How to Avoid the Buffet Letdown: When Less Becomes More
When it comes to exterior home design, today’s buyers are confronted with a multitude of choices including siding profiles, window grille patterns, stone veneer styles, shutters, trim profiles, hand rail profiles and much more.
And that’s before even getting to color! (There’s so much more out there than beige!)
Deciding which components to use can be overwhelming. It’s often tempting to use as much variety as possible – you don’t want your home to be “plain” or “ordinary,” of course!
I like to equate this process to going to an amazing Sunday brunch buffet. You excitedly cram one of everything on your plate and next thing you know, things are spilling over the edge, you’ve got olives in your fruit salad and you’re incredibly overwhelmed. Not a fun way to start the day (or a remodeling project!)
After a buffet, I always feel overloaded–too much of a good thing indeed. Fortunately, by the next day, it’s all behind me and life returns to normal.
Imagine you approach your exterior design similarly, like a buffet. You’ve got some stone veneer and four different siding profiles and every window has a different grille pattern. Looking at the home will feel similarly overwhelming, but now the results are far more permanent.
So what’s a homeowner or buyer to do? The answer lies in historical styles with timeless appeal. Rather than starting with various, individual building components to create the exterior, start with forming an exterior style. Select one that matches your personality and that uses the color, textures and materials you love. The result will be a timeless exterior that will look great long after the “buffet” has ended.
Over the next few months, together we will explore a variety of these architectural styles and the building components that reinforce and accentuate the style. Rather than a history lesson, we’ll look at the various styles as individual personalities to help you find the one that’s right for you.
Up next, I’ll explore the personality and characteristics of the Craftsman Style. Stay tuned!