Impressive street appeal - perfecting your front facade
First impressions do count and that’s why the facade is probably the single most important thing to decide when building a home.
Street appeal is important and adds value to your home. When making a decision about your facade, you also need to think about the inside of your home as well. It’s really important that the style of the home is consistent from the exterior to the interior, from the outside in.
Colour theme and styling needs to flow and be consistent. Only your close friends and family will see inside your home. The whole world can see your facade. You want a facade that welcomes you home each night.
Rebecca Burrows, Henley Design’s Colour and Design Consultant, shares her tips and insights on what makes a head-turning façade.
Balance is key
A facade is the first thing you see and needs to be appealing and make a great first impression. It is one of the most important decisions when deciding to build your home. Balance is key.
Rebecca says, “Consider window proportions, roof line, articulation, colour and the use of different cladding or textured materials. Your home wants to blend in with the streetscape but also needs to show some individuality.”
Your style, your choice
“Contemporary and modern facades are still popular and dominate the market today. These have strong, clean lines and are minimal. Roofs use flat shingle tiles or steel Colorbond roofing. However we have seen an increase in popularity for more traditional facades like Henley’s Marquess or Eastport Facade which are influenced and follow on from the popularity of the Hamptons and French Provincial styling of today.” Rebecca adds.
“These facades feature decorative window moulding and linear or weatherboard cladding. Greys, white and dark charcoal are predominately the colour palette of choice. Monochromatic schemes. When choosing grey it’s important to consider whether you want a cooler blue tone of grey or a warmer greige hue.”
Fabulous external features
External materials are important to consider - brick or render, stained timber cladding or painted weatherboard cladding, tiled roof or colourbond roof, feature tiles, feature brick or feature stack stone.
Rebecca says, “Using a mix of textures adds interest. Be creative. Once you decide on the textures think about colour. Pick colours that compliment, blend or contrast. The design of your windows and front entry door can make a statement. Consider whether your windows are horizontal or vertical. If your front door has glazing, match it to the shape of the glazing to your windows.”
“Highlight pillars or porch projections with render, a feature tile or stone. Cedar garages and cedar cladding also add depth and interest. Keep a balance and don’t have too much going on. Consider the maintenance of the materials you use. Stained timber or painted timber will require more maintenance than brick or stack stone.”
Three is a magical number
“External cladding materials are a personal preference. Using the right mixture of textures or colours is key. The magic number is three. Try and limit it to 3 or 4 different materials (brick, render and timber cladding) or 3 different colours (light main render, dark feature render and timber stain).
“A well-balanced home design will use the same colour on many finishes ie garage and window colour will match. Front door and timber cladding stain will match. Feature tile and garage will match in colour tone.” Rebecca adds.
Which façade style do you love?
