10 front garden ideas to increase kerb appeal

Whether you’re trying to sell your home or you just want to enhance your enjoyment of your living space, paying attention to your front garden’s kerb appeal is an extremely important part of the home and garden makeover process. It’s easy to overlook this aspect in favour of improving interior spaces or your back garden, but remember that your front garden is the first thing that people will see – and first impressions matter!

So, what is kerb appeal? Kerb appeal – also known as curb appeal in the US – refers to the attractiveness of a property when viewed from the outside, such as when passing by in the street. Not only can kerb appeal increase the value of your property and make it easier to sell, but it also helps you make a good first impression when people visit. 

But how can you improve the kerb appeal of your front garden and your home’s exterior if it’s currently lacking? Here are our top 10 kerb appeal ideas to help you get started, including both quick wins and larger projects to suit a range of budgets and DIY abilities.

1. Maintain your front garden

Perhaps the most important thing to focus on when improving your home’s kerb appeal is to keep your front garden well maintained. Overgrown grass, weeds, litter and debris can instantly make your home unkempt and neglected, even if you’ve spent a lot of time and effort on your interior décor. Remember that no one will see your home’s beautiful interior without seeing your front garden first, so make sure its condition reflects the rest of your property.

2. Touch up paintwork

Another important aspect to consider is your front door. Cracked and peeling paint can instantly damage your home’s kerb appeal, so make sure you touch up the paintwork as and when needed to keep it looking fresh. The same goes for wooden window frames if you have them.

Wondering what colour to go for when sprucing up your front door? Dark tones like dark green, dark blue and black are always a great choice if you want to add a touch of elegance. Alternatively, opt for a bold colour like red if you want to brighten up your home’s exterior with a vibrant pop of colour. For charming rural settings, muted tones like sage green or pale blue can also work a treat.

3. Clean windows

Looking for a quick and easy way to instantly boost your home’s kerb appeal? Give your windows a good clean – inside and out – to get rid of debris and dirty fingerprints. You may not realise how dirty your windows have become until you clean them!

While paying attention to the appearance of your windows, you should also think about what can be seen through them – especially once they’re sparkling clean and clear! The effect of a beautiful front garden could be spoiled by the appearance of untidy rooms through the windows, so consider how you can arrange your furniture inside to frame your windows nicely. 

4. Add greenery

A pop of colour is an instant remedy for a drab-looking front garden. To make your garden more colourful, the easiest thing to do is plant some greenery, such as beautiful shrubs or climbing plants. Plus, planting shrubs in your front garden will also improve garden privacy. This is perfect for those with overlooked gardens, or for those who simply want to prevent nosy neighbours from peeking through the windows!

However, be prepared to commit to regular garden maintenance before planting any shrubs or flowerbeds in your front garden, including regular pruning, watering and shaping. If you don’t think you can commit to this, it may be better to avoid planting too much greenery in your front garden, as overgrown shrubs can have the opposite of the desired effect on your home’s kerb appeal.

5. Add hanging baskets

A great alternative option for those who aren’t keen gardeners is to place some plant pots around your front garden, or add hanging flower baskets to your walls. This way, you can reap the benefits of a beautifully colourful and vibrant garden without having to plant anything yourself. All you need to do is remember to water your plants and trim them if necessary. 

6. Invest in front garden furniture

Have you got a large front garden that currently isn’t being used enough? We typically focus on relaxing and entertaining guests in back gardens, but if your property actually has more space at the front, it’s a shame to not make the most of it. Investing in high-quality garden furniture for your front garden is a great way to get more out of this space whilst also making your home look more appealing from the front aspect.

When it comes to adding seating areas to front gardens, many homeowners worry that this space is too overlooked to enjoy properly. If this is the case for you, try planting some shrubs to both define the border of your front garden and provide some much-needed privacy. With the right garden layout and design, your front garden could become an unexpected haven!

7. Add outdoor lighting

Whether you want to spend more time in your front garden or you’re just looking for kerb appeal ideas to improve its appearance, we would always recommend adding some outdoor lighting. Unlit homes can look drab and uninviting, so adding a bit of light is an easy way to make it look warmer and more welcoming from the outside, especially if you choose warm-toned porch lighting. Plus, outdoor lighting can bring security benefits too, especially if it turns on automatically using motion sensors.

8. Keep bins out of sight

A detail you may have overlooked in the past is the location of your bins. Having your bins in a prominent location in your front garden may actually be detracting from its appearance, particularly if they’re often overflowing or have a distinct smell. To prevent your bins from ruining your home’s kerb appeal, keep them neat and out of sight, such as by moving them round the side of your house. Alternatively, you could purchase a bin storage solution to keep your bins neatly tucked away, or if you love a bit of DIY, you could even make this yourself!

9. Clean up the pathway

A neat, defined pathway will make your home look well maintained and cared for, whilst also ensuring it’s welcoming to visitors. However, the type of pathway maintenance you need to do will depend on your pathway materials, so bear this in mind when installing a new garden path. For example, with a gravel pathway, you’ll need to regularly neaten up stray stones and top up sparse areas of the path when too many stones have been lost, taking care to even out the surface once you're done. You may find paving slabs easier to maintain overall, but weeds can easily grow between the stones over time, or you may need to replace individual stones if they become cracked. You’ll also need to tidy, sweep and jet wash your paved pathway as needed to remove debris and stains.

Make sure you pay attention to the borders of your pathway too; this will ensure it’s properly defined. Adding a gravel or slate border is one way to make your garden path look neater, more structured and also more interesting, or you could simply trim the grass around your pathway to ensure it doesn’t look unkempt.

10. Add finishing touches

Once all of these basics are covered, you can move onto the final decorative touches if you still feel like something is missing. For instance, you could add a well-polished brass door knocker to your front door if you love traditional, elegant features. Or, if you can’t get enough of festive decorations, you could decorate your front door with seasonal wreaths throughout the year, such as by swapping your Christmas wreath for an Easter-inspired spring flower wreath as the weather gets warmer. 

If you’ve got plenty of space to work with in your front garden, why not install an impressive water feature to elevate this space? A unique feature like this can truly make your home stand out, and if you’re hoping to sell it soon, this could be a worthwhile investment to increase its value.