The Beginner’s Guide to Texas Home Styles - 2025
By Alex Mikoulianitch on January 01, 2025
It’s no secret that Texas is one of the hottest states in the country, and we’re not talking about the weather.
Cities like Austin and Dallas in the Lone Star State have been at the helm of tech innovation and start-up culture, which has helped transform them into some of the fastest-growing cities in the nation. With a famed live-music scene and unbeatable outdoor offerings, Texas is at the top of the list for many considering where to buy a home.
Texas homes are known for their variety and unique architectural styles, making them highly sought after by homebuyers.
Texas is home to many iconic housing styles, such as Queen Anne and Mission styles, but it stands out most for its signature Hill Country and Southwestern-style homes that are hard to find elsewhere in the U.S.
Below, our team from has put together a crash course for buyers looking to get familiar with some of the most popular home styles in Texas.
Top Home Styles in Texas
- Hill Country
- Craftsman
- Bungalow
- Queen Anne
- Texas Style Ranch
- Farmhouse
- Mission
- Spanish Revival
- Southwestern
- Mid-century Modern
Texas house plans often incorporate local materials and design elements that reflect the state’s diverse architectural heritage. These diverse architectural styles contribute to the unique category of Texas style homes, which are highly sought after by homebuyers.
Hill Country
Born in Texas in the 1800s, the Hill Country style was developed by the German immigrants who settled in the Texas Hill Country region of Central and South Texas.
Drawing on the Germanic architectural styles that utilize everything the land gives you to build a home, the settlers took to the rich supply of local materials such as limestone, dark timber, and stone to create a home style unique to Texas.
Hill Country homes can be molded into anything from luxurious, two-story estates to cozy, oak-toned single family dwellings. Neutral colors are prominent in this style, and many Hill Country homes will feature Texas White Limestone walls with wooden eaves for the windows and roofs. Exposed wooden beams in the interior and limestone brick fireplaces also add to the charm and help give these homes an unparalleled sense of coziness and warmth.
Craftsman
The Craftsman style as we know it today was born of the Arts & Crafts movement in the U.S., but its roots reach back to the British Industrial Revolution.
Industry evolution in the mid-1800s pushed aside meticulous home craftsmanship in favor of fast-paced construction. But the 1860s witnessed a renaissance of all things hand-made and designed, and the Arts & Crafts movement was born.
The Craftsman style sprung forth when the movement took hold in America and quickly became one of the most popular housing styles of the 20th century.
Categorized by its satisfying symmetry and angular design, the Craftsman utilizes open interiors to create more space while preserving a clean appearance on the outside. Low pitched roofs, often gable in design, are a staple of the Craftsman style, and the ever-present porches can sometimes feature classical columns framing the main door.
Bungalow
This style also dates back to the 1800s and is closely related to the Craftsman style.
Though Bungalow homes featured prominently in various parts of the world, the Craftsman Bungalow is an American version of the design that originated in Pasadena, California.
The Craftsman-style homes of the late 1800s were usually accessible to only the wealthy and middle class, as the labor and materials were expensive for the proposed designs, which often featured clean lines and simple, uncluttered aesthetics. The Bungalow style emerged as an alternative for the working class, which drew on the design choices used for Craftsman homes but utilized cheaper materials and less intensive labor.
Bungalows prioritize easy access. Since they are usually single-story, bungalows feature living spaces that are all connected on the ground floor, usually without the use of stairs.
Like the Craftsman style, bungalows feature large, overhanging eaves and sturdy columns to prop them up. Steeply pitched roof lines and expansive front porches are also a signature feature for many bungalows in Texas.
Many older Austin neighborhoods feature some of the first bungalows built in the U.S., but many were renovated and transformed into bars and restaurants.
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Simplicity and symmetry have no place in the Queen Anne style.
A branch of Victorian-style architecture, Queen Anne incorporates as much embellishment and flourish as possible in its fairy tale story homes. Some of the most breathtaking examples of this luxurious style are strewn all throughout Texas.
The skillful decoration that graces all Queen Anne-style homes is evident from the roof to the porch. Tall, story-book turrets and detailed bay windows usually dot these homes, sometimes in a whimsical pattern.
But as over-the-top as they may sometimes seem, Queen Anne homes are the epitome of jaw-dropping architectural achievement, and very few are listed for sale.
Texas Style Ranch
Undoubtedly one of the most popular home styles in the Lone Star State, ranch houses are the classic expression of Texas’s architectural scene.
An ideal design for the vast prairies and open spaces of Texas, ranch houses take advantage of a single-story layout with a tremendous amount of open space.
Like the Craftsman and Bungalow styles, ranch houses feature overhanging eaves over large porches, but the difference lies in size. Ranches usually command impressive square footage and are best situated on expansive swaths of land.
The style lends itself to modern touches, such as contemporary facades and open-floor plans, and is found in almost every corner of Texas.
Ranch style homes are uniquely American and developed in the Southwest in the early 20th century. Though it drew on Spanish colonial style architecture from the 17th and 18th centuries that utilized single-story design, the ranches that took hold in the late 1800s and early 1900s are prime examples of the American style.
Farmhouse
Arguably one of the oldest home styles in Texas, the Farmhouse style dates back to the 1700s and traces its roots back to German and Scandinavian settlers.
Unlike well-known architectural styles such as Victorian and Craftsman, farmhouses were designed strictly for functionality and practical use. Settlers who needed a living space with quick access to their livestock and farm developed the traditional farmhouse design, which featured mansard roofs and shiplap exteriors.
The modern farmhouse began to evolve once it borrowed design ideas from other architectural styles. It began to feature large porches and barn-style doors, with an industrial kitchen and rustic, wooden accents in the interior.
The modern farmhouse design exploded in popularity only a few years ago and was most prominently used as an interior design style, often featuring expansive outdoor living areas such as covered porches and patios.
It may be tricky to distinguish between a farmhouse and an elaborate craftsman since the latter’s features often bleed into the design of the former. But farmhouses tend to be much larger and hold on to the rustic elements that made the style so popular.
Mission
The Mission-style homes found in Texas are nothing short of extravagant.
Brought to North America by Spanish explorers, the style exhibits a simplicity that pairs perfectly with the open terrain of Texas and its scorching summer temperatures.
The Mission homes found today throughout the West Coast and the Southwest and Texas originated during the Art Noveau period between 1890 and 1910.
The iconic terracotta tiles, curated front lawns, and central patios give the Mission style a quality of simplified luxury. Many Mission homes’ exteriors are simplistic and flush with warm, limestone-color or white stucco and will feature a unique front door design.
As modern as the style has become, it continues to draw on the Spanish colonial style elements that made it famous, and few Mission homes will veer away from the tiled roofs and arched windows that help generate their charm.
Spanish Revival
Closely related to the Mission style, Spanish Revival draws heavily on the same tiles and white-washed walls found in Mission homes.
While both have roots in classical Spanish architecture, the Spanish Revival style became popular after the 1915 Panama-California Exposition. There, architect Bertram Goodhue presented examples of how attractive the style could be.
While Mission homes tend to be more conservative with exterior decor, Spanish Revival houses don’t hold back on panache. For example, terracotta roofs may feature overhanging eaves with elaborate woodworking or carving, while ceramic tile and unique window shapes create a more eye-pleasing effect.
These homes are often found by the waterfront or on open swathes of land since many feature some form of open-sky patio or courtyard with a centerpiece fountain.
The style is easily found in major cities such as San Antonio and Austin and is highly sought after by homebuyers exploring home options in Texas.
Southwestern / Adobe Style
Drawing on Native American and Spanish architecture, Southwestern is perhaps Texas's most unique home style.
The style originates from the indigenous Pueblo people of the Southwest, who used the natural materials available in the region to construct homes adaptable to the hot, desert climate of the area.
The earthy colors, simple stucco exteriors, and asymmetrical design slowly transformed into a more prominent home style, also known as the Adobe style. Adobe refers to the mixture of earthen materials with water and straw that Pueblo people used to create the foundations and walls of the original Southwestern homes.
Today, the same earthy palate and stucco exteriors have come to grace some of Texas's most coveted house designs. Spanish Revival and Mission Accents are often mixed into Southwestern homes but most heavily prioritize wide-open indoor space and shaded exterior areas.
Mid-century Modern
Though easily confused with the Contemporary style, Mid-century Modern is an earlier home style that stands apart for its luxurious innovation in home design.
Just as it takes advantage of the open skies and oceanfront views in California, so does the style feature prominently in Texas and its surrounding natural beauty.
Mid-century Modern homes date back to the 1950s when architectural pioneer Frank Lloyd Wright brought the style into the spotlight. He sought to utilize simple geometric shapes and strict, angular lines to create harmony with the natural lines observed in nature.
These homes usually feature floor-to-ceiling windows, uncovered outdoor space that blends seamlessly into the covered interior, and flat roofs with minimal decor. These homes are some of the most coveted on the market, with many found in Texas’ biggest cities.
