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2018 home exterior trends

2018 home exterior trends

Keeping up with interior design trends is important if you’re selling in a hot property market. But don’t overlook your home’s exterior. After all, this is the first impression a potential buyer has of your home, and you need an on-trend exterior to entice them through front door. 

Gone are the days when you just painted your house with a colour you didn’t hate and left it to the mercy of the elements. Today’s modern exteriors are a much more considered and integrated affair, as the team at Nexus Designs in South Melbourne explain.

1. Texture

Using texture in a contrasting or self-patterned way is a trend that is catching on for home exteriors. An example of textural contrast, says Nexus, is “using new COLORBOND® steel Matt for the roof and selecting standard COLORBOND® steel for gutters and trims.” 

Nexus have also noticed that bricks are increasing in popularity, especially in new, more elongated shapes. These can give a home eye catching shadow patterns when the sun is at the right angle. 

2. Red Bricks

Acres of red bricks can hurt the eyes but this classic building material is back in a more considered way. “It’s not being used for whole houses but used to enhance the building’s form,” says Nexus.

Homeowners can still enjoy the welcoming warmth of red brick but in conjunction with other curated materials for a more contemporary look. 

3. Natural Finishes

There is a marked interest in exposing the true nature of building materials at the moment, with homeowners desiring a more authentic approach to their home’s exteriors, rather than hiding or covering up. People want “a clear, natural or lightly stained finish, not timber that is disguised by heavy paint,” says Nexus. 

The natural, organic look extends to outdoor textiles with materials of cotton and light linen preferable for tablecloths, sofa cushions and throws.  

4. Neutrals

A neutral colour palette - greys, beiges, off-whites - are more sought after than bright colours and appeal to a sophisticated clientele. Using different materials within one colour palette is increasingly popular, says Nexus, for example “Silvery grey concrete, mid grey bricks, dark grey roofing, which links back into the texture trend”.

5. Integrating Peripheral Elements

A garden shed, garage door or water tank might provide a necessary function for a house, but it doesn’t mean they need to be an ugly afterthought. These still have an impact on the landscape and can be used to greater advantage. 

Therefore “new attention is being paid to ‘peripheral’ elements of the house including garage doors, fences, sheds, and water tanks, working with the house and also with the greater surroundings and streetscape,” says Nexus.

When you think about potential buyers seeing multiple homes in a day, modernising your home’s exterior to the latest trends is definitely one way to stand out from the crowd. So while it makes good sense to create a home that is pleasing to the eye on the inside, a creative, interesting or different exterior can have a much more memorable impact. 

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