Corbels and brackets have been utilized in many types and styles of architecture. Colonial homes and public buildings are a good example of this. Colonial buildings are often covered in decorative corbels and stylish brackets. Victorian architecture also used these elements to much acclaim. Their use went out of style for about a century, but then came back strong in the late 20th century with Craftsman style homes. These elements often appear in the eves of Craftsman houses. You’ll still find them being used today in new construction, as well, though not as often as in the past. Today, people want features that are more functional than decorative.
However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t still a place for corbels and brackets in the world of modern architecture. The crash of the housing market has actually had a hand in bringing them back into style. With fewer people buying houses, and even fewer building new ones, architects and designers have had to get competitive with each other by increasing the curb appeal–the outward appearance–of their houses. Using decorative elements on the facade of the house is one way of accomplishing this. Continue reading “Corbels and Brackets – Where to Find Them and How to Use Them”
Few reference books assist in the restoration of campground cottages, but this new photo archive shows existing architectural details in the historic district of Oak Bluffs and Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.
These ornate Victorian cottages are commonly known as the Painted Ladies.
More than six hundred color images display the wide variety of corbels and gingerbread found on these small “tent like” cottages.
Study the intricate patterns carpenters used to create the “gingerbread (more…)
Corbels have been cropping up in designer magazines for the last couple years as a popular decorating tool. But if you asked a most home owners what decorative corbels are, chances are they wouldn’t have a clue.
A corbel is a bracket supporting or giving the appearance of supporting a heavy load above. In effect a corbel can either be decorative or structural.
As architectural styles have developed through time, the level of decoration on a corbel has changed accordingly. In medieval times corbels often appeared in the shape of humans or mythical beasts. Gargoyles seen at Notre Dame are examples of decorative corbels rather than having a structural purpose. Some were cast as biblical figures to illustrate tales to the congregation that was unable to read. Continue reading “Decorative Corbels, A Simple Guide”
The term “corbel” was first used in its architectural application in the 15th century. Nevertheless, the actual supports date back further than that. Some sources claim the beginning of corbels to be somewhere in the Neolithic, or New Stone Age, era. They were also in use in B.C. era China.
The French in particular made exacting demands on what could and couldn’t be called a “corbel”. They said that it had to be perpendicular to both the wall and the surface that it was supporting. They went further than this even, claiming that a support was not allowed to be classed with corbels if its horizontal surface was not longer than its vertical edge running up the wall. The term itself derives from the Old French language via the Latin word corbellus, which means “appearing like the beak of a crow”. Continue reading “History of Corbels – Where the Gargoyles Lurked”
Though it is an old and somewhat unknown word, corbels are still very much relevant today. In this article we’ll answer the questions of what they are, as well as what they are used for today, and what they have been used for through history. Their use dates far, far back in the history of architecture, but currently they are much more popular for indoor use than they ever were back in the old times.
Corbels are bracket-like supports which come out of one wall and hold up something else which is jutting out horizontally. They are like a fancy, carved triangle of support between the vertical and horizontal. Corbels are common to see on old buildings (even ancient) where they are form a stone or wood support between the exterior of a wall and the roof itself. You will find them everywhere, but especially throughout Europe (France, Germany, etc.) and even in old Chinese architecture. They always add a very classic look to no matter how they are used. Continue reading “What Are Corbels?”
