04/11/2020
Easy Ideas to Help Spruce Up Your Outdoor Home Window Design
Add or Improve Trim and Pediments Around Your Windows
The before-and-after effect of adding trim to a window is striking without being showy. Unless you choose an extremely elaborate design, the decorative touch is subtle, but when you compare how windows look with either no trim or with a dull, chipped trim, you can see how it drastically helps them stand out.
There’s also a practical element of adding exterior window trim to your home. Both the head casing’s drip cap and the window sill help to prevent the elements, such as rain, from getting into any broken seals or gaps and entering into the interior of your home.
Window pediments are another great option when you’re trying to spruce up an otherwise plain exterior window. If you find the right pediment that matches or complements your desired trim, it can easily transform your design by adding a sophisticated touch.
The trick is to find a pediment that is the right proportion to the window, and it should also blend in design-wise and color-wise. If you have a large colonial-style header and it’s placed over a small contemporary-style window, the design will look clunky and messy instead of cohesive. When picking out both the trim and the pediment, choose colors, materials, and shapes that will harmonize with the overarching tone of your home’s exterior, not distract from it.
Install Home Window Awnings
Home window awnings will accentuate and elevate your outdoor window design, but they also serve another practical function. Because they are designed to block the sun’s rays from entering your home, they reduce the indoor temperature of your home, resulting in lower home cooling costs. According to a study conducted by the Professional Awning Manufacturers Association, awnings can help households save up to $200 on cooling costs annually.
If you want to focus on energy savings and staying as green as possible with your home design, you can look into solar-powered window awnings, which automatically extend and retract based on direct sunlight.
Home window awnings typically come in a variety of fabrics, colors, and designs, so it’s easy to find one that will best flatter your home. As a bonus, because awnings reduce the amount of direct sunlight that enters into your home, they will help prevent fading from sun damage on your indoor paint and furniture.
Add Cheer With Window Boxes
Window boxes are one of the easiest tools you can use if you’re truly trying to make your window design pop. They instantly add a splash of charm and warmth to your home and depending on what you fill them with, you can get pretty creative with your design.
Again, it’s crucial to find one that complements your exterior color and design scheme, as even a small detail such as a window box can fiercely clash with your intended ambiance if it’s not chosen carefully.
Flowers and herbs are easy go-to options for window boxes and the colors and vibrancy that plants exude add an immediate liveliness and cheerfulness to your home. If you don’t want to make the commitment to care for any plants, there are always faux flowers you can plant in there too.
If you want to get a bit more creative, you can add a festive effect by decorating the boxes for each holiday or season. For example, add mini pumpkins in the fall, mistletoe, and pinecones around Christmas time, or bright flowers with colorful faux eggs for Easter spring. No matter what design you choose, window boxes will help draw attention to your windows in the best of ways.
Provide Security and Add Style With Window Grills
Window grills can add style and enhance your home security, helping to add value to your house. Today’s designs stretch much further than the typical steel-bars-over-windows look, so you don’t have to worry about your home looking like a prison.
Whether you want a grill that looks Victorian, is diamond-patterned, or resembles delicate lace, there are countless shapes and styles to choose from. You’ll be able to rest a little easier knowing your home is better protected against any break-ins, all while adorning your windows with a captivating look.
Keep Your Design Clean and Polished
No matter what type of embellishments you adorn your exterior windows with, your efforts won’t reach their full potential unless you commit to properly maintaining your design. Sometimes all it takes to spruce up your windows is polishing up what you already have. This means keeping your windows themselves clean on the outside and inside, repainting any trim or window sills that are chipping away, keeping your awnings debris-free, and removing dead plants and foliage from any window boxes.
The point is to regularly maintain your windows and any accessories so that they appear well cared for, not run down and neglected.
In Summary
Hopefully, these tips help give you some direction on where to take your new window design. If you’re handy, you can complete many of them yourself, or you can easily find an expert renovator to safely add any accessories you’d like.
