Dear Homework,
We recently re-sided our home. Would you recommend adding shutters? If so, what color? Any suggestions for pepping up the landscape?
—To Shutter or Not to Shutter
Dear To Shutter or Not to Shutter,
To most eyes (mine included), your house appears too plain. Some very authentic Colonials can look great without shutters or porches, but yours doesn’t have the proportions and supporting detail to pull this look off. It needs more jewelry.
You will notice first that I have added cream-colored, pouched shutters with hinges and tie-backs to all the windows. This gives lots of instant detail and covers the blank areas of clapboard siding. I’ve also upgraded the front porch. The fussy gutters and downspouts are gone, and four new round columns have been added. The beam above them has been painted cream, which helps tie the porch together.
The altered landscape reinforces the facade’s symmetry and has an architectural feel. Tall, upright evergreens add importance to the porch, and the dark green color of all the evergreens adds a note of contrast with the beige siding that helps balance things out. An arc of red impatiens adds a jolt of color as a finishing touch.
I think the house now looks great and rather elegant. It now has an air of importance and completeness that moves it into the realm of beauty.
—Homework
Homework is penned by Paul Doerner, founding partner of the Lawrence Group. If you would like your home critiqued, contact us at homework@townandstyle.com.
