When you increase the curb appeal of your home, you not only create a space in which you love to spend time, but also give yourself the opportunity to express your personal style.
It doesn’t have to cost of a fortune; even small adjustments can have a huge impact on the way you experience your living space. Below are nine things to consider when improving curb appeal and ultimately creating a home that is entirely customized for you!
Driveway Gates
One of the most dramatic changes you can make to the exterior appearance of your home is adding a driveway gate with a matching fence. This idea is at the top for a reason! Gates give homes a polished and refined look, greatly increase resale value and add security.
Considerations for Finding the Perfect Gate
- Pick a gate that is properly scaled for the size of your home and yard.
- Consider materials and color; black is classic, but white suits certain styles, such as French Country. Get to know your personal style, or if you’re not quite there, spend time getting inspired!
- Choose a gate that you absolutely love, and will enjoy seeing when you return home each day.
- Choose a gate with a similar architectural style as your home; is your home modern and angular, or is it filled with organic curves?
>Check it out: ALEKO Automatic Gates
Color and Texture
Texture and color are incredibly important to the way we experience our homes. Humans perceive the world through the senses, so setting up a space with the senses in mind creates a pleasing and immersive atmosphere that ultimately makes us happy!
Add excitement to your home by painting your front door, experimenting with plants of different colors and dimensions, adding shutters and so much more. Small changes can also add a lot; items such as a fuzzy blanket draped over your patio chair, ambient lighting and art can make your home more beautiful and inviting.
>Check it out: ALEKO Patio Furniture
Updated and Polished Hardware
While most of us overlook this aspect of our home’s appearance, you’ll be surprised by the difference that the simple act of cleaning or replacing hardware can accomplish. Even replacing your standard doorknob with a new style can have a dramatic impact on the way you feel when you enter your home.
>Check it out: ALEKO Door Handles
Outdoor Lighting
Outdoor lighting emphasizes your favorite plants and trees, lights up pathways, and gives your home a clean and finished look. This simple addition is an inexpensive way to add visual contrast and to enjoy your outdoor spaces more in the evenings.
Why Solar Lights are a Good Buy
- Available in a range of sizes, colors, and mounting options.
- Can run on solar energy; no electricity or batteries are necessary.
- Can be mounted along pathways, on house siding, porch railing, trees, etc.
- Light styles can be mixed to add dimension and visual drama.
- Lights make pathways safer for walking and less accessible to intruders.
>Check it out: 20+ Landscape Lighting Design Ideas
Outdoor Furniture
Who doesn’t love to be comfortable? Add furniture to your front porch to give your home an entrance that feels inviting, calm, and homey. Plus, adding furniture not only encourages us to spend time outside, but helps us enjoy all of our home’s square footage.
Let your personal style shine when choosing outdoor furniture! If you love a crisp, modern look, go for more angular and minimal styles; if you prefer a more vintage look, go for furniture with curves and quirky colors.
>Check it out: 18 Stunning Porch Design Ideas
Matching Curtains
Add beautiful, uniform curtains to your front windows to add texture, color, and consistency to the exterior of your home. Even better, if your curtains are thermal insulated, you will conserve energy that would otherwise be lost through the windows; keep heat inside in the winter, and keep cooler air in during the summer. Low cost, functional, and stylish!
>Check it out: ALEKO Thermal Insulated Curtains
Pathways
Pathways are one of the focal points of a home, as they usually lead to the front door. Cheer up your pathways with plants to add life and color, add solar lights to make evening walks feel magical, and clean your pathways regularly to keep them visually striking.
Get creative with the material of your pathway–use interesting paving stones, textured materials, and even experiment with the shape of your path!
>Check it out: ALEKO Outdoor Solar Lighting
Symmetry and Visual Balance
Humans are hardwired to find visual balance more pleasing, so consider symmetry, as well as carefully placed asymmetry, when designing your home.
Pay attention to the stylistic weight that each item adds, and arrange accordingly. If one end of your porch holds all the visual weight, for example large items or a lot of color, while the other side remains mostly empty, you will notice this (even unconsciously) and feel visually unsatisfied; a simple balancing act will be refreshing on the eyes and tie your entire space together.
Embrace Personal Style
First and foremost, your home is your own and should reflect who you are, and what you enjoy. Never follow style tips that are not absolutely important to you. While anyone can decorate their home to look like a Pinterest dream, not everyone can have a home that is completely and utterly “you.”
Personal style counts for a lot with curb appeal! If your house looks different from all the other houses, yet is both visually balanced and beautiful, then you’ve achieved your goal.
