Often people will spend a lot of time and money focusing on the interior of their homes, figuring out how to improve the look of each room, and then going about interior decorating to add some charm or pizazz. Quite often the outside of the home is somewhat neglected and left “as is” in many cases.
Let’s look at a few ways you can dress up the exterior of your house and add a little more charm and functionality.
#1 – Hang Some Lanterns
If you have a balcony, veranda or patio area, adding some quaint lanterns can really add a touch of warmth and elegance to your outside space, particularly in the evenings.
The lanterns could be hard-wired in lights that are simply designed to look like an old school lantern, or they could be the genuine item, running on gas or even the kind where you light a candle inside them.
These are great for the entrance to your house, really adding some mystique and interest to any area of the home that’s often simply functional.
Taking things a step further, if you have a path or long driveway leading up to the house, you could have a string of lanterns lighting the way.
#2 – Add Some Window Awnings
Essentially awnings can provide two functions:
- They look fantastic
- Awnings offer protection from the elements
Retractable awnings, such as the folding arm awnings, enable you to close up the awning when it’s not required, then extend it when needed. Operation of the awning can be manual by a crank and gear mechanism, or for the ultimate in convenience, they can also be motorised.
Awnings not only offer great protection for your windows, they come in a variety of modern styles and fashion colours, so they really do add that extra special touch to the appearance of your home.
You can take things a step further with awnings as well, as there are models designed to be patio covers, offering protection for larger outdoor areas and al fresco dining.
#3 – Install Some Window Planter Boxes
Nothing adds life to a home’s exterior as much as bright colours stemming from nature. The obvious way to achieve that is with flowers.
Not only can you create and plant more flower gardens around your house, but if you install some planter boxes below the windows at the front of your house, and perhaps below the kitchen window as well, your home with come alive with subtle touches of vibrant colour.
Flowers are one of the real feel good plants, and you can never go wrong with having lots of colourful flowers around your house.
#4 – Clean Up That Concrete
You might have the most amazing home exterior in the street, but if you have a concrete driveway or pathway that’s covered in mildew and grime, it will really detract from the overall aesthetics.
Solving this issue is as simple as buying or hiring a pressure washer and giving all those concrete areas a really good clean. You’ll find a pressure washer easily cleans up that concrete and will have your driveway, paths and kerb area looking like new again.
When it comes to entrance paths, you could even take things a step further and change out that plain concrete for some stylish pavers.
#5 – How About An Arbor?
This could be in the backyard (where they are most commonly found), or you could situate one in the front yard if you have the space.
Rather than simply having a gate to access your property, you could construct a simple arbour (you can even buy them ready-made), plant some flowering vines and have them snake their way all over the arbour.
This will certainly create a stunning entrance to your house.
#6 – Don’t Neglect the Roof
The roof is the crowning glory of your house, the cherry on top. It’s the first thing visible from a distance. There’s not much point having the exterior of your home looking fantastic in every other way, only to look skyward and have your eyes met with a grimy old dirty roof.
Hire a professional roof cleaner occasionally to clean up your roof. It will really finish off the overall look of your home’s exterior.
