HOME TRENDS: Ideas for upgrading your home’s exterior

Your home's exterior is its first impression, so upgrades there may be essential if you are thinking about putting it on the market. iSTOCK/COX

Credit: Getty Images

Credit: Getty Images

Your home's exterior is its first impression, so upgrades there may be essential if you are thinking about putting it on the market. iSTOCK/COX

A home’s exterior is the first impression people have of your home, and for those who never enter inside, it will be your only chance to convey your style and preferences.

Therefore, focusing on the exterior just as much as the interior of your home’s design is a must. The following are a few current, popular exterior home trends:

Outdoor entertainment and kitchens

Bring the indoors out by creating outdoor entertainment or kitchen spaces. This can include installing luxury appliances outdoors or equipping a covered space with plush outdoor seating or full-sized fridges. It can also include high-end patios and furnishings, beautifully appointed fire pits, and TVs. If you have the outdoor space to spare, creating an outdoor space where you can entertain is a great idea, and it’s perfect at this time of year to enjoy the televised football games.

Embracing sustainability

Sustainable materials for the exterior are now being embraced by homeowners. This includes installing products that are durable and built for resilience that won’t have to be replaced too soon because they wear out quickly. Materials such as fiber cement siding, PVC, composite decking, and metal roofs are trending. Metal roofs continue to grow in popularity, thanks to the fact that they last between 40 and 70 years. This exterior trend also includes the plants you choose, such as clover lawns or drought-resistant gardens. In other words, choosing plants that are sustainable and don’t require a great deal of attention.

Incorporating vintage elements

Another trend that is increasing in popularity in home exteriors throughout the nation includes incorporating vintage or cozy accent pieces, replacing the presence of modern varieties. For example, some previously beloved accents like wrought iron fences, wood-like elements, and even wicker are becoming more popular, as are vintage lawn pieces and colorful fabrics on outdoor pieces. In fact, warm and bold colors are once again becoming popular, with more homeowners choosing warmer colors like tans, browns, and off-white tones, along with warm metal accents like brass and gold, over stark black and white options. The bolder, warmer colors show up in accents like trim, door colors, and more.

Embracing texture

As it is often combined with warm tones and bold accents, it makes sense that textures are also trending in exterior design. Stone accents and other textural elements are being added to many home exteriors currently.

How you design your home’s exterior should be based on your own individual preferences. However, the above trends will highlight some of what is being seen by designers and home builders throughout the nation. Most of these trends call to mind sustainability, durability, rich colors and warmth over crisp, more minimal designs and those void of color that were more popular in previous years.

Don’t be afraid to embrace texture and vintage pieces along with bringing the indoors outside with these exterior home trends.