You always hear about how important first impressions are when meeting someone new, whether that be at social events, job interviews or work functions. The same principle can apply to your house. Front yards and exposed aggregate driveways are the first thing you will see for most properties, making it a great opportunity to create an exciting, expressive and interesting first impression of your home. For example, a balanced front yard with an exposed aggregate driveway can make a great impression on visitors and neighbours.
So how can you improve your yard? Here are four straightforward areas you can focus on.
The Driveway
Don’t worry, A Better Driveway has got you covered for all your needs across Melbourne. For this article, we’ll be focusing on exposed aggregate driveways, a favourite of ours. This style can really bring life to a space some people would otherwise overlook. With a seemingly infinite number of colour, tone and texture combinations available from exposed aggregate, your driveway can become unique and personalised. Consider how the colour of the driveway will compliment your house. For example, a beachy property could look gorgeous from the addition of some smooth blue exposed stones and pebbles with a sand-coloured concrete base. Meanwhile, a light grey or creamy white painted house would contrast very well with a dusky driveway; composed of dark grey concrete, black pebble with the occasional speck of white. If the colour of the roof matches the driveway, it can certainly unify the home’s exterior design.
Choose a colour palette
Developing cohesion within your yard can be a visually attractive feature for a home. Think about the colour of the front of your house, the door, external blinds, the roof etc. If these are all tones; grey, black, white etc, adding some natural colour to the yard can be an easy way to create some visual balance and vibrance to the space. This can be achieved through fences, rocks, barriers, and of course, the natural plant life, grass and trees that you choose. Styling a mood board can be a great way to plan out ideas, display your vision and produce consistency within the final product. Exposed aggregate driveways are brilliant for this, due to the diversity of colours and textures available. You can choose colours that complement or contrast the house, garden rocks and fences.
Deck / Sitting Area
While dependant on the block size, structure and proximity to street noise, a front deck/ social area can add some personal value to the home and yard. Even a small front yard bench or lawn sitting area can be a nice place to read a book, watch the sunrise/ sunset, and relax to the sounds of nature and the neighbourhood. Depending on the time of day, this could be a great place to get some sunlight, or in the case of a deck, some shade if you place a roof extension. If you have a sloping block, decks can generate some vertical hierarchy and dynamism to the landscape.
Garden beds
Garden beds are a brilliant way of dividing space within the yard; they also are incredibly effective at bridging natural and artificial elements. Raising the beds can introduce exciting materials and textures to the yard and be another way of developing vertical hierarchy.
They can be used as a fence-line replacement, with the choice of plants introducing extra height and privacy if required. Looking for a low maintenance garden? Australia has plenty of native species of plant that require little gardening due to their naturally dry habitat and as a bonus, can attract local animal species. Choosing a driveway that matches and compliments the aesthetic of your yard is essential to creating a strong and lasting impression for visitors, and a choice of exposed aggregate for your driveway can raise the bar even higher. If you live in Melbourne, A Better Driveway is experienced, dedicated and ready to provide you with the highest quality driveway services.
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