February 13, 2013
Reader Mockup: Blending old and new
Hey there friends! Back today with another reader mockup that I've had in the draft folder for way too long, and thought it was high time to share.
If you're new here, our reader mockups are one of our favorite (and most popular) features. Our readers submit their photos, and I make some Photoshop magic happen to show them what I would do with their design dilemma. If you want to know more, you can visit our services page to read all about how to submit your own photos.
Now, on with the show! Today's mockup was submitted by Hannah, and here's what she wrote:
As you can see, our home is an original brick home that has a stucco addition. We're not fans of the yellow that they used, especially with the green. However, our windows are custom, and they are the dark green color. Repainting or replacing them isn't really an option so we're stuck with the dark green ... The brick should not be painted ... Landscaping should be simple.
Before we get started, here’s my standard mockup disclaimer: While I can recommend ideas that I think look nice, I have never seen this house in real life and don’t have accurate measurements. I am also not an architect or landscaper and do not know the planting recommendations for your area- I just like to make things look nice. I can’t guarantee that any of the items I put in my ‘virtual’ design will actually work in real life (or that they’ll fit your design style for that matter), and this is not intended to be a professional design consultation. So think of this as a just-for-fun rendering that hopefully gets your wheels turning and provides some inspiration!
Now that that's out of the way, let's have some fun. Here's the original image that Hannah sent over. You can see how jarring the yellow paint was, especially combined with the brick color.
One of the biggest issues with the ‘before’ colors to me was that the house looked like two separate buildings. To remedy this, I chose a light putty color for the stucco portion of the home. It is neutral and light enough to blend with the brick, without looking like it’s trying and failing to match. They just compliment each other nicely. I also used this lighter color on the details in the trim at the top of the house. It really helps that unique and beautiful feature stand out, and also helps tie the two sections of the house together visually. Around the windows and doors, and for a portion of the top trim, I used a medium toned tan color. It’s darker than the main color of the house, but not as dark as the green. That way the windows stand out nicely, and have some visual interest around them. Finally, I used the deep green that was already on the windows as an accent in the trim work to further tie the two sections of the home together and bring that darker color up high on the home.
For landscaping, I tried to keep to pretty simple plantings that just have a clean and classic feel to them. I like the idea of black planters on the porch to tie in the black lamp post in your yard (jealous of that!!). I also highlighted that feature with some plantings and large rocks around it to help it feel like it’s more intentional and part of the landscape design. The other issue I noticed from the before shot was the somewhat awkward placement of the windows on the stucco section of the house. They felt conspicuously off centered next to the very symmetrical style of the brick home. To help remedy this, a few strategically placed larger plantings balances things out and provides a visual break.
Finally, something I think would really help tie everything together is to match the foundation of the newer section to the look of the older section as much as possible. There are several stone facade or veneer products out there, and something like this might be a good option.
Overall, I think the update really helps the house look cohesive and inviting, and makes the addition look like it was more of an intentional add on than an afterthought. What do you think? What would you do if this were your home?
Similar paint colors for this blended curb appeal makeover:
 |
 |
 |
Thanks again to Hannah for reaching out, letting me work up some ideas for your beautiful home, and letting us share it here on the blog! If you have a design dilemma you'd like to see us tackle, be sure to check out our services page for more info, and don't forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook for all the latest! Have a great week!
