Dear Homework,
My husband and I purchased a home in October that we would love to give a Mediterranean feel. We want to paint the exterior a light beige/cream color and the windows a beige or dark brown or black. We also need additional landscaping in the front and are adding parking for a few cars just off the driveway. We always love your ideas. Please help us make our new house a dream home.
—Make Mine Mediterranean
Dear Make Mine Mediterranean,
I’m not sure how ‘authentic’ you want your house to feel. I have chosen a minimal approach to create the essence of Mediterranean style. To begin, the symmetrical, wide overhang and shallow-roofed feel of your existing home is a great starting point. Adding the turned balusters and changing the paint color, as you suggest, go a long way toward altering the feel of the property. Changing the window color will be difficult since most modern windows are clad with a finish baked onto a metal wrap that doesn’t hold dark paint well. I have left them white, which is also appropriate for your look. A final architectural change is the addition of two new coach lamps flanking the entry.
The most impactful changes here are achieved through landscape additions. Mediterranean design usually has a close relationship between powerful architecture and powerful landscape architecture. In this case, I show a new symmetrical scheme that aligns two new brick piers and flower urns with the ground-floor windows. Hornbeam trees offer the vertical accent that Lombardy Poplars would provide in Italy. Boxwood hedges define a new parking court and adjacent entry court. Not only do these landscape initiatives add to the Mediterranean feel, they also help the property feel less barren and help it sit more comfortably on its generous lawn.
If expense is no object, you could add more architectural details, such as ornamental brackets or a red tile roof, to enhance its authenticity.
Hopefully this gives you some ideas you can use,
—Homework
[HomeWork is penned by Paul Doerner, president, The Lawrence Group. If you would like your home critiqued, contact us at homework@townandstyle.com]
