log houses are homey, rustic, and create an atmosphere unlike any other. With a variety of log styles to choose from, and the ability to customize interior and exterior features, they make for the perfect cozy and charming abode.