7 Details for the Well-Dressed House
Jewelry for your home: trim, awnings, shutters, lights, cupolas and more
Bud Dietrich, AIA
August 19, 2011
Houzz Contributor. My name is Bud Dietrich and I am an architect located in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. I am licensed to practice architecture in Illinois, Florida, New Jersey & Wisconsin. Since 1996 I have worked from my home office and provide full architectural services exclusively to the single family residential market. My passion is to transform my clients' houses into their homes. I strive to have the "new" home accommodate my clients' lives without fighting them at every junction. I look to add curb appeal to encourage a beautiful streetscape. And I design any addition to look and feel like it has always been there.
Our projects have won numerous design awards as well as having been featured on television (CBS News Sunday Morning, HGTV, CLTV, etc.), in magazines (Better Homes...
Houzz Contributor. My name is Bud Dietrich and I am an architect located in the Tampa... More
A face is like the outside of a house, and most faces, like most houses, give us an idea of what we can expect to find inside. — Loretta Young
From flower boxes to shutters, lights to cupolas, red window frames and doors and so much more, the exterior of our homes offers an opportunity for dressing up. Whether it's for a backyard barbecue or a gala ball or something in between, we should use all of those exterior design elements appropriate to our home's design to create something that brings the exterior to life.
From flower boxes to shutters, lights to cupolas, red window frames and doors and so much more, the exterior of our homes offers an opportunity for dressing up. Whether it's for a backyard barbecue or a gala ball or something in between, we should use all of those exterior design elements appropriate to our home's design to create something that brings the exterior to life.
Just as cufflinks, a tie pin, and earrings add sparkle and punch to a well-dressed person, a well-scaled light fixture, plants and brightly colored furniture can bring to life the exterior of a home.
Window boxes planted with bright flowers connect the house to the ground and add personality and interest to even the simplest set of shapes.
A window box full of bright red flowers livens up all those neutrals.
Keep shutters real, operable and a wonderful color. Don't use shutters that are too small and permanently nailed open. Bring them to life by having them look as if they've been touched by human hands.
Shutters and window boxes surround the windows with shape, texture and color. Hang the shutters with hinges to create space, shadow and an authentic feel.
Keep the interior cooler during the hot summer months by installing a brise soleil to shade windows from the sun.
For a traditional aesthetic, install a trellis to shade the windows and reduce your energy consumption while adding punch and enlivening the exterior.
Use a bright color at the window frames to add — like lipstick — a bright and welcoming splash of color.
... beckon to the heavens.
Add a cupola that can be seen from the surrounding landscape and ...
... tell us from which direction the wind is blowing.
Add a cupola to bring light ...
... to a staircase or attic.
Use light fixtures that have the scale and proportion ...
... to complement the surrounding architecture ...
... and the home's style.
Install house numbers that are large and well-lit ...
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You can also build shutters inexpensively with some stock wood and trim pieces. Then mount the shutters using shutter hardware for an authentic look.
And thanks for looking and sharing your thoughts!