Curb Appeal: The Best of the Pacific Northwest

“We lived in a very traditional home in Texas before moving, so this was a big change," say homeowners Ashton Allison and Jay Anderson. "We were hesitant about buying something with such an unusual exterior, but ultimately details like the mix of siding and the sloped roof won us over. It looks different from every angle!"

They were drawn to the door’s cheery yellow. The big glass pane lets in plenty of light, which is welcome on those dreary Seattle days. Plus, the couple tried out a creative way to hang house numbers: vertically!

When Ashton and Jay moved in, there was nothing but dead grass in the yard. Now azaleas, which are abundant in Seattle, line the front of the house and bloom in spring. To the left of the door, a coral rosebush brings bursts of brightness and a lemon cypress adds height. “The potted Japanese maple by the door is our favorite — the bark is a coral shade, which provides color all year,” says Ashton. He and Jay filled out that pot with pink and green coleus and the planter next to the steps with more coleus and celosias.

Location: Seattle

Built in: 2014

Size: 2,650 sq. ft.

Paint colors: (house) Palais White, (trim) Sculptor Clay, (front door) Spirited Yellow, Behr

“I found this house by accident. One day I took a wrong turn, saw it being built and fell in love. The wood siding, warm colors and multipaned windows give it lots of character," says homeowner Clara Chesterman. Clara’s door is a typical Craftsman six-lite style with a dentil shelf. The cedar was sealed with a clear stain to show off the wood. As for the siding, “The different shapes of the cedar siding and the earthy stain colors naturally go together and make the house feel bigger than it actually is,” says Clara.

“Since I don’t have the greenest thumb, I needed easy plants,” she says. Luckily the house came with low-maintenance arborvitae and boxwood. For flashes of color, she planted flowers that require minimal watering in the beds. “Since many of my neighbors have red flowers, I wanted to be different, so I picked a variety of pink ones for the planters on the left side of the steps,” says Clara. The planter to the right of the door is home to a heavenly bamboo with leaves that are light green all summer and turn bright red in fall.

Location: Seattle

Built in: 2004

Size: 2,210 sq. ft.

Paint colors: (upper shingles stain) Smoke Tree, (middle siding stain) Caribou and (low shingles stain) Belvedere Tan, Sherwin-Williams

“We liked the colors and details of this modern farmhouse so much that we barely changed a thing. The metal roof is especially amazing when it rains — it’s better than any white noise machine," say homeowners Blaire Burman and Mike Dannenberg. The fiberglass front door was one of the first things the couple noticed about the house. Says Blaire, “The openness makes us feel connected to the neighborhood.”

When the couple first bought their home, they freshened up the landscaping with a combo of greenery. “Our goal was to make it look like everything was already there,” Blaire says. “The plants we picked seem to belong among the giant trees that surround our house.” The green planter on the stoop pops against the gray exterior, and the blooms offer cool texture. Red celosias stand tall, while mandevilla spills over.

Location: Seattle

Built in: 2015

Size: 3,100 sq. ft.

Paint colors: (house) Academy Gray, (trim) Posh Red and (front door) Very Black, Valspar

“Our house is a Craftsman, but the charm had gotten lost over the years. We brought it back by painting the window frames black and the trim bright white, and replacing the old metal porch railings with wood ones," say homeowners Brett and Chris Adler. The porch floor was a faded forest green when they bought the house. They eventually painted it charcoal, which makes the white railings look even more crisp. “Chris built the Adirondack chairs. He’s tall, so we needed them in extra-large,” says Brett. They found plans online and tweaked them to accommodate his 6-foot-4-inch frame. “Our porch is like my second office,” says Chris. “The big arms on the chairs are my desk!”

As for the yard: “At first all the bushes were overgrown and badly pruned,” says Brett. In came neat matching ones plus a big bay laurel shrub on the right.

Location: Seattle

Built in: 1914

Size: 2,400 sq. ft.

Paint colors: (house) Wall Street, (trim) Snowbound, (porch floor) Black of Night and (windows) Tricorn Black, Sherwin-Williams