6 Trends in Home Exteriors

From indoor-outdoor connections to multi-textured facades, here's a look at what buyers in the Pacific Northwest are clamoring for.

July 7, 2020

As the first thing you see, the exterior sets the tone for your home before you even set foot inside. It leaves a lasting impression, creating the curb appeal that brings pride and imparts value. And it’s why choosing designs and features that are both on trend and timeless is so important.

What does that combination look like today? Here are some of the exterior trends we’re seeing around Puget Sound and the rest of the country.

Multi-textured facades

Buyers continue to clamor for exteriors that combine materials and textures to create a varied look and add dimension. For example, fiber cement siding with stone accents or blending horizontal siding with vertical siding in the gables. In this contemporary home, Estes added cedar rainscreen accents, complementing the neutral-tone cladding while helping to blend with the property’s natural environment.

 

Farmhouse looks

The modern farmhouse style, a contemporary take on the classic farmhouse, has been on trend for a number of years, so much so that many prognosticators say it’s on the way out. But we’re still seeing its influence as buyers continue to crave the authenticity and comforting familiarity that it brings alongside the modern sensibilities of a cleaner, more contemporary feel. So if you love black window frames, vertical siding, and shiplap—embrace it, it’s your custom home! (See more images of this Bainbridge Island home here.)

custom builder, Bainbridge Island

Lots of light

Along with going darker, window frames are getting thinner, and this bodes well for homeowners’ ongoing love of glass that brings in daylight and views while offering connections to the outdoors. Thinner profiles mean windows can easily be banked together while still preserving the view, a less-expensive alternative to massive window or door units. Along with these swaths of windows, Estes is including transoms in a number of two-story great rooms, helping sunlight infiltrate the space.

Outdoor living

Outdoor space remains high on most buyers’ wish lists, as a way to expand the home’s footprint as well as create another entertainment and/or relaxation space. Increasingly, outdoor living areas are featuring more indoor amenities, such as lighting, TVs, and delineated spaces for sitting, dining, and cooking.

Blending indoors and out

Alongside the outdoor living trend is a desire to blend indoors and out. A proliferation of multi-panel doors that slide or glide completely out of the way help create a massive, often seamless, connection to the outside space. Similar flooring further enhances this blending. (See more images of this Port Angeles home here.)

custom home, Port Angeles, WA

 

Low-maintenance

One thing the older and younger generations can agree on is that no one wants to spend their Saturday power washing or re-staining their siding. Luckily, there are a number of exterior cladding materials that offer the authentic look of cedar shake, but in a man-made formula that resists moisture, cracking, and insects.

Ready to explore your design options? Take the first step. Schedule a custom home consultation.

CATEGORY: Design