Your home is your pride and joy. Naturally, you want it to make an impact from every angle. In the real estate business, that first impression is called curb appeal. The concept of curb appeal relies on three major factors:
- Attractiveness
- Cleanliness
- Individuality
When it comes to curb appeal, front doors and landscaping are essential elements. As the gateway from the outside world into your home, your home’s entrance should reflect your personality and give visitors a taste of what to expect inside.
To help inspire your curb appeal redesign, we’ll be exploring some of the best ideas for taking your home from fine to fabulous.
Colorful door and front lawn.
#1 Go Bold With Color
Colorful front doors have become a design trend in recent years, and understandably so. They take the simplicity of a traditional front door and turn it on its head. Typically made of fiberglass or wood, colorful doors are all about contrast. Nothing grabs a passerby’s attention more than a bright, unconventional entryway. The best part about an accent door is that you may not even need to replace your front door—a few coats of paint can do the trick. Just be sure to check for any signs that you would need to replace rotted wood around windows and doors. Even adding color to your windows can help your home stand out in the right ways.
For color in your front lawn, flowers are always the best way to go. Adding bright and bold flowers and plants will help your front yard stand out and look inviting. Even a home in varying seasons, you can find the right type of plant to go with your welcoming look to your curb appeal.
Different textures to add curb appeal.
#2 Incorporate Texture
A front door with texture is infinitely more engaging than a flat slab of white fiberglass. There are several ways to add three-dimensional flair to your front door, with options like: Carved wood, Vertical wood paneling, Brushed metal, Exposed wood grain, Bronze and Glass. Natural wood doors feel classic, while metals provide a modern allure. Even adding texture to your hardware can help elevate your front door.
To add texture to your front yard, add varying plants. Landscape your house with different plants and add stone or brick to outline the flower bed. Picking out mulch or pebbles can add extra texture to your front yard as well. Mixing different heights of plants will add texture and a major wow to your curb appeal.
Cute American house exterior with covered porch and flower pots, grass filled front yard.
#4 Front Porch Oasis
Also called a stable door or double-hung door, these two-part doors add a unique twist to your entryway. Split horizontally in the middle, you can open the top section for extra light and fresh air while keeping unwanted guests—mice, stray cats, the neighbor’s dog—out of the house. With two separate halves, you also have the opportunity for two distinct appearances. The top half could have one large window or a mosaic of smaller ones, while the bottom could be vertical or horizontal wood paneling. You could even try two contrasting or complementary colors for a charming, quirky feel. While Dutch doors may not be as immediately noticeable as some of these other entrance door design ideas, they’re still intriguing from the street. And once you open up the top half to a newcomer for the first time, they’ll be delighted with the aesthetic and the functionality to your curb appeal.
Having a Dutch door, you could also decorate your front porch to match the outdoor feel to your entryway. Having raised potted plants and simple furniture on your porch will help make your home look fresh and inviting.
Curved door and landscaping to shape up your curb appeal.
#5 Adding Shape
Switch up more than just the door color or texture with an all-new shape. With a rounded top, these unique statement doors contrast nicely with the sharp angles of your home’s exterior. You can easily combine the unconventional shape with some of the other tips in this guide. For example, a curved, dark red door would be delightfully enchanting. Though you may need to put in some extra work to fit your home with an arched doorway, the effort will pay dividends. Depending on the material and surroundings, arches in entryways feel traditional yet modern, and humble yet lavish. To carry that feeling into your front yard, add shape to your lawn.
Instead of straight lines in your flower bed, try curving your edging either to your sidewalk or away from the sidewalk. Think ebb and flow on landscape design. Nice rounded bushes and tall flowers will give the curved yet enticing flow to your curb appeal. The Inspection Support Network also talks about adding landscaping to add to your curb appeal. They also run through some great tips on illuminating your yard to help elevate your estate.
Double doors to double the impact of your curb appeal.
#6 Opt For Double The Impact
A home is like a castle, and you are the monarch. And nothing says “your majesty” more than a set of double doors. By doubling the width of the entryway, you create an illusion of spaciousness that onlookers assume continues indoors. Dark wood, all white, and grey-black metallic finishes are popular choices for double doors. To combine the welcoming expansiveness of double doors with the modern luxury of glass doors, consider a variation like French doors. Though these statement fixtures are traditionally seen as a back patio door, you can always make a statement of your own by installing them at the front of your home. Or, if you have a sunroom before your main door, you can add French doors there for a grand curb appeal. Taking a look at different types of windows to help increase that big impact can help improve your curb appeal. Pick the right windows to keep the grand feel from your front doors to carry into your whole exterior.
Keeping up with the grand allure of your entryway, big porches can help. If you have a smaller porch or walkway but have big double doors, focus on tall and slim bushes and potted plants. Your front lawn should have the same tall and slim plants or low and wide flowers.
House with light and airy curb appeal
#7 Light and Airy Always Works.
If you like the striking width of double doors but prefer a single point of entry, sidelights are the perfect compromise. Sidelights are narrow vertical panes of glass inset on either side of the door. They let extra light into your foyer and give the impression of grandeur without the added maintenance that comes from a second door.
Sidelights come in two varieties:
- Full sidelights – These are floor-to-ceiling panes of vertical glass.
- Craftsman sidelights – These are smaller panes that occupy the top third of the wall.
In general, most homeowners pair craftsman sidelights with a wood door and full sidelights with glass or fiberglass doors—but rules are meant to be broken sometimes! Even going to big and wide windows can add the light and airy look to your whole exterior. Look for craft man style windows or large panned ones with lighter coloring to keep the bright look to your curb appeal.
Sidelights help give the illusion that your walk-up is bigger than it is if you have a smaller-sized entry point. Do not cover these on your porch, ass this will add more light to come in both ways. If you have a bigger porch, adding a short potted plant or flowers in front of the sidelights helps keep the look cozy. For your front yard, clean lines and green help carry the clean and airy carry onto the lawn. Having a light and airy curb appeal will make anyone want to be invited into your home.
Maximize Your Curb Appeal With Glass Guru
Whether you’re selling your home, trying to raise the property value, or putting your best foot forward in a new neighborhood, curb appeal is everything. Your front door and windows are two of the simplest places to start making your statement.
At The Glass Guru, we know that your home is something to be proud of. Choose from our range of front doors and windows, and watch your home’s curb appeal skyrocket.
Get in touch with your neighborhood professionals today to find out more.
