Before-and-After Southern-Style Home Makeovers

This Southern home is lacking in personality. The landscape is bare, and the yard has no privacy from the loading dock next door. The porch needs shelter from the hot summer sun, while peeling, dull paint gives the house a run-down look.

The house gets an Americana-themed makeover complete with bold red paint and custom-made metal shutters with star-shaped cutouts. The porch is sheltered from the sun with a corrugated tin awning, and a red butterfly-shaped bench and birdbath dress up the landscaping. Dark blue paint on the window trim completes the schoolhouse look.

The peeling paint on the house is an eyesore in the neighborhood, and the boring window shutters lack dimension and need some sparkle.

The windows are dressed up with dark blue paint and tin flower boxes. The flower boxes are filled with various plants, including caladiums and Japanese painted ferns, which coordinate with the red-, white- and blue-theme of the house. The boxes sit on a wooden shelf rather than being mounted to the windows so the plants can be interchanged easily from season to season.