Reader Mockup: A Mid-Century Makeover

Hey friends! Dawn here, and today I'm super excited to be sharing another reader curb appeal mockup with you. If you're new here, our reader mockups are a feature where 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 to the show! Today's mockup was submitted by Carole, and here's what she wrote:

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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!

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Now that that's out of the way, let's have some fun. Here's the original image that Carole sent over: Carole's home instantly drew me in. Mid century style is my absolute favorite, and this home would have been built at the height of the style. I have to say I'm SO jealous that she gets to live in such an amazing structure. The chance to offer some ideas for how to take the home back to it's roots was one I could not wait to tackle!! I have to say, I love how this mockup turned out. This style of home is just so beautiful to me. Here's what I came up with:

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Source list for this mid-century curb appeal makeover:

Front Door Door Handle Porch Light Carport Light House Numbers

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In my view, there were two obstacles holding this home back from what it could be... one was the color. Or rather the lack of color. The whole front of the house had been painted a beige-taupe color that was very similar to the color of the stone work. The result was that the home appeared very flat, completely losing that beautifully open architectural element that makes it so unique. To remedy this, I cranked up the contrast big time by painting the trim work and the siding a deep warm charcoal color. Having the back wall painted a darker color enhances the sense of depth and shows off the unique design of the entry. I also hit the ceiling with a white paint that makes both the dark paint pop and the beautifully creamy color of the stone stand out. To round out the color scheme, I added rich, warm wood accents to the home. Beautiful wood detail is a very common element of this design style, and the lack of it on this home just didn't seem right. Adding a wooden front door with modern glass inserts, some extra trim around the entry area, and a sleek wooden planter out front was just what it needed to set off the style. The color change alone really transformed the look of the home (don't you love how the skylight that was nearly lost before just pops now!?), but I said there were two main issues here... the first was the paint color, but the second was the landscaping. The landscaping of this home had become just a bit unruly. It translated as overgrown and out of control, which is the opposite of what you want if your home is sporting a clean and tailored, mid-century style. To start with, I removed some of the smaller trees from the yard, as well as the ground cover near the entry. Keeping the yard relatively minimal and grassy lets the house be the star here. Adding the wooden planter bed out front allows for visual interest and plant life, but makes it look more intentional and keeps it from getting overwhelming. It also provides a great place to display a modern set of house numbers. So what do you think of Carole's mid-century home makeover? What would you do if this were your home? Thanks again, Carole for reaching out and letting me work up some ideas for your beautiful home! If you have a design dilemma you'd like to see us tackle, be sure to check out our services page for more info. Have a great week! Save Save Save Save Save Save Save Save Save Save Save Save Save Save Save Save Save Save Save Save Save Save Save Save