Blogs by Sarah

15 Best Black and Dark Gray Paint Colors for Exteriors

We are seeing more and more clients choose black and dark gray paint colors for their home’s exterior. We couldn’t be more excited about this exterior paint trend. New technology in paint and siding allow for darker colors without fading, and more people are opting for bold, moody color palettes. With that in mind, we ...

Grey Stone Veneer Siding for North Carolina New Build

Linda B. and her husband Rick reached out to us to help them with the exterior design of their new build home in North Carolina. Importantly, their golf course community’s HOA required that at least 50% of their façade was either brick or stone. “I was puzzled on how to incorporate stone into the design ...

8 Wrap Around Porch Ideas for Your Home

When it comes to outdoor living, a wrap around porch is the dream of many homeowners. Covered outdoor spaces extend your livable square footage even when the weather isn’t great. They’re a wonderful place to enjoy watching a storm roll in or to bundle up when it’s cool. Porches are social, connecting you to your ...

9 Side Porch Designs We Love

We love a good side porch. Side porches can be small places for family members to kick off their shoes and access the home via a mudroom. Or they can be expansive outdoor spaces, complete with multiple areas for lounging and dining. Either way, we enjoy helping our clients fix up their existing side porches ...

Our Favorite Hardware for Garage Doors

Whether you have a newer garage door that’s in need of a bit of personality or you have an older garage door but you’re not looking to replace it any time soon, simply updating the hardware for a garage door can make a world of difference. From door handles/pulls to hinges to decorative accents, these ...

Embracing Your Shed Roof with Exterior Design

A shed roof can go by many other names: pent roof, lean-to roof, skillion roof, outshot, catslide, or mono-pitched roof. It is also one of the simplest of all roof styles used on homes. A shed roof has a single pitch, sloping in one direction. Many of the homes we design that have shed roofs ...

Japandi Style and Exterior Design

Japandi — Japanese and Scandi — combines the rustic minimalism of Japanese design with the functionality of Scandinavian style. The Japandi aesthetic emphasizes simplicity, clean lines, natural elements, and earth-tone colors. Japandi style design is a relatively new trend, but we’ve had an increasing number of clients reference it when sharing what exterior styles inspire ...

Our Favorite Year Round Front Door Wreaths

Front doors are statement-makers. One fun and easy way to dress up your front door is with a wreath. However, switching out wreaths seasonally is not for everyone. That’s why we’ve rounded up our favorite year round front door wreaths that you can set and forget. It includes both faux and real options. There’s a ...

8 Inspiring Modern Cottage House Exteriors

What is modern cottage style? We know that cottage-style homes are popular. But what does it mean when we add ‘modern’ to the mix? And how does this style translate to home exteriors, as opposed to an interior design aesthetic? Sometimes, it’s better to show than to tell. Read on for a handful of our ...