How To Get Started...
Get inspiration for your next residential project. From traditional to modern, our look book is filled with the latest trends and styles to build your dream home.
You want your home’s exterior to stand out, but not too much, just enough for the subtle “wow”. You might just need some texture.
There are a few ways that homeowners can add more visual appeal to their home’s facade, but texture mixing, or using different exterior materials, has proven to be a successful (and attractive) solution for adding curb appeal. Architects call it “contrasting,” we just call it pretty cool. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
Most folks want a design that complements the beauty of their natural surroundings, but that comes with additional challenges if you live in a warm, subtropical climate like Georgia.
Building materials used in homes in the southern U.S. have to both enhance the look of the home and stand up to challenging natural elements. While wood is a popular choice because of its organic texture, it’s often not a durable enough material since it can attract woodpeckers, insects and moisture issues; plus, it needs regular maintenance.
This home’s owner found out about Nichiha as a wood siding alternative and used a darker-toned panel to add interest and contrast to the lighter paneled exterior. “I’m so glad that we came across it,” said Kelly Kingsfield, “because I think it was just the perfect product, with the look and the warmth and the low maintenance.”
And the Nichiha product is manufactured to last over time, so Kelly can enjoy the home for as long as she’s living in it. “Since it’s a long-term product, it is not going to look bad as it weathers,” she said.
Whatever materials you choose to work with, bringing the same products into your interior design adds extra appeal.
This home uses sandy and earth-toned brick to complement cedar-toned shiplap fiber cement panels on the exterior. This panel system makes it easy to employ the same textures inside the main entrance (see below), carrying the design throughout the rest of the home.
Bringing the outside in and vice versa is a great strategy to make a home feel complete. And if you want to be sure that your home’s interior and exterior have a cohesive design, you can incorporate an accent wall or entryway design into the space using the same or similar materials, colors or textures. Products like architectural wall panels make this easier than ever.
Texture mixing can help homeowners blend their favorite styles so that they’re able to achieve a transitional, ever current design. With a traditional roof silhouette and white plank siding, along with dark reveal panel and trim and traditional brick, this home has it all and would fit almost any upscale community or rural setting.
By incorporating large energy-efficient, dark-framed windows with traditional textures, this home shows how to blend modern and traditional architectural elements with a beautiful end result.
Sometimes texture mixing can help to achieve some unexpected results. This contemporary home was already a unique feature in the neighborhood. When the homeowners needed a remodel, they started drawing additional attention with an impressive update to the exterior.
“It started with a flat roof, but was remodeled to become a show-stopping, one-of-a-kind modern home with a curved roof and beautiful composite solution in Nichiha,” says homeowner Beverly.
This was achieved by taking advantage of the crisp v-groove panel joints, warm gray coloring and hidden fastener attachment of the ⅝” thick ArchitecturalBlock made from cement board composite by Nichiha. Yes, this home’s exterior won’t require the kind of maintenance that wood or other siding materials often need, so it will look better, longer.
Get inspiration for your next residential project. From traditional to modern, our look book is filled with the latest trends and styles to build your dream home. 
How To Get Started...
When you’re trying to nail down decisions on your design, but also want a style that allows for adaptability, using transitional design elements gives you options. Talk with your architect or designer about using classic architectural elements, like in the farmhouse featured above, along with high-design, high-performance building materials that provide long-lasting solutions.
You’ll want to consider how much maintenance is required for those materials. Metal siding might be an attractive and popular choice in modern design, but if you live in a coastal climate like this homeowner did, you’ll want to consider any warranties on the products you choose to install on your exterior.
This couple was able to find a corrugated metal alternative in Nichiha fiber cement panels that met the budget and “required little maintenance, came with strong warranties and, above all, would maintain their desired aesthetic.”
If you’re not interested in undertaking an entire exterior remodel, but still want to create a design that celebrates texture, consider updating smaller elements of the home. Changing up other features like the home’s front door, landscaping or trim details can help to enhance the appearance of your exterior with being too big of a project.
Nichiha also carries extruded trim products that will provide interesting corner reveals and creates the perfect amount of contrast on this exterior. Extruded trim also takes a lot of finishes well and can take on just about any detail, color or style that you’re looking for in your design.
“Recently, the popularity of black trim has grown,” explains Ian Daniels, Technical Manager for XtremeTrim®. “Its use is especially prominent on windows and provides a decidedly modern vibe.”
There are endless options for adding personal touches to your home, and texture mixing gives homeowners plenty of solutions. Updating your home’s exterior might come with a few challenges, but using different materials and textures can help you successfully design a home you’ll enjoy.
For even more ideas on how fiber cement panels can help you achieve the look your home deserves, check out our lookbook here.
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