4 Outdoor Design Ideas From Spring 2020’s Most Popular Exteriors
If you’re looking to add style or function to the outside of your home, consider these examples from top recent photos
This Trending Now story features the most-saved exterior photos uploaded to Houzz in spring 2020.
The outside of your home works hard. It’s what greets you or visitors when arriving home and what defines your house from others on the street. It’s also where you look to set up lounge space that benefits from fresh air. For inspiration on boosting your home’s curb appeal and outdoor living areas, consider these four ideas from the most popular exterior photos uploaded to Houzz in spring 2020.
The outside of your home works hard. It’s what greets you or visitors when arriving home and what defines your house from others on the street. It’s also where you look to set up lounge space that benefits from fresh air. For inspiration on boosting your home’s curb appeal and outdoor living areas, consider these four ideas from the most popular exterior photos uploaded to Houzz in spring 2020.
Matching planted urns add an elegant air to this home by Kirkshire Design Group outside Detroit. The chartreuse foliage pops against the black containers and ties in with the foliage of the plants growing in other areas of the yard. The urns also reinforce the traditional style of the home and coordinate with the shutters and painted front door.
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In Virginia, this three-story modern farmhouse by ABT Custom Homes mixes Southern and casual California styles. Two potted evergreens framing the front door add year-round interest. The long window box along the front of the home allows the owners to swap plants throughout the year, adding color and seasonality to the more neutral backdrop.
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Playful grasses and hedges shaped into mounds line the entry walkway and front yard of this home in Toronto. The offset planting of the grasses mimics the offset placement of the entry pavers and complements the rectangular forms found in the home’s design. The front door features two strappy potted plants.
2. Consider a Contemporary Black Exterior
Black and charcoal exteriors featured prominently in spring 2020’s most popular exterior photos, and for good reason. A dark color can make small, nondescript houses suddenly appear larger and more architecturally interesting. And traditional homes feel younger and less stuffy with a coat of matte black or charcoal paint.
This home in Atlanta by design-build firm Core Group nods to the past with its board-and-batten siding and classic American Foursquare-style architecture. But its black painted exterior, standing seam metal roof and contemporary detailed porch feel decidedly current.
Black and charcoal exteriors featured prominently in spring 2020’s most popular exterior photos, and for good reason. A dark color can make small, nondescript houses suddenly appear larger and more architecturally interesting. And traditional homes feel younger and less stuffy with a coat of matte black or charcoal paint.
This home in Atlanta by design-build firm Core Group nods to the past with its board-and-batten siding and classic American Foursquare-style architecture. But its black painted exterior, standing seam metal roof and contemporary detailed porch feel decidedly current.
In Denver, this recent addition by Roth Sheppard Architects features a black exterior and gable roofline. The addition peaks above the original brick Tudor revival roofline, distinguishing it from the original architecture.
At this villa in Pordenone, Italy, a smooth black exterior and front door create a striking look.
3. Strive for Indoor-Outdoor Living
Homes that fully open to outdoor areas increase natural air flow and expand usable living space. This home by Rob Kennon Architects in Melbourne, Australia, is a good example of doing just that. Walls slide open to connect the kitchen and living room directly to a platform deck, creating an easy transition between indoor and outdoor living. (In regions where bugs are a concern, many manufacturers of sliding door and wall systems also have options that include screens.)
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Homes that fully open to outdoor areas increase natural air flow and expand usable living space. This home by Rob Kennon Architects in Melbourne, Australia, is a good example of doing just that. Walls slide open to connect the kitchen and living room directly to a platform deck, creating an easy transition between indoor and outdoor living. (In regions where bugs are a concern, many manufacturers of sliding door and wall systems also have options that include screens.)
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4. Plan a Porch
A porch is another opportunity to extend your living space and add architectural interest to your home’s exterior.
This custom home in Paradise Valley, Montana, by Fishcamp Custom features a mixture of hand-hewed logs, reclaimed lumber, custom stonework and reclaimed lumber doors. Boulders surround the back porch and adjacent patio, making it appear as if the home is nestled into the natural landscape. The outdoor seating areas overlook a creek that feeds into the Yellowstone River.
A porch is another opportunity to extend your living space and add architectural interest to your home’s exterior.
This custom home in Paradise Valley, Montana, by Fishcamp Custom features a mixture of hand-hewed logs, reclaimed lumber, custom stonework and reclaimed lumber doors. Boulders surround the back porch and adjacent patio, making it appear as if the home is nestled into the natural landscape. The outdoor seating areas overlook a creek that feeds into the Yellowstone River.
And in Point Loma, California, Lars Remodeling & Design transformed a beach bungalow into a larger home with more of a Craftsman feel. For the exterior, that meant adding post and rock details, wood siding, eaves and a new front porch, a hallmark of many Craftsman homes. The porch provides the homeowners with a place to sit, relax and greet passing neighbors.
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Read more stories about curb appeal
Browse exterior photos
Find a local design pro
Shop for exterior products
There are many design moves you can make to enhance curb appeal, but adding a potted container garden may be one of the quickest. It’s also one of the easiest ways to change the look of your front yard and entry, and to transition these areas with the seasons.
At this Dallas home by Shaddock Caldwell Builders & Developers, two turquoise planters flanking the front door deliver a jolt of color. The containers echo the color of the blue-gray cactus growing in the pots and contrast with the purple heart (Tradescantia pallida ‘Purpurea’) growing in the ground in front.
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