The American bungalow is typically a snug residence with one story or one and a half stories. A bungalows has a wide overhanging roof and a deep porch.

The word bungalow originated in the 18th century in the Indian province of Bengal when small, one-story bangla houses were built to house British colonial authorities.

In the United States the Craftsman bungalow style was refined by the arts and crafts movement with intricate woodwork and handcrafted details. Bungalows were built in many style - Mission, Tudor, Prairie Pueblo, Chicago and Cape Cod - among others - but the Craftsman bungalow was the the most popular.

Furniture designer Gustav Stickley published The Craftsman magazine from 1901 through 1916. Stickley sold Craftsman bungalow kits through his magazine for about one thousand dollars, a bargain price even then. Soon, kits were available from the Sears, Roebuck and Co. catalog.

Distinctive features of a bungalow are:

• One and a half stories with a horizontal emphasis
• Most of the living spaces on the ground floor
• Low-pitched, gabled roof facing the street
• Wood, stone, or stucco siding
• Porch with tapered posts
• Wide window openings with grouped windows
• Dominant fireplace and exterior chimney
• Living room at the center
• Connecting rooms without hallways
• Built-in furniture and lighting
• Beamed ceilings
• Dark wood wainscoting and moldings

If you have a mental image of a leafy neighborhood in an American town or if you have a mental image of a welcoming American home, you are probably seeing a bungalow in your mind's eye.