Outdoor
18 Ways To Boost Your Home’s Summer Curb Appeal
Author: Day Helesic
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.
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Photographer: Valerie Wilcox
Source: House & Home April 2018
Designer: Joel Bray
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.
Photographer: Janet Kimber
Source: House & Home July 2014
Designer: Deb Nelson
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.
Photographer: Donna Griffith
Source: House & Home June 2011
Designer: Michael Penney
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.
Photographer: Virginia Macdonald
Source: House & Home September 2014
Designer: Superkül
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.
Photographer: Michael Graydon
Source: House & Home May 2011
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.
Photographer: Mark Burstyn
Source: House & Home April 2011
Designer: Julia West
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.
Photographer: Donna Griffith
Source: House & Home April 2011
Designer: Ingrid Oomen, Qummunicate
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.
Photographer: Janis Nicolay
Source: House & Home April 2018
Designer: Colette Soros
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.
Photographer: Gaelle Le Boulicaut
Source: House & Home August 2014
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.
Photographer: Shai Gil
Source: House & Home September 2015
Designer: Superkül
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.
Photographer: Donna Griffith
Source: House & Home May 2011
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.
Photographer: Tracey Ayton
Source: House & Home July 2015
Designer: Michelle Gemmill
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.
Photographer: Tracey Ayton
Source: House & Home May 2018
Designer: Thomas Hobbs
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.
Photographer: Janis Nicolay
Source: House & Home June 2013
Designer: Nancy Riesco
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.
Photographer: Janet Kimber
Source: House & Home August 2015
Designer: Nicolas Lewin
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.
Photographer: Janis Nicolay
Source: House & Home June 2014
Designer: Steve McFarlane
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.
Photographer: Chris Tubbs
Source: House & Home January 2011
Designer: Colette van den Thillart
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.
Photographer: Michael Graydon
Source: House & Home January 2013
Designer: Jeffery Douglas