October 09, 2012
Reader Mockup: Craftsman Curb Appeal
Hey friends! Dawn here with a new reader curb appeal mockup to share. If you’re new here, our reader mockups are one of our favorite features around here. 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 Ashlee, and here’s what she wrote:
Id like to have a house mock up of a house we are purchasing!
We will be painting the exterior, and doing landscaping (removing big bushes and replacing), new door and things to add curb appeal and would love your ideas as well as help on color... We would mostly like to keep the changes cosmetic for now... I also want light fixtures and new doors. Also I'd love to see mullions on the windows– things that will add charm and character, without going too overboard. I'd kinda like to eventually add a walkway to the street, that would be fun to see with stairs in that direction, and for now I'd like to possibly wrap the metal columns with white wood until phase 2. I haven't even thought about plants. Excited to see what you come up with because the bushes are horrible! I've seen small pergolas above garage doors with vines or ivy and I love that look as well. The roof is in good condition so we won't have to replace it for awhile but I've considered changing the color with a product I've found so that the roof goes better with the house and accents once we paint it. So you can change that :) I found a color scheme I really like, so I'd like to see it on our house ! Its a very pale gray, with white trim and a dark charcoal-ish accent color. I'd love to see these colors on the house, and I'd like to see white trim on all the windows and corners of the house, around the garage etc (more like a craftsman look I guess).
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 get to the good part. Here’s the original image that Ashlee sent over:
Is this the most adorable little house you've ever seen? I just love it. It definitely needs some work to modernize and add curb appeal, but it's so charming!
There are a few things that are really dating the look of this house. The metal scrolling on the columns and front door, the yellow paint with the rusty roof, and the overgrown hedges top the list.
Ashlee had a pretty good idea of the color scheme she wanted, and sent lots of inspiration photo, so choosing colors was easy peasy. And since the craftsman style she mentioned is one of my favorites, I ran with that to give this home some definite craftsman curb appeal.
Source list for this Craftsman style curb appeal makeover:
Hanging Plants Porch Light Address Post Planters Garage Door
To start with, I got rid of the large trees blocking the majority of the front of the house. That alone opens it up and makes it so much more inviting. Next I updated the colors to Ashlee's preferred color scheme and changed the roof to a charcoal gray. I beefed up all the trimwork around the windows, garage, and front door with more traditional craftsman detailing, and added new windows, a new front door, and a garage door that represents the style. Next, I built out the porch columns into tapered, bulky pillars that balance out the porch better, and trimmed them with stone bases. I added the same style of stone to the foundation area of the house to give it a more finished look and tie everything together. To finish off the update, I added new steps to the porch from two different areas, and a pathway to the front door. Having a clear path to the door makes the home instantly more welcoming, and the curve of the path along with the curve of the front steps soften the prominent angles found elsewhere on the home. To further soften things up, new landscaping in curved beds finishes off the update and gives everything a polished look.
So what do you think? Doesn't this little charmer have so much potential?
Thanks again to Ashlee for reaching out and letting us work up some ideas for your beautiful home, and for 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!
