Exterior design can be as much fun as dolling up the interior of your home. It’s a creative and artistic process that allows you to give your home flare and set it apart from the rest of the identical homes on the block. After all, who doesn’t like coming home to a beautiful house?
If you’re looking to renovate and give an upgrade to your curb appeal, this article will give you great ideas on the best ways to highlight your home’s exterior.
Change Your Colors
One of the cheapest ways to increase your house’s street appeal is to renew the exterior paint color. It’s an exciting way to highlight some elements and make them stand out or mute the parts you don’t want to draw attention to.
Depending on the type of home you have, you can choose a palette that brings the eye of the viewer to certain structural components. It could be a saturated red front door against plain white paint or other loud blushes on carvings or window detailings.
Draw away attention from bad pipe jobs, downspouts, or gutters by painting them in similar color as the walls.
For a better finish, work with three different tones or shades or with three complementary colors. This will artfully make the right distinctions where necessary and prevent your home from looking too blocky or uniform.
Paint sets the mood of your home. Use it to your advantage. If unsure how to mix-and-match your own colors, use this online tool as a guide.
Use Creative Lighting
Creative use of lighting can completely change the way your home looks at night. More than just aesthetics, it’s also a way to keep out the bad guys. Not to mention a real plus when inviting people to come over for house parties.
If there are exterior structural highlights you want to emphasize, like fantastic brickwork, columns, or just an awesome paint job, you can use wash lights.
Flood lights are great for large common spaces that may need illumination for safety reasons, like the parking lot or the garage.
If you have a beautiful yard, a large swathe of green space, or a veranda, landscape lighting offers wonderful options.
Get creative with exterior lighting as much as you do with interior lights. Showcase the assets of your home, but don’t go overboard.
Work with Your Style
There are different kinds of home designs: modern, Victorian, craftsman, midcentury, nautical, industrial, etc. The best way to make the most out of your exterior-design efforts is to work with what’s already there instead of trying to emulate another style.
Try to highlight all the right things and pinpoint areas that need downplaying; this will help you stay true to the home’s architecture. This will also result in a more harmonious finish that will make your home look flawlessly natural and inviting.
Think about this when you go shopping for wall sconces, choosing outdoor architecture, or buying new upgrade parts for your home.
Don’t Forget Everything Else
Your home’s exterior encompasses not just the outside architecture but also the areas that surround it. This includes the driveway, the landscape and yard, the walkway, and the garage. These areas play a great part in the overall curb appeal of your home, so see to it that these details are attended to as well.
For instance, if you’re looking to upgrade the garage, changing the garage door is one of the simplest yet most effective ways to renew its style. Changing fence details can also make dramatic changes to the vibe of your home’s exterior. Adding garden decor, perhaps a patio or an outdoor seating, can also turn a simple yard into an exciting outdoor space for entertainment.
The Bottom Line
Designing your home’s exterior is a great project to explore. Aside from giving you a renewed appreciation for your abode, it also refreshes your excitement to spend more time outdoors with the people you love. And who knows? If you ever decide to sell down the road, having an amazing curb appeal will give you a fantastic selling price and help you recoup your initial investment.