Curb Appeal: The Four P's

Summertime is a great season for working on a little curb appeal. What your friends and neighbors see as they pass by your place says something about who lives in your house and what kind of people you are. Hopefully you are not one of those folks with a washer and dryer or six old cars on your lawn. That is just not a good look, I hate to break it to you.

Now, with that said, I think it is more important to consider what your house says to YOU as YOU walk up to your home. You are the one who has to live there. Does it say "welcome home?" Do you feel happy and peaceful as you walk up to your door? Does your front door reflect what is inside? Does it welcome the neighbors but maintain a sense of privacy?

Let's consider the Four P's of Curb Appeal (stick with me here, I just made these up).

Paint
Grab that paint can and give your front door, hardware or fence a fresh coat of paint. While you are at it, consider the impact a new color might give! Changing the color of the door, front porch, a bench or fence can dramatically affect your home's curb appeal. If you are artistic, consider hand painting special details.

Personality
Does your house look identical to every other house on the block?
Infuse your space with personality. Look at some of these photos and
spot some of the unique ways they captured individuality. A purple
door, creative gates, a dragonfly downspout, garden furniture, red
garage doors, striped awnings, shutters, hand painted house
numbers…these are all great ways to help your home stand out and show
off your home's personality.

 
Privacy
Normally when we think of private yards, we think about the back yard. In the front yard, I think it is a good idea to have a balance between privacy and friendliness. You want to welcome guests, but let strangers know where your boundaries are. Closing off your front yard completely like a fortress can feel a bit snooty. Having a plant border or low fence along the farthest edge of a front yard near the street gives a boundary to your space and adds to the charm of a front yard, creating its own little world.

Peak-a-Boo
While creating a plant or fence border for your front yard, be sure to have a distinct entry point to welcome guests, as well as "windows" to your yard. By creating a peek-a-boo effect with shrubs and fencing, you allow passerbys to catch a glimpse of your yard without feeling like they could just venture over to walk their dog in your grass (at least without an invitation!). Cutouts in fences and gates, low shrubs, and plants in containers all can provide a good balance between privacy and availability.

Melissa Michaels of The Inspired Room can be found stalking her neighborhood for curb appeal on a regular basis. See her harrowing "Drive By" adventures here.

photos Melissa Michaels

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