From contemporary to urban farmhouse to traditional there are countless options available for designing home exteriors. Often it can be difficult for your clients to choose just one.
Here are some top scalable trends for home exteriors to help them decide.
Wood, natural stone and stone veneer
Using wood as an accent or on walls, for posts or shutters and in some cases as a material to cover an entire home exterior, is a recent scalable trend. This is a green option that homeowners appreciate for its nature-inspired styling and its beautiful honeyed colours – especially when the sun hits the surface. Wood can be painted, but you will find more people are choosing to leave their wooden exterior sections natural, stained and sealed. Used as a standalone feature or as a part of a more complex build, wooden exteriors add a warm feel to any home.
Stone veneer is a great and popular choice that add an organic and earthy feel to a new home build. Stones like limestone, granite, marble and sandstone are common natural stones used in home building. When matched with a beautifully landscaped property, they can offer a stately look. Stone, however, often comes with a heavier price tag and more work, while stone veneer offers all the appeal and versatility of natural stone, for less.
Sunlight and shade – using the rotation of the earth
Making use of the natural light of day can add a lot to the design of a home’s exterior. Much like deciding where to plant flowers strategically for their specific daylight requirements, choosing where to situate outdoor elements on a property may have to do with where the sun rises and sets, which side of the street the house is situated on and ultimately which cardinal direction the home faces.
Different people want different things. Individuals with homes facing west may have considered a front porch built to suit breakfast on a patio, while that same household might prefer an outdoor kitchen and BBQ setup to entertain in the backyard to catch afternoon rays. In any case, matching materials used for exterior entertainment nooks with the home itself adds cohesion.
Dark exteriors, black accents and the continued appeal of black and white
The high contrast trend is classy and strong and definitely scalable. Black trim on a white house creates a clean look, and more homes are being built with wholly dark colours, incorporating combinations of black stone veneer, weathered steel or various dark stained woods.
Black always delivers a dramatic sensibility and homeowners who choose to design their home this way are often going for a sleek and modern style. Brass or copper accents add drama as does architectural landscaping. If light appeals more than dark, a white home exudes a classic style of its own and can attract with clean lines and minimalist elegance.
Urban Brick Smooth
Shouldice Stone’s Urban Brick Smooth is a perfect choice for creating any of the above designs. This product can be used as the main, supporting or accent material on any build style and complements houses designed with dark themes, black accents or a black or white style. Urban Brick Smooth is available in Polar, an off-white colour, Galaxy, a rich black and Oxenden, a light sand tone.
For further inspiration, check out Urban Brick Smooth for a versatile and complementary stone brick that will fit in nicely with the design styles of the day.
