Ask A Designer™
Ask A Designer™: Gillian Atkins’ Advice For Updating A Home’s Front Exterior
Published on March 19, 2026
In this edition of Ask A Designer™, Gillian Atkins, senior designer at Lynda Reeves Design Studio, LRDS, shares two options for updating your home’s front exterior. Take a look!
Q: I need advice on how to refresh the front of my house. I’m planning to repaint both the siding and the shutters, but what colours would work? Also, one shutter is missing, which makes me wonder if the house might look better without shutters. Do you have any ideas for the front door? Is there a particular style that would better suit the architecture of the house? Overall, I want to enhance the home’s charm and curb appeal. — L.B., Montreal
A: You can go two different ways to update your façade. The first option is a simple yet classic refresh, which involves replacing the missing shutter and choosing a new paint palette such as Benjamin Moore’s Swiss Coffee for the siding and an off-black like Wrought Iron for the shutters. Get a new front door if you like, or just paint the existing one and switch to traditional brass hardware. Install lantern-style sconces on either side of the door and replace your pots with more substantial ones. The second option is a style change. The façade of your house lends itself to the modern farmhouse look. To achieve it, you’ll need to remove the pediment over the front door and build a new, full-length porch on the façade with four columns supporting a new, slightly sloped roof. Remove the juliet balcony railings on the second floor windows. Eliminate the shutters and replace your existing door with a glazed version. Add sconces in oil-rubbed bronze between the windows and flanking the front door. Keep the siding in the warm white, but consider painting the window frames and mullions in Wrought Iron. Replant your perennials in front of the new porch. Unfortunately, in both scenarios, I think the large spruce near the garage needs to go.
1. Apollo Tubular entry set in Oil-rubbed Bronze by Emtek, $795. ADH Fine Hardware. 2. Soren outdoorsconce in Textured Bronze by TroyLighting, $361. Union Lighting Montreal 3. Large Washed Ficonstone planter by Colin King, $524. West Elm. 4. Swiss Coffee (OC-45), Benjamin Moore. 5. Wrought Iron (2124-10), Benjamin Moore.
6. Rowley LED Wall Mount light fixture in Light Antique Brass by Hinkley, $936. Union Lighting Montreal. 7. Barclay Mortise Knob entrance trim in Vintage Brass by Baldwin, $1,795. ADH Fine Hardware. 8. Modern Farmhouse Douglas Fir front door with Six Lite Clear Glass Windows by Krosswood Doors, $1,695. The Home Depot Canada.
Alex Lukey
House & Home