Exterior decorating is the part that gets seen before any other part of the house. It matters in a way that interior decorating doesn't — it's the first impression, and it's visible to everyone who passes.
01The front door treatment
A front door that's been painted a deliberate color, with hardware in a unified finish and a wreath or seasonal decoration that fits the aesthetic, is a designed entry. The same door in a faded, indeterminate color with builder hardware is not. The front door is the best return on exterior decorating investment and it costs a day and $60.
02Planters and container gardens
Symmetrical planters flanking the front entry signal arrival and frame the door the same way flanking sconces frame a bathroom mirror. Use matching containers in a material that works with the house exterior — cast concrete for a contemporary house, terra cotta for a Mediterranean aesthetic, painted wood for a traditional or farmhouse look. Plant in a combination of a tall element, a mid-height filler, and a trailing element that spills over the edge.
03House numbers
House numbers that are large enough to read from the street — 4 inches minimum — in a finish that coordinates with the front door hardware are a small detail with an outsized visual impact. The standard brushed brass numbers that came with the house are not a design choice. They're a default.
04Seasonal decorating
Seasonal wreaths on the front door and planter arrangements updated for each season (spring bulbs, summer annuals, fall chrysanthemums and ornamental kale, winter greens and berries) provide year-round visual interest without permanent changes to the exterior. The investment is in the planters and the container — the seasonal plants are modest-cost and temporary.
Marcus Webb is a general contractor and home maintenance writer based in Columbus, Ohio. He writes about the repairs and installs that come up every year in every house — the practical, repeating work that keeps a home livable.