Decorative Touches to Define Your Home

By Katrina Sutphin, Contributing Writer for Direct from the Designers™

Have you found the perfect home plan but feel that your design needs a little something extra to stand out on the block? Decorative touches such as shutters, crossheads, louvers, gable pediments, and brackets are a great way to personalize your new home. Here are some design ideas to really increase your curb appeal!

Shutters

Shutters are a great way to define windows and make a home feel warm and inviting. It is important to decide whether you want your new home to have functional shutters or decorative shutters. Functional exterior shutters were originally used to protect a home from extreme weather and rain and to provide security. Today, now that windows are much stronger than in the past, decorative shutters have increased in popularity and enhance the exterior look of any home for less cost and maintenance.

The style of shutter you choose is just as important as the functionality of your shutters. Shutter styles include Shaker shutters (2-panel flat recessed), louver shutters, solid raised panel shutters, or board and batten shutters. Solid panel shutters many be a better choice for classic homes with a clean and simple look, while board and batten shutters may be best for a rustic, historical home plan. There are so many decorative shutter options to choose from that stay true to historical styles, so you are sure to find something to match your design dreams!

Window and Door Trim

While most people focus on siding or landscaping to personalize the front of a house, eye-catching trim around the windows and doors is a great finishing touch that can change the entire look of a home. Try using crossheads, pediments, and pilasters, for example, to build beautiful, personalized window and door trims for your new design.

Crossheads are an often-overlooked way to enhance an entryway. Crossheads are decorative pieces that frame just the top of doors or windows, usually thicker and bolder than regular trim. Crossheads come in many different styles to suit any home. If you are looking to really stand out, a pediment on top can be easily paired with ornamental pilasters to create a dramatic entryway. And you can mix and match! Window and door trim is a great way to add interest to plain exteriors and dramatically improve the look of a home.

Home Accents

Once you have selected your home design plan, don’t forget to look into decorative extras such as decorative and functional louvers, gable pediments, brackets, exterior mouldings, and much more! The design options that decorative accents provide are endless.

Louvers and gable vents are a classic addition to a home. They can either be decorative or functional and can help provide home ventilation, or simply add some extra curb appeal. Shapes can be round, oval, octagon, diamond, half- and quarter-round, rectangle, peaked, triangle, or cathedral. They can even be custom made if you need something special, because every home has its own unique style.

Brackets can help define that style and add a finishing touch. Ornate or Victorian brackets can help add authenticity to a historical design. Stone-look versions are practically requisite for Mediterranean homes. For Craftsman designs, simple pieces under eaves are the way to go. Brackets can be used to break up a solid or boring wall for almost any kind of architecture.

Fypon® offers one of the industry’s largest selections of decorative home products from shaker shutters to column wraps and everything in between, so they know how to make your home stand out from the rest. Whether you are looking to add some decorative touches to a home design plan or just want to help your historical homestead stay true to its roots, find a local dealer for expert assistance!