11 Cape Cod-Style Homes With Curb Appeal Ideas to Steal

Cape Cod homes may be most commonly found in their native New England, but this quaint architectural style with built-in cottage charm is springing up everywhere. If you're looking for ways to enhance the curb appeal of your home, the HGTV Magazine editors are here with their favorite Cape Cod-style houses from across the country that are filled with unique design details. Read on for tons of inspiration.

Location: Provincetown, MA

Built in: 1890

Size: 2,400 sq. ft.

Paint colors: (house) Good Morning Sunshine and (trim) White Dove, Benjamin Moore

"Our house has been several colors under previous owners, including pink and white. But we’ve always kept it a bright, cheerful yellow," say homeowners Bobby Kelley and Christos Jay. To keep the wood picket fence looking crisp and clean, they scrape and repaint it every few years. "We love how the house sits back from the sidewalk because it gives us more room to grow things in our garden," they say. A mix of knock out roses, hameln fountain grass, limelight hydrangeas and sunflowers gives the yard a lush but natural feel.

Location: Omaha, NE

Built in: 1941

Size: 3,000 sq. ft.

Paint colors: (house) Ultra White, Valspar; (shutters and door) Gale Force, Sherwin-Williams

"We moved from an apartment in New York City and love that the house looks so quaint," say homeowners Megan and Phillip Durham. The weathered gray shingles and steep roof are hallmarks of this architectural style. For more curb appeal, a local carpenter built the planter boxes by the front door to match the house. "People always comment on how beautiful the flowers in the planters are. We change them seasonally."

Location: Kalamazoo, MI

Built in: 1938

Size: 1,500 sq. ft.

Paint colors: (house) Kingsport Gray and (door) Buttered Yam, Benjamin Moore

The house had a flat front, so homeowners Mark and Therese Winnard installed the portico and corbels over the front door for some architectural detail. They're favorite ugrade: the stone paver patio with seating. "We love that it’s welcoming to neighbors, and it was more cost-effective than building a porch," they say. The pillows, which tie in with the front door, are made with Sunbrella fabric. They consider their front door the perfect shade of orange — not too Halloween-y and not too salmon. For low-maintenance landscaping, Therese started planting more perennials, like ligularia, lantana and guaras. She sculpts the boxwoods herself.