In a good design, everything must
work together toward a common end.
Some very inventive designers work
out a unique style for themselves, but
most rely on inspiration from the past.
In this column, I want to explore how
designers can use stylistic traditions
from the past for their own purposes.
Our choice of styles is usually limited
by strong local preferences. Colonial in
the Northeast, brick vernacular in the
Midwest, adobe in the Southwest, etc.
But there is some choice in every market.
For a custom home unconstrained
by subdivision controls, the choice is
very broad indeed.
By and large, our popular, everyday
styles are no longer "alive" — that is,
part of an unbroken local tradition
reaching