How to Achieve a Quiet Luxury Aesthetic in Your Exterior Home Design
By: Britteny
Quiet luxury is a style movement that started on the runways and is making its way into home design too. Never heard of it before? Don’t worry. In this post, we explain what quiet luxury is and share some of the hallmarks of this design style.
Keep reading to learn more about quiet luxury and discover how to achieve the aesthetic for your home exterior.
Whether you want your exterior to give off quiet luxury vibes or reflect a more in-your-face design style, we’re here for you. We can help you visualize any desired updates to your home exterior — and recommend some you might not have thought of on your own — before you start renovating. With our customized design in hand, you can confidently begin tackling your home exterior project. Learn more about our virtual exterior design services.
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What is quiet luxury?
Quiet luxury is an understated design aesthetic in which less is more. It’s about being intentional with your design choices and prioritizing quality rather than succumbing to the latest fads just for the sake of being on trend.
To achieve a quiet luxury aesthetic, every aspect of the design should play an important role without stealing the spotlight. Items are carefully curated, not conspicuous, and made from elevated materials that will stand the test of time. The goal is long-term appeal and elegance that seems effortless. The vibe is inviting, not opulent. Pared-back, not cluttered. Personalized, not trendy.
In the fashion world, brands like The Row, Bottega Veneta, and Max Mara are known for their quiet luxury designs and elevated classics. Thanks to these fashion power houses and the popularity of shows like “Succession,” interest in quiet luxury is growing and crossing over into other industries, such as home design.
Now that we’ve covered the basics of quiet luxury, read on for our tips for incorporating the aesthetic into your exterior design.
Try a timeless color palette
Picking the perfect color palette for your home is important regardless of the design style you’re trying to emulate. But it’s especially crucial to get right when you’re after a quiet luxury aesthetic.
We suggest sticking to a timeless color palette featuring soft neutrals. Off-whites, beiges, and tan hues are smart selections, but rich colors like navy, charcoal gray, chocolate brown, and olive green can work well too.
The stucco on the home above is rendered in Sherwin Williams’ Greek Villa, a warm off-white hue with subtle yellow undertones. For the trim, we chose Sherwin Williams’ Skyline Steel, a warm neutral gray. Light stone accents add a sense of sophistication to the design, while the wood elements give the façade more warmth. This color palette works well on the home now, and it will still look lovely decades down the road.
Incorporate natural materials
Natural materials, such as wood and stone, are used frequently in quiet luxury-inspired designs. In the rendering above, our designers used dark-stained wood siding in the entrance area rather than the painted siding featured on the rest of the exterior. The chevron-paneled dutch door manages to seamlessly blend into the siding while still adding a wow factor to the design.
Our team took a similar approach to this home design with a wood accent wall and a contemporary wood door. We also incorporated a contemporary garage door with clean lines and no windows, which really allows the beautiful natural wood to stand out. Though the color palette is decidedly dark, there’s a richness and warmth to it that gives the exterior a luxurious look.
Painting and limewashing stone is quite popular these days, but for this home design, we decided to keep the client’s existing stone natural. We complemented the stone with beige siding, as well as wood and copper design elements. The end result is a modern rustic exterior that feels luxurious and down to earth at the same time.
Play with texture
While quiet luxury designs usually shy away from bold, flashy colors, they tend to utilize texture to create depth and visual interest. The home above features multiple different cladding materials, each with their own unique texture. On top of that, it has a shingle roof, smooth stone steps that create the walkway, and smaller, rougher stone pavers near the entrance. Finally, a third type of stone frames the wood front door.
Focus on quality
From the custom wood front door and modern glass garage doors to the pendant light and the staggered stone steps, every element in this design is high-quality and elevates the exterior. Investing in premium items that are well-made will do wonders for your curb appeal and help you get the quiet luxury look you’re after.
Quiet luxury home in the woods
Now that we’ve shared some of our tips for achieving a quiet luxury aesthetic, let’s break down some design examples that exemplify the style.
This Maryland homeowner enlisted our help to “create the feel of a quiet luxury home in the woods but not a cabin.” She noted that she favored natural materials and wanted the exterior to feel modern and rustic.
To achieve this, we recommended wood siding rendered in a dark gray with a rich, even darker gray on the fascia and soffits. Our design also features light stone accents and stained wood for the columns, doors, and awning ceiling. We also used wood siding for the dormer window and antique copper light fixtures.
Pared-back pool area
This backyard design features a luxury amenity that’s at the top of many homeowners’ wish lists — a pool. We kept the home’s color palette simple — Benjamin Moore’s White Dove on the brick and siding with Black on the eaves — and the accessories around the pool to a minimum to allow the water feature to be a focal point.
A simple set of lounge chairs, a side table, a cozy rug, and some planters are the only items in the pool area.
Here’s another example of a simple-but-luxurious backyard design. The water view is the main attraction in this backyard, so we kept the hardscaping and decor simple to avoid distracting from the breathtaking scenery. A few chairs by the pool and a lounge area facing the water are all that’s needed to enjoy this outdoor oasis.
The bottom line on quiet luxury home exteriors
Achieving a quiet luxury aesthetic for your home exterior is easier than you might think. With the right color palette, building materials, and accessories, your home will exude understated elegance and subtle sophistication. We hope this roundup of exterior designs has offered you plenty of inspiration for your own renovation project.
P.S. If you want to explore other home styles, you can do so here. You can also discover what exterior design trends we’re keeping our eye on this year here.
From quiet luxury to organic modern to French country, we can help you achieve any design aesthetic you desire. We’ll recommend the best paint colors, cladding materials, and accessories and provide you with a shoppable resource list that’ll make bringing our design to life a breeze. Begin your exterior design project today.
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