A spectacular exterior will stand out and reflect the general style of the house. Beautiful house exterior design can be complemented with attractive architectural features. Unique details can include beautiful landscaping ideas, gorgeous exterior color combinations, outdoor lighting, charming fences, and a spacious porch. These all enhance the beauty of your home’s exterior design and improve its curb appeal. Whether your home is traditional, modern, or contemporary, exterior design plays a critical role. It allows homeowners to make a great first impression but also add value to their homes.

This Transitional Craftsman was originally built in 1904, and recently remodeled to replace unpermitted additions that were not to code. The playful blue exterior with white trim evokes the charm and character of this home.

aerial perspective at hillside site
Design ideas for a mid-sized midcentury split-level multi-coloured house exterior in Orange County with wood siding, a flat roof, a mixed roof and a white roof.

Design ideas for a mid-sized transitional two-storey brick white house exterior in Other with a mixed roof.

Modern Farmhouse. White & black. White board and batten siding combined with painted white brick. Wood posts and porch soffit for natural colors.
Design ideas for a mid-sized country two-storey brick white house exterior in Salt Lake City with a gable roof and a mixed roof.

Split level remodel. The exterior was painted to give this home new life. The main body of the home and the garage doors are Sherwin Williams Amazing Gray. The bump out of the exterior is Sherwin Williams Anonymous. The brick and front door are painted Sherwin Williams Urban Bronze. A modern wood slate fence was added. With black modern house numbers. Wood shutters that mimic the fence were added to the windows. New landscaping finished off this exterior renovation.

Andre Fotografi
Photo of a mid-sized scandinavian one-storey brown house exterior in Other with wood siding, a gable roof and a mixed roof.

This is an example of a country two-storey white house exterior in Chicago with wood siding, a gable roof, a mixed roof and a black roof.

Photo of an expansive transitional two-storey brick white house exterior in Charlotte with a clipped gable roof and a mixed roof.

Stunning waterfront estate located in Queenstown, Maryland. Photos by Aimee Mason Studio - aimeemason.com Materials by: Shore Lumber and The Stone Store

Lake house entry. Stone facade, craftsman door. Metal roof. Trent Bell Photography. Richardson & Associates Landscape Architect
This is an example of a large arts and crafts two-storey house exterior in Portland Maine with mixed siding and a mixed roof.

Photo of a large contemporary two-storey grey house exterior in Vancouver with stone veneer, a gable roof and a mixed roof.

This is an example of a mid-sized contemporary two-storey green house exterior in Vancouver with wood siding and a mixed roof.

Front elevation of the design. Materials include: random rubble stonework with cornerstones, traditional lap siding at the central massing, standing seam metal roof with wood shingles (Wallaba wood provides a 'class A' fire rating).

A thoughtful, well designed 5 bed, 6 bath custom ranch home with open living, a main level master bedroom and extensive outdoor living space. This home’s main level finish includes +/-2700 sf, a farmhouse design with modern architecture, 15’ ceilings through the great room and foyer, wood beams, a sliding glass wall to outdoor living, hearth dining off the kitchen, a second main level bedroom with on-suite bath, a main level study and a three car garage. A nice plan that can customize to your lifestyle needs. Build this home on your property or ours.

This quintessential Sonoma farmhouse is in a vineyard on a storied 4.5-acre property, with a stone barn that dates back to 1896. The site is less than a mile from the historic central plaza and remains a small working farm with orchards and an olive grove. The new residence is a modern reinterpretation of the farmhouse vernacular, open to its surroundings from all sides. Care was taken to site the house to capture both morning and afternoon light throughout the year and minimize disturbance to the established vineyard. In each room of this single-story home, French doors replace windows, which create breezeways through the house. An extensive wrap-around porch anchors the house to the land and frames views in all directions. Organic material choices further reinforce the connection between the home and its surroundings. A mix of wood clapboard and shingle, seamed metal roofing, and stone wall accents ensure the new structure harmonizes with the late 18th-century structures. Collaborators: General Contractor: Landers Curry Inc. Landscape Design: The Land Collaborative

Large country three-storey red house exterior in Minneapolis with mixed siding, a gable roof and a mixed roof.

Location: Barbierstraße 2, München, Deutschland Design by Riedel-Immobilien
Photo of a mid-sized modern two-storey stucco beige apartment exterior in Munich with a clipped gable roof and a mixed roof.

As written in Northern Home & Cottage by Elizabeth Edwards Sara and Paul Matthews call their head-turning home, located in a sweet neighborhood just up the hill from downtown Petoskey, “a very human story.” Indeed it is. Sara and her husband, Paul, have a special-needs son as well as an energetic middle-school daughter. This home has an answer for everyone. Located down the street from the school, it is ideally situated for their daughter and a self-contained apartment off the great room accommodates all their son’s needs while giving his caretakers privacy—and the family theirs. The Matthews began the building process by taking their thoughts and needs to Stephanie Baldwin and her team at Edgewater Design Group. Beyond the above considerations, they wanted their new home to be low maintenance and to stand out architecturally, “But not so much that anyone would complain that it didn’t work in our neighborhood,” says Sara. “We were thrilled that Edgewater listened to us and were able to give us a unique-looking house that is meeting all our needs.” Lombardy LLC built this handsome home with Paul working alongside the construction crew throughout the project. The low maintenance exterior is a cutting-edge blend of stacked stone, black corrugated steel, black framed windows and Douglas fir soffits—elements that add up to an organic contemporary look. The use of black steel, including interior beams and the staircase system, lend an industrial vibe that is courtesy of the Matthews’ friend Dan Mello of Trimet Industries in Traverse City. The couple first met Dan, a metal fabricator, a number of years ago, right around the time they found out that their then two-year-old son would never be able to walk. After the couple explained to Dan that they couldn’t find a solution for a child who wasn’t big enough for a wheelchair, he designed a comfortable, rolling chair that was just perfect. They still use it. The couple’s gratitude for the chair resulted in a trusting relationship with Dan, so it was natural for them to welcome his talents into their home-building process. A maple floor finished to bring out all of its color-tones envelops the room in warmth. Alder doors and trim and a Doug fir ceiling reflect that warmth. Clearstory windows and floor-to-ceiling window banks fill the space with light—and with views of the spacious grounds that will become a canvas for Paul, a retired landscaper. The couple’s vibrant art pieces play off against modernist furniture and lighting that is due to an inspired collaboration between Sara and interior designer Kelly Paulsen. “She was absolutely instrumental to the project,” Sara says. “I went through two designers before I finally found Kelly.” The open clean-lined kitchen, butler’s pantry outfitted with a beverage center and Miele coffee machine (that allows guests to wait on themselves when Sara is cooking), and an outdoor room that centers around a wood-burning fireplace, all make for easy, fabulous entertaining. A den just off the great room houses the big-screen television and Sara’s loom— making for relaxing evenings of weaving, game watching and togetherness. Tourgoers will leave understanding that this house is everything great design should be. Form following function—and solving very human issues with soul-soothing style.