Potential design flaws that professionals caution could give the exterior of your dwelling an inexpensive appearance
In the quest for a beautiful and inviting home exterior, it's essential to steer clear of certain design pitfalls that can make a house look cheap and unappealing. Here are some common mistakes and their alternatives to help you create a stunning street-facing home.
1. **Mismatched Hardware** - **Mistake**: Using door handles and knobs made from different metals can create a disjointed look. - **Alternative**: Choose hardware (e.g., door handles, light fixtures) that matches in material or style to create a cohesive appearance.
2. **Inharmonious Landscape Design** - **Mistake**: Pairing modern landscape designs with traditional architectural styles can lead to visual conflict. - **Alternative**: Match your landscape design to your home's architectural style. For example: - **Modern homes**: Use clean, geometric plantings. - **Traditional homes**: Incorporate formal garden structures.
3. **Poor Plant Selection** - **Mistake**: Choosing plants that will overcrowd or require excessive maintenance. - **Alternative**: Select low-maintenance plants such as succulents or drought-resistant species that complement your home's style and climate.
4. **Inadequate Outdoor Lighting** - **Mistake**: Insufficient or mismatched lighting can make the exterior look uninviting. - **Alternative**: Use cohesive outdoor lighting, such as solar-powered lights or string lights, to create a welcoming ambiance.
5. **Unattractive Plant Pots** - **Mistake**: Using plain or mismatched plant pots. - **Alternative**: Choose plant pots that are visually appealing and match your home's style. Consider using pots made from natural materials like terracotta or wood.
6. **Incorrect Woodwork Paint** - **Mistake**: Using a paint color that doesn't complement the house. - **Alternative**: Select a woodwork paint that matches or complements the house's exterior colour scheme. Neutral colours like white or gray can enhance the overall look.
7. **Unappealing Front Door Color** - **Mistake**: Choosing a front door color that clashes with the house's exterior. - **Alternative**: Select a front door color that complements the house's exterior colours. Bright colours can add visual interest, while neutral colours provide a timeless look.
8. **Neglecting Front Door Accessories** - **Mistake**: Not including decorative elements like welcome mats or door knockers. - **Alternative**: Add front door accessories such as a stylish door knocker, a welcome mat, or a wreath to enhance the entryway's appeal.
By avoiding these mistakes and incorporating thoughtful design choices, you can improve the curb appeal of your home. It's important to choose front door colours wisely, avoiding pure, brilliant white and dark grays. Investing in a good quality paint and priming wood effectively can help prevent peeling paint.
Creating a pretty entrance way by investing in a couple of large terracotta pots can make the outside of a home look more sophisticated and timeless. Filling a large pot with salvia can provide all-summer colour, while filling it with thalictrum and cosmos can provide a joyous welcome.
Remember, modern technology can be used to replace old and cheap-looking front door accessories. Using a polyresin pot that looks like the real thing is a less expensive alternative to heavy pots. Artificial plants inevitably look tatty and cheap as they become bleached and slightly melted by the sun.
Poor lighting can make the outside of a home feel confrontational, even hostile, and not make for a warm welcome. Intense, jarring white light emanating from a round plastic light fixture is good for illuminating the front of a home, but it is not aesthetically pleasing.
The front door is a focal point of a street-facing home and choosing an unattractive colour can drag down the appearance of the entire facade. Plastic plants have no benefit to the environment, as no animals and insects will enjoy these fake variations of their favourite foods.
In conclusion, with careful consideration and the right design choices, you can transform the exterior of your home into a beautiful and inviting space that will impress neighbours and guests alike.
- When selecting hardware for your home exterior, avoid using door handles and knobs made from different metals to prevent a disjointed look. Instead, opt for hardware that matches in material or style to create a cohesive appearance.
- Match your landscape design to your home's architectural style to avoid visual conflict. For example, use clean, geometric plantings for modern homes, or incorporate formal garden structures for traditional homes.
- Select low-maintenance plants, such as succulents or drought-resistant species, to maintain a well-kept exterior. These plants complement your home's style and climate, preventing overcrowding and excessive maintenance.
- Use cohesive outdoor lighting, such as solar-powered lights or string lights, to create a welcoming ambiance. Insufficient or mismatched lighting can make the exterior look uninviting.
- Choose visually appealing and matching plant pots to enhance the overall look of your home's exterior. Consider using pots made from natural materials like terracotta or wood.
- Select a woodwork paint that matches or complements the house's exterior colour scheme. Neutral colours like white or gray can enhance the overall look while preventing clashing colours.
- Choose a front door color that complements the house's exterior colours. Select a color that adds visual interest or provides a timeless look, depending on your preference.
- Add front door accessories such as a stylish door knocker, a welcome mat, or a wreath to enhance the entryway's appeal and create a more inviting atmosphere.
- Investing in quality paint and priming wood effectively can help prevent peeling paint, improving the curb appeal of your home.
- By transforming the exterior of your home with thoughtful design choices, you can create a beautiful and inviting space that will impress neighbours and guests alike, while also considering aspects such as lighting, plant selection, and front door accessories.
