There’s nothing like coming home to a place that, well, feels like home—and that all starts from the outside. When you pull into your driveway, don’t you want your home to wrap you in a warm ‘welcome home’ hug? Also, unlike your bedroom or kitchen, the outside of your home is visible to everyone. Some paint, the right lighting, and a new garage door can make a huge impact on the aethestic look and feel (and even value) of your home. But where do you start?
Based on advice from local experts, it turns out that there are a wide range of resources and services available to help you upgrade your home’s exterior to match your perfect style—and become the envy of the neighbourhood!
Here are some tips for an outside facelift for your home.
Garage Doors
Just like interior design trends, outdoor living trends are everchanging. This year, garage door trends are on a pendulum, favouring either very simplistic, clean contemporary designs with minimal lines, or the exact opposite: old-fashioned, rustic-looking carriage door styles. Despite the look clients are choosing, though, “ease of maintenance is the common thread,” says product specialist Sarah Ciccolini of Barrie’s Canadoor Door Systems, “with most homeowners choosing beautiful and sturdy composite wood garage doors.”
While updating your garage door may seem like a daunting task—there are so many options!— Canadoor’s useful website has a ‘Design Your Door’ application, where you can upload a photo of your home and customize your garage with just a touch of a button, making it easy to visualize your dream garage door.
Brick Work, Windows + Front Doors
If your outside’s looking a bit tired, you can always refresh the exterior of your home by refacing your brick or changing the siding. Stucco is always a popular option because of its durability and resistance to the elements, plus it also has a multitude of design options.
Glass is in: current architectural trends favour modern contemporary home styles with lots of windows to let in natural light, plus stone and wood accents. Glass doors are also growing in popularity for both the front door and the garage doors, and carriage house garage doors are still popular for their charm and character.
As for your front door, trends are showing that the days of a double front entrance are over for now. A double front door on a house can make a home’s entrance seem dated. Instead, homeowners are opting for a new, extra-wide door frame opening, transforming a double front door into one door by installing a single front door with sidelights.
Not only will a new door update the look of your entrance, but including sidelights in the doorframe will allow natural light to pour into your entryway. When it comes to colour, why not try something rich and elegant, like sage green or brick red?
Mixing and Matching Colours
One of the hardest decisions to make if you’re redoing the exterior look of your home is picking a paint colour. There are just so many options to choose from. Should your paint match your brick? Or should you go bold and bright?
Our local professionals recommend you make sure to pick a colour that matches or complements your brick or siding. You can’t go wrong with grey, beige, teal, or black. But it’s also on-trend to paint your front door with a pop of colour. Complementary colours work to give the façade of your home a classic and timeless look. But mixing in a bright front door or a pop of colour on windowsills or shutters can help to give your home a personal touch.
While current trends are a fun way to get inspired, you should always consider how long you plan on staying in your home and what finishes really speak to you. Yes, curb appeal is one of the first things people see when they’re looking to buy a home, but if your house is going to be your ‘home, sweet, home’ for the foreseeable future, it is more important to choose designs that you love rather than feeling the need to be ‘on trend’.
LOCAL LINKS:
Canadoor Door Systems
canadoorsystems.com
Georgian Door and Gate
georgiandoorandgate.com/ca
Kempenfelt Windows and Doors
kempenfeltwindows.com
