Your vacation rental property’s interior most likely has tons of charm. You followed the general interior design guidelines and you’re significantly pleased with the results. There’s one thing, however, you might have forgotten—your home’s curb appeal. The first thing your guests will notice is the property’s exterior. It’s like the first impression of someone you just meet—in the first ten seconds, potential guests will look at your property and decide whether they want to stay. You definitely want to enhance your home’s exterior, and you probably want to spend some time designing it.
For all that time you spend planning, designing, and maneuvering the inside of the space, you should spend about half that time doing the same for the outside of the home. From designing green spaces to finding the perfect lighting for your property’s theme, you have quite a few things to think about. We list what we found as some of the best ways to enhance your home’s exterior below. You don’t want to miss out on these updates that could really draw people to your property!
Enhance Your Home’s Exterior Step 1: Update Your Door
Your front door is a staple to the home—it sets the leading example for what the rest of the property will look like. If your door and doorway look pretty drab, spruce it up. People love the fun and charm that a colorful door brings. The life of a red or the repose of a blue say something about the personality of the home that people won’t have the ability to discern otherwise. Step away from the typical white and see what color can do for your property.
Enhance Your Home’s Exterior Step 2: Put in a Gate
A nice gate is just what your property needs to greet guests properly. They help add a presence that most home’s typically lack. Just like a living room uses a rug as a focal point, your gate will anchor and stabilize your property. Better yet, add some arbors, garden gates, and short sections of fence panels to enhance any gardening and yard work!
Step 3: Add a Covered Entrance and Porch
If you want your door to stand out even more, then make sure it’s covered. A covered entrance and porch give guests the opportunity to hang out outside and enjoy it. These covered areas do wonders for the curb appeal of the property, as they make it look a bit more welcoming. If you have the room for a porch, add it—otherwise you can choose to add a small covered portico!
Step 4: Install Outdoor Lighting
Like we mentioned above, the lighting on the property’s exterior plays a just as an important role as interior lighting in setting the tone for your rental. Give the entrance a warmer feel with lanterns and warm bulbs. These lanterns and lighting fixtures bring a depth and definition to those properties with a flatter façade. Though most people put twinkly lights in the backyard, you can bring them to the front as well, topping the gate or surrounding the porch.
Step 5: Focus on Greenery and Lawn Care
If your lawn looks like a mess, people won’t want to stay. A messy front yard leads to the thought of a messy interior, so make sure you pay attention to the lawn. Keep grass trimmed, snow plowed, and gardens blooming. Fresh greenery and flowers also do wonders for maintaining curb appeal—try out window boxes of flowers if you can’t maintain a whole garden. Greenery adds life—don’t skip it!
Step 6: Fix Up Your Garage Door
If people can see the garage door from the street (and even if they can’t), make sure that you take the time to fix up your garage door. It probably won’t seem like that big of a deal for vacation guests, but if it’s in shambles, it won’t make the rest of your property stand out. Try to have the garage doors match the home’s architecture as much as possible. Though an entirely new door might not be possible, you can also think about painting and staining to match the main entrance.
Step 7: Design a Clear Path
From your gate to your front door, a clear path should exist. If you can do it, design a path out of stone or brick to make the home look even more inviting. If you can’t do that, at least adding visual cues, such as lighting and potted plants, will help guests on their way. A charming path leads to a charming home!
Step 8: Dress Up the Entrance
Like we discussed in some of the tips from above, your entrance is vital to your home’s first impression. Once you change up your door and add in a covered portico, take the time to dress it up. Add an enchanting porch swing, large plants, and other design touches. Pull some of your design themes from inside the house to your outer décor for seamless continuity. If you can make your entrance just as warm and inviting as your den, then you’ll have even more people booking stays.
Step 9: Keep it Symmetrical
When it comes to the various areas of your exterior, one of your biggest must-dos is to keep it symmetrical. When you start adding in a ton of décor and plants on one side of the path, but nothing on the other, it can deter from your space’s symmetry. Try to keep your design style as symmetrical as possible. It’s more pleasant to the eye and offers guests ease and comfort.
Enhance Your Home’s Exterior Step 10: Improve Door Hardware
If you haven’t updated the house numbers, the door knocker, or even the handle, then you need an improvement. Replace existing hardware with something a bit fresher. Choose a color that contrasts with the door’s paint color and keep that the same for any other hardware necessary, such as railings.
When you follow these suggestions, you’ll upgrade your property to something luxurious and eye-catching. Make sure your exterior matches your interior—your guests will appreciate it! Once your rental property is all fixed up, turn to Exceptional Stays! We’ll take your Telluride luxury rental to the next level—just look at some of our other properties in Telluride, and around the world, for inspiration. You won’t regret reaching out and partnering with us!
