Curb Appeal: The Best of the Midwest

“We love so many things about our home, especially the deep eaves, which allow us to keep our windows open during rainstorms; our original Art Deco door; and the lacebark elm in the front yard. There are so few of them in our area,” say homeowners Michael and Julia Artbauer. Julia and Michael removed the shutters from the second-floor windows to draw attention to the portico, a charming architectural detail. Painting the frame of the storm door the same lobster orange as the main door keeps the focus on the unique trio of vertical windows.

Large metal lanterns in front of the steps are an unexpected place to display Japanese forest grass in warm months; in winter, they hold candles. Planters on the front steps are bursting with colorful blooms to tie in with the bright door color: purple elephant’s ears, orange tuberous begonias, rose mallow, euphorbia and purple verbena. “The faux patina on my concrete planters makes them look like antiques,” Julia says.

Location: Cleveland, OH

Built in: 1923

Size: 2,400 sq. ft.

Paint colors: (house) Grey Tweed, (front door) Celebration Orange and (trim) Toasted White, Glidden

“Before moving here, we lived in a brand-new stucco house in Orlando with zero historic charm, so we were drawn to this neighborhood’s tree-lined streets and the traditional feel of this home,” say homeowners Allison and Steve Williams. The 1940s door is original to the house, but Allison chose the egg-yolk yellow paint after spying it on a neighbor’s house. “It pops whether there’s snow or greenery around it,” she says. The brick on the front of the house was painted to match the vinyl siding — a blue gray color that shifts depending on the light and time of day.

“When we moved in, [the flowerbeds] were full of overgrown boxwood and monkey grass,” says Allison. To clean them up and expose the home’s original stone foundation, the Williamses chose a mix of low-profile plants, including catmint, caladium and vibrant red impatiens.

Location: St. Louis, MO

Built in: 1943

Size: 2,900 sq. ft.

Paint colors: (house) Pale Cornflower and (shutters) Blackout, Behr; (front door) Crowne Hill Yellow by Benjamin Moore

“We love it now, but this house was in a sorry state when we bought it," say Michigan homeowners Patty and Mark Malcolm. "We restored it with new siding and windows, then repainted and also updated the landscaping.” The sign to the left of the Malcolms’ front door designates the home as a neighborhood landmark, so they leaned in to classic charm. Patty spotted a Colonial-style fence with pickets in alternating heights on a historic home tour in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and custom-ordered a similar one. Inspired by their home’s nickname — Pumpkin Hill House — the Malcolms painted the door coppery orange. Four small square windows at the top add to its character.

A pair of cast-iron urns, each filled with purple petunias, mark the front steps. Coral bells planted alongside bright orange marigolds in front of the fence complement the front door. Mark trims the dappled Japanese willow to the right of the door a few times a year so it maintains its tidy round shape.

Location: Plymouth, MI

Built in: 1834

Size: 2,400 sq. ft.

Paint colors: (house) Rock Bottom, (trim) Westhighland White and (front door) Caribbean Coral, Sherwin-Williams

“We admired this local gem for years before we had the chance to buy it," say homeowners Maureen and Brian Powers. "It’s walking distance from Lake Erie, so every summer it feels like a vacation house — but one that we never have to leave.”  Painted taupe, the wide sandstone columns look uniform and still have texture. The door’s large glass inset mimics the shape of the windows along the porch. A clear finish shows off the wood’s rich color.

To keep their Boston ferns alive year after year, Maureen and Brian bring them inside every winter. A mix of containers — each with its own plant combo — dot the front steps. Sweet potato vine and pink geraniums grow in stonelike pots, while yellow begonias, yellow calibrachoa and white lobularia burst from glazed blue pots.

Location: Cleveland, OH

Built in: 1908

Size: 3,500 sq. ft.

Paint colors: (first story) Artichoke, (second story) Clary Sage, (trim) Dover White and (columns) Downing Sand, Sherwin-Williams