Outdoor
18 Ways To Boost Your Home’s Summer Curb Appeal
Published on July 3, 2018
Giving your house an invigorating dose of summer curb appeal is easier than you think. Take inspiration from these beautiful exteriors — whether it’s choosing a new paint color for the front door or adding pretty accessories — and your home will be sure to make a great impression, too.
Inspired by Savannah, Georgia’s wrought-iron railings, designer Joel Bray brought the look home to Toronto and added boxwood hedges and a cobblestone path to give his rowhouse sophistication and a touch of formality.
Installing black shutters, a beautiful fanlight and having the property’s name inscribed over the front door add distinction to the façade of this Georgian Revival home in Chester, Nova Scotia.
Long-lasting painted-vinyl shutters on this Spanish-style home owned by designer Michael Penney add invaluable curb appeal. A jungle of plantings and morning glories at the entrance add plenty of charm. Homes set back on expansive front yards or behind large hedges require nice-sized mid century house numbers. This will keep your address easily visible and provide an opportunity to accessorize your front lawn.
This Superkül-designed home features a façade with windows and doors constructed from custom African hardwood that match the rusted steel wall framing part of the garden. The landing also boasts a handsome built-in cedar bench that provides storage for garbage and recycling bins.
The steel wire sculpture in this front yard makes a strong and unexpected statement situated behind a slender picketed fence and a boxwood hedge. Interlocking brick, laid in a herringbone pattern, is elegant and perfectly suited to this home’s Victorian architecture. Hits of black are a modern counterpoint.
Boost the appeal of your home by framing the view from the street with an interesting gate. This “moon gate” draws the eye to the striking checkerboard lawn and classically designed summerhouse beyond.
Designer Ingrid Oomen planted an abundance of hydrangeas for amped up summer curb appeal. The original cinder-block exterior of the Caledon, Ont., home was transformed by board-and-batten siding and a standing-seam metal roof.
Colette Soros of the Vancouver shop Parliament Interiors added large address numbers at the entry of her east side home, which offers graphic impact and draws the eye from the street.
The exterior of this home just outside of Copenhagen recalls inner London terrace architecture from the early 20th century. The entry, surrounded by greenery, beckons you in.
At this cottage on Ontario’s Wolfe Island, designed by architecture firm Superkül, a 54-foot-long boardwalk lined with tall grasses leads right through the building to the front door, which is set inside an enclosed cedar-lined porch.
This dramatic front yard was created with only three types of plantings. An artful Corten steel frame turns four Flame Amur maple trees into living sculpture. The strength in this design is in its simplicity.
Designer Michelle Gemmill chose a serene turquoise for the front door to give the entry a fun hit of color that complements the homes’ pale grey siding.
Visionary gardener Thomas Hobbs landscaped his charming home in South Langley, British Columbia, in a French country style, with plantings that are more about texture and shape instead of bright colors.
Designed by David Nicolay of Evoke International Design, this home has big presence thanks to the bold façade, large windows and modern landscaping. The wooden siding contrasts with the concrete half walls, and graphic grasses add visual interest.
Homeowner and architectural designer Nicolas Lewin painted the exterior of his Chester, Nova Scotia, home a deep grey-green for drama, then added clouds of white blooms curbside for a statement-making contrast.
This post-and-beam home in North Vancouver, British Columbia, is especially enchanting in the evening when the lights inside are turned on. Undressed windows draw the eye to the contemporary interior.
This London Edwardian home is the picture of classic tradition. White trim, expertly manicured topiaries and a handsome iron fence combine to deliver optimal curb appeal.
Toronto interior designer Jeffery Douglas offset this home’s deep black trim with a golden yellow door — a traditional Victorian accent that lifts and brightens the black. The lush garden and wrought-iron fence supply even more charm.