Home Front: Simple Ways to Personalise Your Front Exterior
Here's how to transform your front yard into a welcoming, well-groomed prelude to your house
It’s easy to transform the front yard into a welcoming, well-groomed prelude to your house. Adding potted plants provides bursts of colour, while outdoor furniture is inviting and neighbourly. While these elements give your front yard a touch of vibrancy, they need to work seamlessly with the colour palette of the house. Once everything comes together, it will be well finished, exuding personality plus.
Use skipping stones for impact. When renovating a house, the pathways are often the last thing considered. However, it’s worth taking time to get it right, as the front path is one of the first things guests see and experience. Here, geometric slate blocks surrounded by white decorative stones give a nod to Japanese aesthetics. Tropical plants bring a softer element to the architectural design, and pebbles work very effectively as loose ground cover and can also be used in pots.
More: How to Bring Your Subtropical Garden to Life
More: How to Bring Your Subtropical Garden to Life
Create a little privacy. Well thought-out landscaping adds value to your property, but while plants are growing, extra privacy may be required. A stylish white timber screen not only creates privacy but will prevent excess sunlight entering the room. It means that the front room can work effectively as a home office or nursery. As plants reach full height, the screen may be removed.
Try graphic elements. More a delicate sculpture than a gate, this steel work has a fluid repetitive design that works as a counterpoint to the solid concrete blocks. The design of the gate draws inspiration from the native trees and birdlife of the surrounding area. It also acts as stylish screening.
Dish out vibrant colours. Colour is a powerful tool that can completely transform your space. Here, the fuchsia door leaps out, keeping the citron wall and grey trim in the background.
A full colour scheme needs to be devised to create continuity. Colour swatches at the paint shop look very different to when the colour is actually painted on the exterior of a home, so collect those sample pots and paint a few large areas of the front wall.
A full colour scheme needs to be devised to create continuity. Colour swatches at the paint shop look very different to when the colour is actually painted on the exterior of a home, so collect those sample pots and paint a few large areas of the front wall.
Have fun with an (Un)typical letterbox. Be adventurous when it comes to letterboxes – it’s the first element of your house seen from the street, so why not give it some personality? At the same time, it’s important to keep it in line with the design of the house – this contemporary style in timber and stainless steel works perfectly with a newly designed home.
Soften the edges. A contemporary country property embraces sharp lines and solid materials, but it’s the soft landscaping that adds warmth and colour to the exterior. Although the native plants require minimal watering, a drip-irrigation system was added to battle summer heatwaves. Earthy-toned pots on one side of the gravel driveway add a touch of elegance to this open space.
Illuminate stairs. Minimalism comes into play in this simply deceptive entrance where timber cladding and flooring are seamlessly executed. Each timber board has a slightly different hue, giving the exterior depth and texture. Lighting is a finishing touch – wall lights are directed downward to minimise glare but illuminate each step clearly.
Indulge with red. Neutral colours add sophistication to any home but a vibrant red door makes a strong statement. Hundreds of shades are available, from rich crimson to dark burgundy, so try a few swatches first to see how it looks at different times of the day. Here, a white trim adds extra impact to the modern exterior.
Here is how you can revamp your front door
Here is how you can revamp your front door
Ooze country living. Whether this front zone is in the bush or the inner-city, its decorative touches provide an inviting, country-inspired ambience. Hanging baskets and freestanding pots provide real vibrancy, while the decorative wall hanging utilises similar tones. A quick paint job gave an old folding chair a real wow factor, and the final element of the space is a striped mat that gives the area a warm and welcoming feel.
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In order to achieve the perfect colour combination, buy sample pots and paint a large sheet of cardboard. Then leave it in position to see how the colour reacts to different times of day.