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How to Add Curb Appeal

How to Add Curb Appeal

You know curb appeal when you see it. How many times have you driven by a house and craned your neck to get another peek because it was so darn charming? It’s like that friend who always looks effortlessly put together. All it takes is a handful of easy touches.

Tip: Elevate the practical. Obviously, you need a mailbox and address numbers on the side of your house. Employ these necessities to show your personality.

Exterior Lighting

By day, light fixtures enhance a house’s design; when turned on at dusk, they create a sense of intimacy and safety.
Decorators and set designers love to use lighting to set a mood indoors. But lighting also serves important functions outdoors.

Sconces on either side of your front door create a polished, formal look. A pendant hanging over a table on your enclosed porch can mimic a chandelier in your dining room. String lights are fun for making a backyard feel cozier. A single goose-neck sconce over your garage door, especially in an unexpected color, is always a nice touch.

Landscape Design

Landscape design can be as elaborate or as simple as you wish. But, when it comes down to it, a yard simply looks great if it is well maintained. Plants and flowers are wonderful additions. 
 
Many landscapers recommend planting in ones and threes—in other words, create fullness with a bunch of hydrangeas, for example, and add one rose bush for pop.
Perennials are a good choice for those who don’t love to garden because they come back year after year. Annuals are nice for planting in containers. When you choose plants, think about impact.

Hardscaping can also make a huge impact. A brick patio or pathway can help create a sense of order in your yard. More organic-shaped flagstone can create a casual feel.

Tip: Embrace garden sculpture. A small stone figure, a colorful bird feeder, or a vintage find, such a ladder or gate, can add interest.

Outdoor Furniture

Creating outdoor rooms is a good way to break up your lawn. With so many weatherproof goods on the market, you can live outside as comfortably and stylishly as you do inside.

Think about the different areas you’d like to create (dining, sitting, lounging, playing), and make sure they all connect. You can mix and match furniture—teak and iron, for example—but use just a few colors to tie everything together. Pillows, cushion, rugs and umbrellas offer great opportunities to add color and pattern. But don’t use so much pattern and color that it detracts from the nature you came outside to enjoy.
 
Think about the different areas you’d like to create... and make sure they all connect.
Classic furniture combinations include: Pairs of Adirondack chairs in a bold color just about anywhere; high-back rocking chairs on a front porch; metal café chairs surrounding a round table on the patio; wicker lounge furniture with neutral-colored cushions and patterned pillows; a bench along the walkway to your front door.

Tip: Elevate the practical. Obviously, you need a mailbox and address numbers on the side of your house. Employ these necessities to show your personality.