Georgian architecture is characterized by its proportion and balance. For example, simple mathematical ratios were used to determine the height of a window in relation to its width or the shape of a room. "Regular" was a term of approval, implying symmetry and adherence to classical rules. Regularity of house fronts along a street was a desirable feature of Georgian town planning. Georgian designs usually lay within the Classical orders of architecture and employed a decorative vocabulary derived from ancient Rome or Greece. The most common building materials used are brick or stone. Commonly used exterior wall colors were brick red, tan, or white. Georgian style was usually defined by the wall color that contrasted with white used for window trimming and cornices. The entrances were often emphasized by a portico, a fanlight, a dark colored door and possibly a decorative crown. A Palladian window on the second floor above the entry was also used for contrasting emphasis. Another trait of the style is paired chimneys connected by a roof-top balustrade.
Establishment of Georgian architecture was to a large degree aided by the fact it was primarily spread via the new medium of inexpensive suites of engravings. From the mid-18th century, Georgian styles were assimilated into an architectural vernacular that became part and parcel of the training of every architect, designer, builder, carpenter, mason and plasterer.
Georgian style is associated with both Colonial and Antebellum eras.
