Trending: Curb Appeal

Because you have only one chance to make a good first impression, everything about your home’s exterior matters: The landscaping, hardscapes, windows, entryway and driveway combine to offer a portrait, and who wouldn’t want it to be museum-quality? Use an artist’s eye to attend to every detail, adding a little color here and a little texture there, until you’re satisfied with the canvas.

[mailboxes]
No detail is too small to enhance your home montage. Upgrade your mailbox and don’t be afraid to show a little personality. The Coronado from Architectural Mailboxes, shown here in black with antique bronze accents, is available in 15 different body and frame color combinations. You also can find mailboxes that depict your penchant for anything from golf to gardening.
Photo: Architectural Mailboxes

[landscaping]
Professional landscaper Pam Kuhn of Exteriors in Bloom says, “Color is a head turner. It can come in many forms: annuals, flowering shrubs, even foliage.” To enhance this landscape, she used coleus and pink, dark-leaf begonias along the walkway, complemented by ivy geraniums and vinca vine in the planters.
Photo: Exteriors in Bloom

[lighting]
The sky’s the limit when it comes to outdoor lighting. Take advantage of lamposts, sidelights, walkway lighting and more to highlight your home and, of course, light the exterior for functional reasons. Pictured: the small Fluores wall lantern in Mambo Bronze from Wilson Lighting.
Photo: Wilson Lighting

[welcome mat]
Greet your guests with West Elm’s simple and stylish ‘Good Day’ Coir Doormat. Not only is it tasteful, it also absorbs moisture and resists mildew.
Photo: West Elm

[maximize your entry]
Mosby Building Arts built a covered entry for a local home that originally had a flat front. Pillars, an arched canopy, and a wide paver stone walk all say ‘welcome.’ Decorative stone and flower-filled planters lead to the zero-clearance door.
Photo: Mosby Building Arts

[driveway detail]
Stamped concrete offers a beautiful alternative to basic asphalt and comes in a vast array of pattern and color options. For this garage addition, Mosby Building Arts made a new stamped concrete driveway look like red brick.
Photo: Mosby Building Arts

[house numbers]
Prairie-style copper house numbers by Milwaukee-based Mackintosh Design are cast from solid copper at a Kansas City foundry with a minimum of 95 percent recycled materials, then oil-rubbed to preserve the finish until the natural patina process begins.
Photo: Mackintosh Design

[elegant planters]
Go beyond basic clay pots and make a statement with dramatic planters like the squat, urn-shaped Casilla planter from Horchow. It’s handcrafted of pulverized natural stone and polyresin, then hand-painted with an outdoor-safe latex finish.
Photo: Horchow