Modern Italianate Homes: Classic Charm Meets Contemporary Design

When you think of modern Italianate homes, a style that brings the romance of Tuscan villas to 19th-century North America and reimagines it for today’s homes. Also known as Italian villa style, it’s not just about looking old—it’s about feeling grounded in craftsmanship, proportion, and quiet luxury. This isn’t just a throwback to the Victorian era. It’s a living design language that’s been quietly influencing everything from suburban renovations to new builds in neighborhoods from Portland to Philadelphia.

The heart of Italianate architecture, a design movement that turned Italian countryside villas into urban townhouses and country estates. Also known as Italian villa style, it gave us tall, narrow windows with arched tops, heavy wooden doors, and those signature overhanging eaves with decorative brackets. These weren’t just pretty details—they solved real problems: shading rooms before air conditioning, letting in light without sacrificing privacy, and creating a sense of verticality that made smaller lots feel grand. Today, those same elements are being reused—not to copy the past, but to add warmth and character to homes that might otherwise feel sterile or mass-produced.

What makes bracketed eaves, the ornate wooden supports under roof overhangs that define Italianate homes and signal handcrafted detail. Also known as cornices, they so powerful in modern design? Because they break up the flat lines of today’s minimalist roofs. They add rhythm. They whisper that someone cared about the details. And when paired with arched windows, curved openings that soften a home’s silhouette and invite natural light in a way square windows never can. Also known as round-topped windows, they, they turn a house into a place you feel before you even step inside. You don’t need a tower or a cupola to get the Italianate vibe—just a few thoughtful touches that honor the original spirit.

Modern Italianate homes aren’t about recreating history. They’re about borrowing its soul. You’ll see it in the way new builds use brick and stucco instead of vinyl siding. In the way front porches are deep enough for rocking chairs, not just potted plants. In the way the roofline doesn’t just sit flat—it leans into the sky with purpose. This style works because it doesn’t shout. It invites. And that’s why, even as trends come and go, homes with Italianate DNA keep drawing people in.

Below, you’ll find real examples, deep dives into design elements, and stories of how people are bringing this timeless look into today’s world—whether they’re restoring a 1870s brownstone or building a new home from scratch. No fluff. No gimmicks. Just clear, practical insights into what makes these homes work, then and now.