Finishing Your Home Exterior In Style — MELANIE LISSACK INTERIORS

yellow porch door — *Porch painted in* *Annie Sloan Chalk Paint: Tilton*

When it comes to the exterior of your home, there are a lot of things that you can do to make the most of your curb appeal. A visually appealing home exterior will add value to your property, give a good first impression to any guests visiting and elevate the area that you live in. From simple tasks that take a short amount of time to DIY jobs that might take you a weekend, here are six things that you can do to improve the front of your home instantly.

london house pathway — *Dandelion Solar Powered Garden Lights by* *Annabel James*.

Get rid of the weeds

Weeds growing in the gaps of patio tiles or paving bricks immediately make a home look uncared for. Weeds often grow when the temperature is warm but there has been rainfall, so expect them to pop up mostly during spring or early autumn. While you can buy weed killers and toxic sprays, these can be harmful to the environment, so it’s best to try and pull as many weeds out naturally as possible. Some great gardening tools on the market make this job easier (such as electric weed pullers and handheld combi system scrapers for moss build-up). However, if you don’t have time for weed maintenance, look to modernise your driveway and opt for exposed aggregate concrete for a smooth and seamless finish that weeds cannot penetrate.

Clean your window frames

While most of us clean our windows, we often forget about the frames. Car fumes, rainfall and air pollutants can create a build-up of black spores, making windows look dirty and leaving houses looking shabby. While wooden sash windows often require regular sanding back and re-painting, UPVC windows can be transformed with a large sponge, warm water and some Cif cleaning agent.

Polish your door hardware

Like cleaning your window frames, polishing up your door hardware can be transformative as it brings it ‘back to life’ - you’ll kick yourself for not doing it sooner! After removing the hardware with a screwdriver, I like to use Brasso and an old toothbrush to polish up my door furniture.

Give your front door a colour boost

While painting your front door might be an obvious idea to tidy up your frontage, have you considered painting your front door in a bright, eye-catching colour? Vivid doors are visually pleasing and will bring you joy every time you return home. I particularly love yellow, orange or olive green doors for a cheerful entrance. Try Little Greene’s ‘Yellow Pink’ or ‘Olive Colour’ for a door dopamine boost.

Add planters

From colourful pansy-filled planters to green buxus balls, simply adding colour out the front of your home via plants instantly elevates your home’s exterior. Don’t worry if you are not a natural gardener - most garden nursery supply centres sell pre-planted pots or hanging baskets containing seasonal border plants that you can simply pop outside your door!

plants by blue door — *Plants and pots all from* *Dobbies*

Exterior lighting

There is now a vast array of stylish exterior lighting available that will light up your porch or path walkway on dark evenings and look super smart in the daytime. From traditional hanging lanterns for period properties to downlights for modern homes, choose a lighting style that complements the architectural design of your building.

london townhouse — *Davey Lighting Box Wall Light in Weathered Brass By* *Original BTC*