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Home Style: Enhance the Lines You Have
Make the most of your home's best features by extending lines, reinforcing shapes and continuing curves
I am a freelance editorial and wedding photographer and Houzz contributor based out of Hershey, PA. Come visit me at 'A Nest for All Seasons' where I write about design, photography and modern garden living!
I am a freelance editorial and wedding photographer and Houzz contributor... More »
Whether it is decorating your home, clothing your body or designing a garden, emphasizing the inherent beauty is always the first matter of business. Instead of trying to cover up flaws and immediately putting your stamp on a space, start by analyzing the intrinsic positives of your site and house. Enhancing the lines, character and views of your home is the first step to a well-designed space.
Some homes are blessed with strong horizontal lines. Some are accessorized with turrets and roof peaks. Still others bank on their beautiful surroundings as their key feature. Perhaps your home counts graceful curves as its defining element. Whatever your home is graced with, flaunt it!
Some homes are blessed with strong horizontal lines. Some are accessorized with turrets and roof peaks. Still others bank on their beautiful surroundings as their key feature. Perhaps your home counts graceful curves as its defining element. Whatever your home is graced with, flaunt it!
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1. Strong horizontals. In this space, the bed is a low, flat horizontal plane. Instead of fighting that shape, the designer has reinforced it. Notice the long, horizontal bolster, the long, horizontal artwork and the short, horizontal plane of the side tables and foot table.
| Here is another example of a horizontal line that begins in the window pane and is carried through on the dark plank shelving. |
by Hufft Projects
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Details make all the difference. The choice of long horizontal lights for these stair risers accentuates the long horizontal planes.
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| 2. Strong triangular roof lines. If your home is blessed with a beautiful roof line, flaunt it! Don't just add a climbing plant haphazardly, but prune a beautiful vine to follow the line of the roof. The plants soften any harsh edges while still reinforcing the shape – a win-win. |
In this home, the roof line has been reinforced by the exposed beams. Reinforcing the strong triangular shape, the kitchen island reflects the roof line.
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| 3. Strong setting. This house makes the most of its beautiful location. The architect has taken a cue from the mountainous setting and inverted the typical roof line. I love that this home mimics the valley of a mountain range, as opposed to the peak. |
If you have gorgeous views, flaunt them by reinforcing the lines and colors of the vista beyond. Mirror the color scheme of your natural surroundings by adding planting that blend seamlessly from foreground to background.
Is your home situated on a hill overlooking fields of wheat, corn or soybeans? Flaunt that view by adding layers of plantings that reflect and reinforce the colors in the distance.
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4. Strong curves. Did you find an absolutely perfect stacked pedestal table for your breakfast nook? Embrace those beautiful curves and reinforce them with a curvy chandelier and patterned shades.
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Perhaps your find of the century was a gorgeous curvy sofa. Reinforce its shape with a circular ottoman, curvy shades and a simply curved chandelier.
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by gregory lens
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| If you have a blocky house and have built a curvy fence to break up the line, keep going with it. That one curve doesn't have to stand alone. Flaunt more curves on the facade of your home with a climbing vine or add rounded bushes to accent the round finials. |
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Take a long look at your space, your setting and surroundings and the architecture of your home. Embrace what you already have, and flaunt those curves, lines and views.
More:
Designing With Rectangles
Embrace the Curve
Embrace Repetition
More:
Designing With Rectangles
Embrace the Curve
Embrace Repetition
Ideabook published on Feb. 4, 2012.
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I love the open view. Looks great!
#1 Either paint or cobblestone the driveway and add a correlating material on the front triangular section of your home (where it says "interesting material"). The two flat areas are the most prominent, so flaunt them instead of apologizing for them.
#2 Add large shrubs on the three corners of your home to ground it. Add a stacked stone or brick wall (of shrubs) along the front of your lawn to brace the driveway and again emphasize the horizontal line.
#3 Add a distinctly colored front door, shutters and window boxes...again with the rectangles...
#4 Add a curved bed under the front 2 windows, add plantings along driveway with a walking path to 2 sections of garden.
...I could go on and on, but basically -- no house has no hope!! Every house has something that can be played up!