DIY Curb Appeal

Who hasn’t watched the HGTV show, Curb Appeal, and been fascinated by the makeovers? I love the show … the interaction between the homeowners, the designer and the landscape contractor…the homeowners with their special projects … the visits to nurseries and stone quarries … the “befores” and the “afters.” Who hasn’t asked themselves what they would change, which color paint they would choose, whether they could have done better? The show’s popularity has brought the term “curb appeal” into popular usage, but what is it, how do you get it and, why should you want it?

Whether you plan to sell or stay, curb appeal is important. It's not just a question of making your house saleable, it's a question of making your house lovable! If your home is going on the market, it’s vital that your house gives a good first impression. Capturing the homebuyer’s attention is a game best played quickly, since homes that sit become less saleable as time goes by. The return on investment for these projects are much higher and the costs much lower than remodeling. The return on investment to the homeowner who plans to stay, is even higher … an aesthetic environment makes you feel more alive and happy … and, how cool is that! My mom used to say, “put a little lipstick on, honey” and there are many, many ways to “put a little lipstick” on your front yard and entryway without spending a lot. The approach you take will be different, depending on your objective … curb appeal for the real estate market requires a certain neutrality. Curb appeal for yourself? It’s your life … go for it! In either case, how do you get it? Well, let’s be real … sometimes it’s just doing the obvious … cleaning up the yard, repairing the front step, washing the windows, sweeping the cobwebs! Beyond that, it’s good design, and that’s what we’re going to talk about here.

My friend Amy sent me an email, “I have curb appeal, but I don’t think my house does!” I know her and I know her house and I know it’s true. She’s dynamic and funny and attractive. Her front yard and entry, are, well, dull. It wouldn’t take much, however, to give her house a bit of pizzazz … a flat of colorful annuals tucked into the planting bed by the front door, perhaps a street side planting by her mailbox. Maybe paint that mailbox a cheery color to match her red front door! Every day her garden would greet her as she drove to her little blue house at the end of the cul-de-sac. Amy’s yard needs some work, it’s true, but, Amy’s not alone. Driving the streets of my town, I feel lucky when I see a house that registers on the curb appeal meter at all. The truth is, the standard formula of house, lawn, foundation shrubs, a tree in the front yard, just don’t make it. For most of us, I think the problem is where do I start? The fence that needs to be replaced? Should we put in a pool or update the bathroom? What about college funds? Add a terrace? Move? Well, class, one thing at a time … let’s start with Chapter 1, The Front Yard.

In my design study, I have found three key elements to design … repetition, contrast and focal point. Without repetition, you get no unified whole, the eye bounces, you don’t know where things start and stop. Without contrast, a project can go flat and be boring. Without a focal point, you don’t have a central, well, focal point … a reference point that the other features support and enhance, something special to look at. There are many ways these can be achieved.

A good exercise is to observe the homes in your neighborhood. Start by asking yourself, what do I like about this house, what do I dislike? In my experience as a designer, I find my take on these two questions is oftentimes the same as the homeowners, so trust your own inner voice. Don’t get caught up in the details at this point … just the big picture … what works, what doesn’t.

Now, analyze the three elements, starting with the focal point. Is there one? It may be a boldly painted front door, a porch that begs your company or a gorgeous old tree. Are there features that support the focal point? (For instance, Amy’s fictional red mailbox and some red flowers along the path leading to her door would all underline her front entry as the focal point.) What could you do with this space to create one? Again, keep it simple. If the house is the boring foundation shrubs + lawn + driveway + house … you have no contrast, and perhaps you could say you had repetition but do you want it? Nope. Not in this class.

Time to move along to another home looking for one that actually interests you. Look for a house that has a strong focal point … you’ll find out something about your own style and what you like. For instance, as I look over drive-by pictures I’ve taken, I keep finding painted doors and painted gates and realize that I’m wacky for them! Don’t make me look at stained wood. Well, this would be my first requirement with my own DIY curb appeal project! (As my actress daughter would encourage, “Bold choices!” … works on stage, works in design!)

If it passes the focal point test, move on to an analysis of contrast and repetition. These are a bit yin and yangish … you want enough contrast so that it’s not boring, enough repetition so that it’s got a unity and isn’t too busy. The perfect balance will be achieved by contrast and repetition of plant materials, the house architecture and the hardscape materials and the interaction between the three. Gardens come alive, not only with the addition of color thru flowers, but also, thru contrasting foliage shape, texture, color and size. Look for this in the gardens you are studying, look for it when you walk thru a nursery. A gray-foliaged shrub makes a purple-leafed variety pop, whereas similarly green-leafed plants with small leaves blend together and go flat. Bringing the garden and the house together with color and style is vital. In Los Angeles, you’ll see a lot of Spanish style houses with tile roofs, arched windows and a rich color palette. In the gardens you’ll see succulents and citrus and bougainvillea. On the east coast, dogwoods and rhododendrons grow happily, and are associated with the more traditional home styles. When it’s well done, the design principles do not upstage the space. You see it as a whole, a unity. When you see an element that doesn’t fit, you say, “what were they thinking of?!?” You want “bold choices” not random ones!

I find a few additional elements are also important to me … movement (will I like going from one place to another in this garden, will the journey to the front door be interesting?), sense of place (can I picture myself here on a bench by the tree or on the porch with my husband, having a glass of wine at sunset?), surprise (wow … how cool is that?!?) and mystery (what else is there to see, what’s the rest of the story?). Another element is sustainability, that growing awareness about the future direction of our houses, our landscapes and our lives … will it be good for us now, and will it be good for the future. This is a rather new discussion we are starting to have about our responsibility for the quality of life, both today and tomorrow … but, not to worry, it won’t be on the test! At least … not today.