In descriptions of Queen Anne architecture, one word almost always makes an appearance: excess.

Cobbling together an assortment of styles and details, these kinds of homes are almost inevitably eye-catching. Queen Anne buildings aren’t simply and functional. They are distinguished by texturing, turrets, intricate porches and other elements that beauty to the disassociated elements of the structure.

Old House Web, a site dedicated to information on old and historic homes, says the style first came to prominence in the United States at the Philadelphia Exposition, which celebrated the nation’s centennial in 1876. The style had already been quietly introduced on a smaller scale, though. Wentworth Inc., an architectural studio in Chevy Chase, Maryland, says Queen Anne architecture was present in the Watts-Sherman House designed by H.H. Richardson in Newport, Rhode Island, between 1874 and 1875.

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission says Richard Norman Shaw was the most prominent architect involved in this design. Queen Anne homes became more popular with the publication of the design in pattern books and the journal “The American Architect and Building News.”

Queen Anne is something of a misnomer. Wentworth Inc. says the style derives its influence from buildings designed in the Elizabethan and Jacobean reigns, between 1558 and 1625, rather than Queen Anne’s reign of 1702 to 1714. Beginning its most popular period in 1880, the style is also included among those grouped in the overarching Victorian style.

This kind of home is most easily recognized by its decorative nature. Ironically, this feature arose from a simpler construction method. Antique Home, a resource site for residences built in the early to mid-20th century, says Queen Anne homes tend to capitalize on balloon framing, or the use of lighter two-by-fours to build a more complex building footprint than would be possible with heavy timbers. Rooms and turrets might protrude from the façade at odd angles, inevitably making for an asymmetrical appearance.

Wood was often used to achieve this appearance. Old House Web says decorative porch posts, moldings, and other features could easily be mass-produced. Many homeowners also used multiple different paints to highlight the various textures, giving the exterior an especially colorful appearance.

Fish scale shingles are one of the most popular siding options for a Queen Anne home. Other options included decorative millwork, lattices, wooden paneling. Wentworth Inc. says some examples of the style also featured patterned stone or brick, terracotta, or stucco, although these materials were less frequently used.

Turrets or towers are an especially prominent feature in the style. The home design site Antique Home Style says these structural components were usually highly visible, appearing on the corner of the front façade. Wentworth Inc. says the towers can be round, square, or octagonal and are often capped with a conical or domed roof.

The tops of these towers added to the complexity of the roof, which usually features multiple planes or other irregular shapes as well as cross-gables. The roof also has a steep pitch, although this slope tends to be shallower in homes built after the turn of the century.

Prominent windows are usually present in the Queen Anne Style, including bay windows or projecting oriel windows. The window itself tends to be simpler, typically featuring only a single pane of glass, although some examples include multiple panes, curved windows in the towers, or stained glass. Antique Home says narrow, double hung windows are also common.

Queen Anne homes include expansive porches, which wrap around a portion of the home. Wentworth Inc. says these include decorative supports, and that some examples recess a second-story porch into the structure as well.

The irregular shapes of the exterior translated to the interior as well. Antique Home Style says Queen Anne homes include compartmentalized rooms, including round or octagonal rooms. A formal entrance hall, paneled doors, and decorative wall surfaces are also common.

The Queen Anne style was most popular between 1880 and 1900, although it remained a prominent architectural choice in the United States until about 1910. Antique Home Style says it also had an influence on later architectural styles, most notably the Colonial Revival.