The Exterior Detail That's Making Your House Look Outdated

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Your home's exterior is the first thing visitors see when they arrive. From exterior house colors you should avoid using at all costs to architectural details that feel like a blast from the past, it's important to ensure your home's exterior reflects a fresh, contemporary aesthetic. One exterior detail that's making your house look outdated is old-fashioned railings. These can include quite dated Victorian-style railings with intricate ironwork and elaborate scrolls, or less ornate styles that feature chunky wood, discolored vinyl, or basic aluminum with older finishes. Even if your railings still feels somewhat stylish by today's standards, peeling paint, damage, and rust could also be giving the impression of a more run-down exterior.

While these styles might once have been elegant in their time, they can now make your home feel stuck in the past. Today's railing trends favor clean lines, simpler materials like metal or glass, and designs that enhance, rather than obstruct, the surrounding landscape. Embracing more minimalist railing designs and sleek metal or glass allows for unobstructed views and a modern feel, but if a full replacement isn't in the budget, a deep clean and some repairs can go a long way in improving their look.

Outdated exterior railings can certainly detract from your home's overall curb appeal. While some houses still have Victorian-era railings with intricate iron designs (like those built in the late 1800s), many homes built from the 1970s through the early 2000s still feature railings that are considered outdated. These often include chunky turned wood designs or overly ornate wrought iron that's less intricate than Victorian but still busy. Even worse, some of these older railings feature discolored vinyl and basic aluminum railings with dated finishes. Overall, any railing that looks or feels heavy, busy, or visually clunky can make your whole home's exterior seem neglected and stuck in the past.

Outside of looking old-fashioned and dated, exterior railings tend to accumulate dirt and grime. This makes it tough to keep them clean, since they require meticulous scrubbing or frequent pressure washing to maintain their appearance. Other appearance issues, like rust or peeling paint, can make your railing look neglected and out of date. Sometimes, a simple repair like a fresh coat of paint can fix this issue and spark new life. Other times, a full railing replacement might be needed to make it look more modern, especially if the original was a thick wrought iron railing that visually weighs down the house's exterior.

Exterior railings are just one of the outdated design trends to avoid when aiming for a fresh, contemporary aesthetic for your home. You'll also want to stay away from overcomplicated front door designs. This includes heavily paneled doors with multiple small, decorative glass inserts or sidelights with busy patterns. These can feel fussy and dated, whereas modern styles feature solid materials and maybe a single statement glass panel for a touch of elegance. If you want to give your front door some personality without making it seem dated, you can paint it a trendy front door color to give it a modern update. 

Another exterior detail that should be left in the past is old house numbers. This includes faded brass plates that are difficult to read from the street and dated cursive fonts that have passed their prime. Using larger numbers in a modern font and contrasting colors can enhance the curb appeal of your home and help emergency services find your home quickly. There are some cool, back-lit options for visibility or a modern touch, like these custom light-up house numbers for outside. 

A final detail that is making your home look out of date is inconsistent or not-so-helpful outdoor lighting. While outdoor lighting can help illuminate certain aspects of your property, like pathways or certain plants in your garden, if it's poorly placed, it can make your home feel neglected and old-fashioned. And if the lights themselves are out of date, they can detract from your home's overall curb appeal.