Eyebrow dormers have a low profile and raise a wave in the plane of a roof’s shingles. Originally designed for medieval thatched roof cottages, the eyebrow dormer was created to welcome light and add ventilation. However, eyebrow dormers were made popular in the United States when shingle-style architecture emerged in the mid to late 1800s. Mainly found in New England, eyebrow dormers were used as an enchanting visual device to break up the long expansive roofline of seaside hingle-style homes.

Today, eyebrow dormers are found on houses of all shapes and sizes. And while they’re expensive to install and complicated to create, if a talented craftsman is up for the challenge, they’ll drastically enhance your home’s appearance.