The Common Exterior Design Mistake That's Making Your Home Look Bad

The front of your house can be thought of as the face of your home. It's the first thing that people see, and it's important that your design choices are just as deliberate and aesthetic as how you style the rest of your interior, so it makes sense that you want to make a good first impression. For starters, you want guests to know that you've put care and thought into the exterior of your home. There are a variety of ways to boost your curb appeal, like creating a cohesive front garden or adding a pop of color with charming deep olive green paint. But unfortunately, certain exterior details can make your home look outdated, or worse, tacky. For example, if the material of your door handles and knobs aren't made out of the same metal or have mismatched light fixtures, they can easily stand out — and not in a good way.

In the world of design, the details matter. Even the small design choices can make your home's exterior look more or less like you put a lot of love and care into it, such as choosing the right exterior hardware for your front door and which finishes you choose to match them — or not. Though matching is ideal, you can also mix metals to combine a larger picture of what you wish your home's exterior to tell. For that, these little styling choices shouldn't be overlooked. And for your primary façade to dazzle, cohesion and thoughtfulness can make a huge difference.

One way you can make your home look cohesive and modern is by ensuring that your hardware matches. Mismatched hardware tends to make the front of your home look cheap and outdated because competing metals lack unity and coordination, and can give off the idea that you didn't put thought into unifying your outdoor space. Matching the same style and finish of your door handles with your mailbox and lighting fixtures, for example, can be a way to unify your home's exterior and make your styling choices seem deliberate.

But making your exterior hardware coordinate doesn't necessarily mean forfeiting variety. Coordinating through mixing and matching metals can also help elevate the overall atmosphere at such a crucial part of your home, and still make your exterior look refined. You may choose to use matching metals throughout your exterior or you can unify them with the metals in your interior. But you can also build your own palette using complementary hardware styles to create your own theme and show thoughtfulness throughout the design. Brass hinges can bring an airiness to darker finishes, like black porcelain knobs. To create cohesion, you may opt for dark porch sconces or light fixtures with brass trim. Or, pair a bright chrome, and even mix a porcelain doorknob with polished brass for a modern look.