Delray Beach Home Architecture | A Guide To Delray Beach Home Styles

Delray Beach, though directly north of Boca Raton, is not as historically tethered to a distinct aesthetic style as its neighbor to the South. Though Boca Raton is now home to properties of all styles, shapes, and sizes, it is renowned for Addison Mizner's contribution to Mediterranean Revivalist architecture seen throughout the city. While Delray Beach was incorporated 13 years prior to Boca Raton, the city does not have a contributing forefather in the way Mizner is seen by Boca. This isn't to say that style, elegance, and evolution were not part of Delray's rise to prominence over the latter part of the past century and into the 2020s. It is simply to state that architecture and style are less a hallmark of Delray's history than Boca's, which can be defined by the styles it resembles. For Delray Beach Residents, we're excited to share the myriad of styles that befit our beautiful seaside community, starting with Mizner's own and working our way through some of the most prominent home styles in Delray Beach.

Mediterranean Revivalist

These homes are the signature of Addison Mizner, the aesthetic forerunner who gave life and style to the city of Boca Raton but are still seen often in Delray Beach, especially in the aptly named Tuscany, just to list one of several Delray Beach developments featuring this style. Mediterranean revivalist styles often include prominent archways, muted or off-white walls, stucco exteriors, clay roofing (commonly in a reddish brown), and wrought iron accents – notably on the stairwells and balconies. Thanks to the combination of our natural subtropical environment and the class exuded by Delray Beach, these homes are a perfect fit for a sensible, yet upscale look that blends magnificently with our beautiful confines.

Key west style

Key West-style homes feature colonial motifs with a tropical twist. Often these homes have significant front porches, with some even wrapping around part of all of the home. Like colonial homes, Key West houses often have overhangs supported by prominent columns, but unlike their formalized cousins, include tropical landscaping, bright, pastel tones, and a strong contrast between window shutter colors and the primary coat around the home. Often either the home itself will be white or off-white with strongly contrasting shutters, or vice versa. These color and landscaping contrasts are the principal difference between traditional colonial and Key West homes, with many examples of both lining the more historic regions of Delray Beach.

Art Deco

Thanks in part to Addison Mizner’s heavy influence on Boca Raton in the 1920s, it is harder to find Art Deco homes in Boca Raton. While there are few architectural examples of a dedicated Art Deco style, many homes feature elements of or entire plans built around evoking this iconic big city look from the roaring 20s. Rounded corners, flatter roofs, and porthole style windows are not uncommon in Art Deco style homes, nor are prominent numbers, light fixtures, and sleek lines that complement the general smoothness and roundedness of the home’s exterior. Famous examples include the Clevelander in South Beach, or more prominently, the Chrysler Building.

Contemporary 

Contemporary homes are not without their form but have evolved to fit the needs and functions of modern life. These homes feature clean-cut lines, open floor plans, and large panel windows. They often incorporate a host of materials, from stone to stucco, to wood, and concrete. Contemporary homes are far from nondescript but do not feature any of the strikingly obvious design motifs seen in Art Deco and Key West-style homes. However, when buying a contemporary home, homeowners can enjoy significant freedom to remodel and upgrade the aesthetic of their property, as these will represent a majority of homes, and thus attract a majority of products, services, and experienced laborers to make changes over time.

Bungalow

Bungalow homes are often some of the oldest in Delray Beach. They are often small in space and low-lying, with exposed rafters and 2-3 short steps to the front door. Their sturdy structure and slight elevation on top of the foundation make it a safer option for handling storm surges than a typical contemporary home. Bungalows are also noted for often having exposed rafters, loft spaces, and prominent front porches.

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