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FeedLove at First Sight
5 winning ways to increase your curb appeal
Red retreat
Chris and Alessandra Orthey loved their Edina home, but they knew it lacked curb appeal. Enter Gabriel Keller, associate at Domain Architecture & Design, the firm that helped the Ortheys spill their enthusiasm to the exterior.Architecture
The massive three-car garage dwarfed the existing home and hid the entryway. Keller and his team “cut open the house” and inserted a second-story owners’ suite encased in glass. “We wanted it to be functional and aesthetically pleasing,” says Keller. He also extended the rooflines to encourage continuity and took the garage down to two stalls—drawing attention to the entryway.Color
Alessandra, a native of Brazil, is very comfortable with modern design and bright, striking color, Keller says. The red-stained cedar siding draws the eye to the entryway, making it a warm and inviting focal point.Illumination
Keller and his team employed two lighting strategies for the Orthey’s home: They created a lantern of activity and light by illuminating the home’s interior; and they emphasizd the color and texture of the red-stained cedar while directing guests to the entryway by positioning lights appropriately on the exterior. “By lighting the interior, we gave the home a sense of arrival and presence that wasn’t there before,” Keller says. “For both the interior and the exterior, all of the lighting is indirect, to avoid glare and highlight the beautiful materials.”Curve Appeal
This Edina home was beautiful, but its surroundings didn’t do it justice. “The landscaping and hardscaping were not welcoming” says landscape designer Jeff Gaffney of MA Peterson, the firm that transformed the home’s landscape.
Photo provided by MA Peterson
Hardscaping
The original front veranda was worn, and the entry didn’t flow well because of the straight and narrow concrete walkway. Using the existing template, Gaffney built a new veranda to improve the flow. The flared front steps draw visitors to the door, while the steps up to the yard from the city sidewalk repeat the lines and materials. The curved, flared walkway also welcomes guests. “The walkway presents itself as a piece of art and allows guests to experience the home from various vantage points as they approach the entrance,” Gaffney says. “We strategically set it up in a welcoming way.”Landscaping
The existing landscaping lacked vibrancy and color. Gaffney and his team removed a large tree that obscured portions of the home’s façade and planted three new ones to frame the house. They added two new berms that feature tiger-stripe boulders and Mexican pebble dry creek beds for texture, and showcase Irish moss, salvia, yarrow, and dianthus for color.Lush Transformation
When landscape designer Andrea Roads moved into this St. Paul rambler nearly a decade ago, it demanded a true artist’s eye to visualize the possibilities. She transformed the once blank canvas—scrubby turf from from the curb to the foundation—into a lush and intriguing landscape.
Photo by Sally and Greg Byers
Landscaping
Passersby are treated to an every-changing display of trees, shrubs, plants, and flowers. Colorful perennials (Russian sage, ornamental oregano, rudbeckia, Joe Pye weed, orange helenium, and ornamental grasses) and flowering shrubs (dwarf euonymus, sedum Matrona, and shrub roses) hug the walk to the front door. Conifers, including the Tannenbaum dwarf mugo pine on the left and the Colorado blue spruce on the right, add height, depth, and wintertime interest.Color
The original yellow and white of the house and its lack of lack of foundation plantings made it appear to float in its surroundings, Roads says. She painted it a dark brown that helps “ground the house into the landscape.” In the summer, the house seems to step back and encourage the dramatic display in front of it to take center stage.For more information on featured products and suppliers, please see our Buyer's Guide.
11 ISSUES (1 YEAR)
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