Exterior Power

I know it's not winter yet, but being the good Canadian girl I am, I've started to think about how it affects our homes' exteriors. During the summer, many of us have lots of greenery around our houses, and flowers, too. There's lots of colour to nicely frame our homes and make them welcoming from the outside. But, what about in the winter when there's all that snow, and it can be so very, very grey and dreary? That's when front doors, shutters, and siding really come into play. And, actually, I don't think there's a season where it's more important to have a nice front door and siding than winter.

Here are a few shots I took of Ottawa homes just after a big snow storm a couple of years ago. It was a brilliantly sunny day, startling blue sky, and soooo cold. But, the houses in these shots look warm and welcoming, and they stand out in the snow. They haven't been taken over by the snow; they have a presence all their own, and I'd argue it's because of the colour of their front doors, siding and shutters.

We can't paint now; it's too cold and the paint would just peel off come spring. But, why not take a look at your front door, shutters, and siding and see if they could use a new colour to give them a new presence. While there's still no snow, and a bit of greenery and leaves around, think of what colour would look good in the spring, summer, and fall, and then take you into winter -- making your house pop out and stand out from the rest.