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Treat a partially enclosed front porch much the same way as an interior room, with layers of colour and accessories. This tonal scheme uses blues instead of neutrals, with weatherboards painted in Resene Half Periglacial Blue, accented with a Resene Blue Night door and Resene Alabaster trims. The benchseat is painted in Resene Coast, the storage box by the door is in Resene Poured Milk, and the deck is finished in Resene Woodsman Driftwood stain.
Blue-greys are a smart choice for exteriors and suit any style of home from contemporary to character. This home is in Resene Revolution, which is from an older paint collection. Try Resene Neutral Bay as an alternative option. The trims are in Resene Alabaster. The garden and exterior was designed by Louise Dunning of Nobel Fox.
A bold coloured front door is a great way to add appeal. These are in Resene Sebedee (orange) and Resene Camarone (right). The cladding at left is finished in Resene Waterborne Woodsman Crowshead exterior stain.
Complementary planting and fence styles add to the street appeal of this Customkit designed home, owned by a horse-lover. A contrasting black exterior in Resene Blackjack with barn shutters and garage doors painted in Resene Double Black White adds drama, while Marley Stratus Design Series spouting in colour Ironsand completes the look.
Rather than paint the front door a striking colour, Cameron Grindlay of Dwelling Architectural Design chose to highlight the side wall of the entranceway instead, painting it in Resene Wasabi. The weatherboards are in Resene Black White.
Brightly coloured pots create an eye-catching display. These are in (from left) Resene Poppy, Resene Pink Ribbon, Resene Party Zone, Resene Lazy River, Resene Daredevil and Resene Poppy. Wall in Resene Safehaven.
Work that kerb appeal
Much is made of the importance of street appeal when it comes to selling your house. That’s all well and good, but there’s nothing wrong with having a home that looks smart from the street for your own satisfaction! Walking through the door of the swishest house in the street is as good a pick-me-up as any at the end of the day.
Here are five key areas of the property to consider for maximum and timeless kerb appeal.
House exteriors
The obvious place to start working your kerbside appeal is the exterior of the house itself.
Grey greens and grey blues remain hugely popular on the exterior of our homes. That’s because they are essential neutrals but with some depth and interest. The subtle green or blue tones means they work well surrounded by leafy foliage, they look great with bright white trim, but they can also take the addition of some bold contrasting colours. Try Resene Loblolly, Resene Tasman or Resene Emerge.
Going black is another trend that’s continuing for house exteriors as it will make most buildings look contemporary and dramatic. Resene Bokara Grey is a popular choice, and check out Resene All Black.
Top tip: For dark exteriors, remember to ask for Resene CoolColour paint or stain. It reflects more of the sun’s UV than standard versions of the colour, protecting the paint, stain and the cladding by minimising heat stress and potential damage.
Other areas to consider are the everyday details like the spouting and guttering – do you want them to blend or be a feature, such as a metallic look. Today’s ranges of spouting are far removed from the white plastic off old – see the Marley website [www.marley.co.nz] for more.
Once you have a colour scheme you’re happy with on your house, any other colour or design feature you add to the rest of the exterior section is about adding complementary or contrasting features.
Front doors and porches
A brightly coloured front door is an easy way to make your home look bold and interesting from the street. Think bold red, greens, oranges or yellows or go dramatic with dark colours instead.
Top tip: Use Resene Enamacryl for surfaces that take a bit of wear and tear, like front doors. It’s a touch waterborne enamel with a gloss finish.
But it needn’t stop there. You can treat a partially enclosed front porch or a veranda much the same way as an interior room, with layers of colour and accessories. Go for a sun-drenched vibe with bright shades but if going bright for your front door or porch doesn’t suit, play around with neutrals or a tonal scheme instead - try shades of grey, green or blue.
Another clever idea for porches, paths and steps is to opt for a painted stencil design to emulate tiles. If you’re working on concrete you can paint it to resemble almost any other material with a bit of research and practice and just a few Resene testpots.
Top tip: If you’re painting any surface that will be walked on, choose from a range of colours tinted into Resene Non-Skid Deck & Path paint, which has a slightly gritty finish for non-slip safety.
Fences
A sharply painted and well-maintained boundary fence adds everything to the kerb appeal of your home. Remember that it has two sides. You may have it looking fantastic from the inside, but what about the street side?
Most front walls and fences need to be functional first, finding a balance between effective security or animal control, while still looking good. Pick a paint colour which will complement your home exterior from the street view. A classic approach is to use the same colour as your window trims, or you might choose a darker tonal colour to your cladding.
And, of course, the key thing once you have your fence or wall spruced up, is to keep it maintained, free of loose boards, mould, moss and peeling paint.
Paths and landscaping
If you feel out of your depth when it comes to garden or landscape design, there’s some good news. The latest garden trend is to embrace the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi, or finding beauty in imperfection and transience. In other words, let it go.
Simplify your design and accept the natural cycle of growth and decay, and believe it or not your garden can still look elegant and inviting. Choose plants that are well suited for the growing conditions in your garden and let them do their thing.
Think about how people get from the street to your front door. Make sure there is at least one clear pathway and think about how it may be improved with the addition of colour or lighting. You can tie paving stones back to the colours you’ve chosen for your porch or house, or use them as the key colour focal point that blends or contrasts with your plants.
Pots and planters
Adding pots and planters to your porch or front door is one of the quickest ways to add interest and street-appeal. Use them to add different heights and levels to the planting. Paint them in bright bold Resene colours that pick up the contrasts in your house colour scheme and the plants themselves.
If you can, move them around as the mood takes you, so your entrance never looks the same for too long.
Published: 20 Sep 2018
Do you have a home full of wonderful Resene paint and colour? Send us some snaps by emailing [email protected].
Treat a partially enclosed front porch much the same way as an interior room, with layers of colour and accessories. This tonal scheme uses blues instead of neutrals, with weatherboards painted in Resene Half Periglacial Blue, accented with a Resene Blue Night door and Resene Alabaster trims. The benchseat is painted in Resene Coast, the storage box by the door is in Resene Poured Milk, and the deck is finished in Resene Woodsman Driftwood stain.
pictures
Bryce Carleton; styled by Emily Somerville-Ryan
Blue-greys are a smart choice for exteriors and suit any style of home from contemporary to character. This home is in Resene Revolution, which is from an older paint collection. Try Resene Neutral Bay as an alternative option. The trims are in Resene Alabaster. The garden and exterior was designed by Louise Dunning of Nobel Fox.
pictures
Sally Tagg
A bold coloured front door is a great way to add appeal. These are in Resene Sebedee (orange) and Resene Camarone (right). The cladding at left is finished in Resene Waterborne Woodsman Crowshead exterior stain.
Complementary planting and fence styles add to the street appeal of this Customkit designed home, owned by a horse-lover. A contrasting black exterior in Resene Blackjack with barn shutters and garage doors painted in Resene Double Black White adds drama, while Marley Stratus Design Series spouting in colour Ironsand completes the look.
Rather than paint the front door a striking colour, Cameron Grindlay of Dwelling Architectural Design chose to highlight the side wall of the entranceway instead, painting it in Resene Wasabi. The weatherboards are in Resene Black White.
Brightly coloured pots create an eye-catching display. These are in (from left) Resene Poppy, Resene Pink Ribbon, Resene Party Zone, Resene Lazy River, Resene Daredevil and Resene Poppy. Wall in Resene Safehaven.
pictures
Wendy Fenwick; Styled by Claudia Kozub
Resene Double Black White
Resene Double Black White
Resene Half Periglacial Blue
Resene Half Periglacial Blue
the look
If you're stuck on what
colour to use or need colour
advice, try out the Resene
Ask a Colour Expert service.
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Resene Double Black White
Resene Double Black White
Resene Half Periglacial Blue
Resene Half Periglacial Blue
the look
If you're stuck on what
colour to use or need colour
advice, try out the Resene
Ask a Colour Expert service.
