How to achieve an ‘architecturally designed’ style home.

Article

Most people would love an ‘architecturally designed’ home. But what is it that makes it so? What are the ingredients for achieving a house facade that stands out for the right reasons?

The answer is simple: these houses adhere to the ‘Golden Design Rules’; a set of design principles that architects and exterior designers have been using for centuries.

So what are the Golden Design Rules, and how can you apply them to your property? As a professional exterior designer, here are my top 5 strategies you can try for yourself;

Grbavac -BEFORE Grbavac Facade AFTER

1. Balance
Getting a ‘balanced’ look on the front façade of your home is essential to a visually appealing effect – but can be tricky to recover from if you get it wrong.

This doesn’t mean that everything has to be symmetrical or equally spaced apart or anything like that, but there has to be some sense of proportion and spatial balance.

Take a look at a workers cottage vs a contemporary house with a skillion roof. Both achieve visual balance, but in entirely different ways.

2. House Materials and Textures
The materials and texture choices (cladding, stone, timber, landscaping) are a critical component of a designer looking home. Textures can be used to add interest to make a home more interesting (if currently quite ‘flat’ looking) or textures can be reduced to make a home look less chaotic.

You can use different materials and textures to accentuate some areas and downplay others. Personal preference definitely comes into play of course and should always be the primary driver when selecting your colours, finishes and textures.

The best way to update the façade of your home is to weave the look and materials you love, in with the existing shapes and materials of your home’s exterior.

Exterior colour choices
Getting the colour combination right for your exterior can make or break a renovation. It pays to think about what you are trying to achieve with the colour choices. Colours can be a clever way to provide depth, shorten, widen or lengthen spaces and you can also use it to camouflage or accentuate different elements. A common misconception is that a lick of paint will solve all, but a great looking home exterior goes much deeper than that.

Making the entryway your focal point.
One of the areas that many renovators forget to take into account is the entryway. You want your front entrance to draw the eye in and extend a welcome to family and friends. You could make a bold statement here or gently draw focus by using a colour that is a shade or two lighter or darker than the façade. Clever use of lighting and landscaping is also key to a designer-looking entry and façade.

Landscaping for maximum effect
There is more to landscaping than just filling up garden beds with a plethora of plants. Take another look at the architectural features of your facade. Is your house top heavy? Is it brick or timber? Is it high-set or low-set? Your landscaping needs to work with and anchor the house, so choose plants that will achieve this.

As a general rule of thumb, choose visually heavier looking plants if your home is made of a heavy material like brick. A house made of a lighter material like timber can get away with using daintier plants or going with plants that are less visually heavy.

Accomplishing a cohesive designer look for your façade is a complicated process (a lot more difficult than what it seems), but it is achievable if you employ these design tips.

Jane Eyles-Bennett x

P.S Want help achieving ‘architecturally designed’-type status for your home? Send me an enquiry here and I’ll see if I can help.