Reader Question: Modern Curb Appeal Makeover

Hello there! Dawn here, from DesigningDawn.com. I’ve had fun offering up my suggestions for reader submitted questions (in the form of a Photoshop mockups) the past few months, and I’m back at it this month— this time with another curb appeal question. (FYI, you can see all my moodboards and mockups by clicking here!) If you follow Remodelaholic on Facebook, you’ve probably seen several of the reader questions that are submitted every month. As I’ve mentioned in the past, I love the helpful community vibe of these posts, so here’s my two cents on one reader submitted question and a mock up of what I would do if I were in your shoes! (Pssssst— you can submit your reader questions by messaging Remodelaholic on Facebook!)

First though, my disclaimer: While I can recommend ideas that I think look nice, I have never seen this house in real life and don’t have accurate measurements. I am also not an architect or landscaper and do not know the planting recommendations for your area- I just like to make things look nice. I can’t guarantee that any of the items I put in my ‘virtual’ design will actually work in real life (or that they’ll fit your design style for that matter), and this is not intended to be a professional design consultation. So think of this as a just-for-fun rendering that hopefully gets your wheels turning and provides some inspiration!

READER QUESTION from Joni —
Would love some help, I am at a loss on what to do to make my front entry more appealing. I have looked at new siding but its going to cost way over my budget at the moment. I thought about painting but again not sure what color. Any input would be greatly appreciative!

This house really jumped out at me because it’s a style you don’t see all the time on Pinterest, and while it currently has a bit of a dated look, I think a few changes could make it really modern and very cool. Updating the landscaping alone would be a huge step, but I envision some additional alterations to give the whole house a very modern vibe, similar to these inspiration images I dug up:

So now that we have our inspiration, are you ready to see what I came up with for Joni’s curb appeal makeover?

Dramatic change! Here’s what I did: Probably the biggest change was replacing the dated stone on the exterior with ultra-modern horizontal cedar planks. It instantly changed the whole vibe of the house. I followed that with a bright white coat of paint to brighten everything up and make it feel clean and fresh. I also trimmed out the windows in black to add contrast and give the house a very contemporary look. After that, it was mostly just a matter of landscaping.

Removing the overly sculpted and large hedges and replacing them with very uniform plantings gives a structured modern look. I trimmed all the landscaping in simple black mulch for contrast. Adding in some height between the windows with decorative grasses (rather than the more low, horizontal hedges) emphasizes their size and shape, making them look more striking— intentional and modern. It also brings some color up onto the house. The tall grasses shown here are a feather reed grass, but not knowing your location or being a plant expert, I can only recommend a general look to aim for, so take it with a grain of salt.

Finally, I replaced the light fixtures with more simple, modern options, and brightened the front porch with an inviting turquoise door to contrast the cedar and make the entrance a focal point.

Here are some sources if you’re going for a similar look:

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Porch Light
Light Pole
Front Door
Black Mulch

 

 

 

So what do you think? What would YOU do with Joni’s home to up the curb appeal?

As always, thank you to Cassity and the Remodelaholic team for having me back each month. If you like this post, and have a design dilemma you’d like me to mock up some ideas for, let me know! (Ask your questions by sending Remodelaholic a message over on Facebook.) Also I’d love for you to visit me on my blog, DesigningDawn.com, or follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram. Have a great day, friends!

-Dawn

See more from Dawn:

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More curb appeal ideas: