There's a huge movement of women like me who work all day and dream all night about the perfect interior decorating ideas for our homes. And when I can't work at it all day, I daydream about it and look at endless pictures on Pinterest of things that would be great to find the time for. :p Sounds familiar? Then chances are we both have a lot in common and should probably meet and exchange decorating ideas over a cup of coffee! But even if not possible, I love exchanging ideas on decorating with people across the globe. There's just so much to learn from every corner. I have a recent interest in decorating the outside of my home and thought that it would be nice with this blog post to share some ideas for just that. We've a rather big house of two floors and seven bedrooms that is large enough to house the Vontrapp Family any day! So, while the interiors have always been my prime focus, I decided that this season I'd like to dress up the outside a bit. Here are some ideas that I had:
More Plants!
I love plants and flowers, but it occurred to me recently that I actually have more, minus the front lawn, in the house than outside. So I decided that I'm going to put more flowers outside, especially in front of the house along the path leading to the front door. If the entrance of your house is exposed to a lot of sunlight then pretty much any outdoor flowering plant will make you proud, but careful not to grow the ones that need a bit more shade to grow well. The flowers, especially those at the entrance, are the tell-tale sign of your hospitality and care of the family indoors. Hence, you don't want to have the delicate ones that need less sunlight in the front or they might dry out, die, and not look too welcoming. I've grown lilies along the walkway and lawn, as well as morning glories on a thin cord up both sides of our house because these need direct sunlight. Research which plants do best indoors and which do best outdoors, which ones needs more sunlight and which need more shade.
More Paint!
Weather and time does something awful for even the freshest looking dwelling, because it just strips and dulls the paint. The perfect time to paint the house would definitely be right now, in the summer, when there is not too much rain. You don't want the rain to come and wash off all your hard work. A fresh coat of paint or even a new colour all together can really make a home light up. At the same time, don't choose colours that will look tacky, cheap, or trying-too-hard. Not to sound like a prude here, but do try painting your house the same colour combinations as homes in swankier parts of town. It says a lot for your class and quality. :) Painting the exterior of the house doesn't have to be an expensive project either. If you go ahead and buy your own paint there are plenty of small companies who specialise in such things or even individuals who are happy to do it for you for a relatively low cost. Another thing is that if your house is big then you may also have to look into a scaffolding hire company. Depending on which part of the world you live in, it may or may not be so easy to find. But do ask around, that's usually the easiest. I do know that on home soil there are scaffolding Sydney based companies who are helpful, reliable, and can be hired without any hassle. It’s worth looking into. :)
More Lights!
After painting the house, the next step would be to dress it with lights! I just love lights. Whatever the shape, size, or colour I always have room in my house for new lighting. It's fun to play with the feeling of the room or even the entire house just by changing the lighting. The big bright white tubes make the place look very practical and easily accessible, the bright yellow bulbs give a classy and sophisticated look, and the dimmer bulbs make everything look so very romantic. I already have fixtures all around the outside of the house but never really used them. So step one that I'm planning is to paint the fixtures and then step two put medium bright yellow bulbs.
Share any other ideas if you have any. I'm open to new DIY ideas! :)
Happy decorating.
More Plants!
I love plants and flowers, but it occurred to me recently that I actually have more, minus the front lawn, in the house than outside. So I decided that I'm going to put more flowers outside, especially in front of the house along the path leading to the front door. If the entrance of your house is exposed to a lot of sunlight then pretty much any outdoor flowering plant will make you proud, but careful not to grow the ones that need a bit more shade to grow well. The flowers, especially those at the entrance, are the tell-tale sign of your hospitality and care of the family indoors. Hence, you don't want to have the delicate ones that need less sunlight in the front or they might dry out, die, and not look too welcoming. I've grown lilies along the walkway and lawn, as well as morning glories on a thin cord up both sides of our house because these need direct sunlight. Research which plants do best indoors and which do best outdoors, which ones needs more sunlight and which need more shade.
More Paint!
Weather and time does something awful for even the freshest looking dwelling, because it just strips and dulls the paint. The perfect time to paint the house would definitely be right now, in the summer, when there is not too much rain. You don't want the rain to come and wash off all your hard work. A fresh coat of paint or even a new colour all together can really make a home light up. At the same time, don't choose colours that will look tacky, cheap, or trying-too-hard. Not to sound like a prude here, but do try painting your house the same colour combinations as homes in swankier parts of town. It says a lot for your class and quality. :) Painting the exterior of the house doesn't have to be an expensive project either. If you go ahead and buy your own paint there are plenty of small companies who specialise in such things or even individuals who are happy to do it for you for a relatively low cost. Another thing is that if your house is big then you may also have to look into a scaffolding hire company. Depending on which part of the world you live in, it may or may not be so easy to find. But do ask around, that's usually the easiest. I do know that on home soil there are scaffolding Sydney based companies who are helpful, reliable, and can be hired without any hassle. It’s worth looking into. :)
More Lights!
After painting the house, the next step would be to dress it with lights! I just love lights. Whatever the shape, size, or colour I always have room in my house for new lighting. It's fun to play with the feeling of the room or even the entire house just by changing the lighting. The big bright white tubes make the place look very practical and easily accessible, the bright yellow bulbs give a classy and sophisticated look, and the dimmer bulbs make everything look so very romantic. I already have fixtures all around the outside of the house but never really used them. So step one that I'm planning is to paint the fixtures and then step two put medium bright yellow bulbs.
Share any other ideas if you have any. I'm open to new DIY ideas! :)
Happy decorating.
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