Timeless Exterior Design
Several structural formations fall into the traditional design. Many people believe that a traditional home means square and plain. This is anything but the truth. Homes can have dimension and still be traditional. There are some elements that stick out to maintain this style with a few modern design elements being included just to update the facades of homes.
Grand Entry
Unlike modern and contemporary designs, in a traditional home, the entry should be absolutely recognizable. The door should be a statement. Larger doors that are in a bold color such as red, black or green are ideal. Guests should not have to wonder where the front door is. Pillars are also common with a roof-like covering over the door. You should also have lighting on each side of the door for guests to easily find their way after dark.
Well-Manicured Landscaping
The landscaping of a home is very important in regards to exterior appeal. In a traditional landscape design you will see shrubbery and shaped bushes along with some colorful flowers for ground cover. Trees and ornamental grass should be kept away from traditional landscaping designs. Flowers are also often used to adorn walkways to help them to be more defined too.
Shutters
Homes that are classified as traditional often have shutters. This is the single case where adding a third color to the exterior is permissible. The color choice is important. It should contrast, often matching the entry door color, but still match the color palate of the rest of the home.
Examples of shutter colors in regards to trim color:
· Black shutters with white trim
· White shutters with dark trim
· Green shutters with tan trim
· Red shutters with a gray and white home
There are rare cases where shutters are actually functional. Most of the time, nowadays anyway, they are merely for decoration and to maintain a design style.
Tall Peaks
It is common to see tall peaks to add dimension to roof tops in traditional exterior designs. On second stories of homes, bump out windows are often seen with a peak of their own. This adds a design element to the exterior that helps to set it apart from others on the block. The roof areas above entryways are also usually tall and pronounced. A-line frames that are at steep angles should be the style used. In rare occasions, a squared off peak may be seen. This is a symbol of an upper-class family residing at the property and was an easy way for families to establish where more distinguished neighborhoods were decades ago.
Large Front Porch
Porches do not have to wrap around the entire home but in a traditional design, there should be ample sitting room. It was very common for couples and families to sit on their front porches while enjoying a beverage. Neighbors would often come to have a conversation and children could play in the front yard safely. Porches should be covered but not screened in. Another common element of a front porch is a porch swing. It was seen as a romantic element that many young or newly married couples wanted included in their sitting spaces.
Traditional Colors
This may seem redundant, but white is the most traditional color chosen. This leaves a lot of room for trim color options. The most classic pairing of colors is white with black trim and a red statement door.
Other traditional colors:
· Creamy yellow
· Light blue
· Medium gray
· Tan
· Bold yellow
Regardless of the base color of the home, most porch areas were kept white. Pillars were also mostly kept white. It was seen as a way to define spaces and make a home stand out more.
If you are looking for a traditional home design, use the items above as your guide. Curb appeal is important meaning that color choice, clean exteriors and landscaping all need to be well-maintained. The outside of a home often leaves the biggest impression on potential home buyers and as how others in the neighborhood will perceive your property. You can stray from traditional colors a bit to make your home stand out it is more important to maintain a single base color and single trim color than the actual colors chosen.
Grand Entry
Unlike modern and contemporary designs, in a traditional home, the entry should be absolutely recognizable. The door should be a statement. Larger doors that are in a bold color such as red, black or green are ideal. Guests should not have to wonder where the front door is. Pillars are also common with a roof-like covering over the door. You should also have lighting on each side of the door for guests to easily find their way after dark.
Well-Manicured Landscaping
The landscaping of a home is very important in regards to exterior appeal. In a traditional landscape design you will see shrubbery and shaped bushes along with some colorful flowers for ground cover. Trees and ornamental grass should be kept away from traditional landscaping designs. Flowers are also often used to adorn walkways to help them to be more defined too.
Shutters
Homes that are classified as traditional often have shutters. This is the single case where adding a third color to the exterior is permissible. The color choice is important. It should contrast, often matching the entry door color, but still match the color palate of the rest of the home.
Examples of shutter colors in regards to trim color:
· Black shutters with white trim
· White shutters with dark trim
· Green shutters with tan trim
· Red shutters with a gray and white home
There are rare cases where shutters are actually functional. Most of the time, nowadays anyway, they are merely for decoration and to maintain a design style.
Tall Peaks
It is common to see tall peaks to add dimension to roof tops in traditional exterior designs. On second stories of homes, bump out windows are often seen with a peak of their own. This adds a design element to the exterior that helps to set it apart from others on the block. The roof areas above entryways are also usually tall and pronounced. A-line frames that are at steep angles should be the style used. In rare occasions, a squared off peak may be seen. This is a symbol of an upper-class family residing at the property and was an easy way for families to establish where more distinguished neighborhoods were decades ago.
Large Front Porch
Porches do not have to wrap around the entire home but in a traditional design, there should be ample sitting room. It was very common for couples and families to sit on their front porches while enjoying a beverage. Neighbors would often come to have a conversation and children could play in the front yard safely. Porches should be covered but not screened in. Another common element of a front porch is a porch swing. It was seen as a romantic element that many young or newly married couples wanted included in their sitting spaces.
Traditional Colors
This may seem redundant, but white is the most traditional color chosen. This leaves a lot of room for trim color options. The most classic pairing of colors is white with black trim and a red statement door.
Other traditional colors:
· Creamy yellow
· Light blue
· Medium gray
· Tan
· Bold yellow
Regardless of the base color of the home, most porch areas were kept white. Pillars were also mostly kept white. It was seen as a way to define spaces and make a home stand out more.
If you are looking for a traditional home design, use the items above as your guide. Curb appeal is important meaning that color choice, clean exteriors and landscaping all need to be well-maintained. The outside of a home often leaves the biggest impression on potential home buyers and as how others in the neighborhood will perceive your property. You can stray from traditional colors a bit to make your home stand out it is more important to maintain a single base color and single trim color than the actual colors chosen.