A. City of Vincent provides a useful summing up. Early 20th century bungalows are found in a number of different exterior guises: Californian, Hollywood Spanish, Georgian Revival and Old English. The Californian bungalow was amongst the earliest and most popular of these styles. They were based on the American bungalow design and were particularly popular in Australia from 1913 to the 1940’s. This style marks the beginning of American influences in housing as Australians experienced greater exposure to American popular culture.
The Californian prototypes were based on “craftsman” principles and were constructed of natural-looking materials. While the Californian style offered a range of variations, its distinctive forms are really identifiable. Key characteristics include: freestanding single-storey houses with informal lawns and gardens; natural materials and finishes; low-pitched roofs emphasising horizontal lines covered with terracotta tiles; exposed rafters; projected from the roof; brown brick, roughcast or pebble-dash render or weatherboard walls; windows either double-hung or casement, with panes in small rectangles or diamonds.
Inside: divided by a hallway with the best rooms at the front, kitchen and laundry at the rear; dark timber to the lower half of walls; high-waisted timber doors; dark oiled skirting boards and architraves in all rooms but the parlour, where cream prevailed.
Source: vincentheritage.com.au
