The Queen Anne Cottage grew out of the Queen Anne style. It probably was not designed by an architect, but was a builder form. The Queen Anne Cottage has a large front porch. The porch roof usually has wooden columns that may be turned, chamfered or rounded. Post brackets, sawn wood or louvered attic vents, and spindle work balustrades are often found.
Windows are double hung sash, with either two over two or one over one panes.
There may be transoms and sidelights, with leaded or stained glass. Wall coverings are usually weatherboard. There may be patterned wood shingles in gables, with wood louvered or sawn wood attic vents and sawn wood bargeboards. A Cottage window, an early form of the picture window, is often found in Queen Anne Cottages. It consists of a large fixed pane with fixed or movable transoms and narrow side windows.