They say that can’t judge a book by its cover, and the same goes for homes. If it’s a castle-inspired exterior with a fairy-tale interior or a historic exterior with a trendy interior, the exterior of a house may hint at what’s inside with a contrasting surprise. We’ve rounded up some of the most Stunning House Exteriors that you’ll want to move in, and maybe even encourage you to curb the appeal of your own home.
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Table of Contents
Castle-Inspired Fortress
A gray exterior with white and red accents features this fairy-tale escape by Lisa Tharp and TMS Architects. The wood and stone contribute to its beauty, influenced by nature.
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Nautical Getaway
This New Jersey house, previously destroyed by Hurricane Sandy, received a helping hand from Joe Lucas. The shingled house overlooks the bay with a 28-foot yacht, complete with a screened porch.
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Florida Escape
Andrew Howard made sure that, regardless of how many children were roaming around, this Florida home somehow looked like a holiday. In the family-friendly interior style, they made sure that the neat and crisp exterior is reflected.
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Shingle-Style Beach House
The classic shingle-style exterior offers no clue to the contemporary interior of this Rob Southern’s decorated Long Island beach home. Banks of windows and a second-floor balcony off the master suite provide stunning bay views.
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French-Style Château
Classic French beauty was translated to the Gold Coast of Long Island by architect Moon Bros. and landscape architect Perry Guillot in Ellen Niven’s Long Island, New York home.
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Connecticut Home
The founder of the home goods store ALT for Living, Analisse Taft-Gersten, has a home in Connecticut that appears nestled in its scenery.
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Minnesota Colonial
Located in Twin Cities, this colonial 1920’s, designed by artist Janet Gridley, is filled with creative and artistic flair. The exterior features dark green shutters, an American flag along white seats that are strategically arranged.
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Palm Beach Dream Home
Designer Jobe Lopez opted for a combination of low shrubbery and tall trees that surround the facade of the house and pull up the eye in 202’s Kips Bay Decorator Show House Palm Beach 2020.
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Inspired by Spanish
The 1926 Spanish-style home in Los Angeles of Justina Blakeney is modestly sized but packs a significant punch. Burnt orange trim makes a statement from the street.
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House with the Rainbow Cocoon
When planning her holiday home, architect Nina Edwards Anker combined the concepts of a sustainable building and painter William Turner’s color theory. It’s nothing like the classic shingle-style New England shingle-style Hamptons homes that surround it.
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Elevated Lake Home
Anne Hepfer’s L-shaped cottage, built on a 60-foot setback, boasts large windows, delicate stonework, and subdued colors. The cottage looks like a giant treehouse.
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Historic Hideaway
Designer Juan Carretero applied quintessential notes of English culture and tradition, including cast-concrete that ewes out at the front, to refresh this historic house.
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White Brick Residence
Ray Booth balanced the original aesthetic with a contemporary point of view to redesign and justify a 1961 house in Houston. With modern vertical shutters, Booth tweaked the white brick exterior and added a steel-gated front door and a custom lantern.
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Charleston Charmer
The entrance to this “kitchen house” in South Carolina, now a guesthouse, opens into a bluestone courtyard. The secluded space is sealed off by an ivy-covered gate.
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Historic Quarters
The Beaufort, South Carolina, house of designer Michelle Prentice effortlessly fits into its neighborhood of historic homes. The outside features a lovely, second-story veranda.
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Beach Abode
The Birmingham, Alabama-based architect James F. Carter has designed a two-story beach-front cottage that has an old-fashioned tin roof and conventional stacked screened porches near Seaside, Florida, While the home echoes an older period, it features eco-conscious materials and solar panels.
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London Townhouse
In the trendy South Kensington area of London, this stately 1860 London townhouse has a dominant presence. The clean-cut exterior clashes with the bright reds and pinks that grace some of the interior walls.
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Lakeside Mansion
Citadel Blue by Pittsburgh Paints brightens the exterior of this Alexander Bogaerts-designed Lake Michigan home. Offering an airy and friendly presence, it almost blends in with the clouds and sky.
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Tuscan-Inspired Home
In this house decorated by Barbara Barry, soaring cypresses are reminiscent of a Tuscan landscape. It is located in Corona del Mar, California, and its welcoming appearance is created by the surrounding plants.
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Shingle-Style Summer House
A restrained shingle-style exterior that features artists John Knott and John Fondas’ Maine summer home. Knott used salvaged columns from upstate New York at the entrance (on the left).
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Canadian Townhouse
The handsome Montreal weekend home of designer Garrow Kedigian was built in 1923 and has a distinctive L-shaped corner configuration in a historic courtyard building. The flowers make it an enticing attraction.
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16th-Century French Estate
In his 16th-century French farm, conductor William Christie built eight symmetrical parterres and used garden elements to restore a sense of order. Inspired by Chinese fretwork, the square planters were designed by a local carpenter and painted in the blue-green hue commonly seen in garden prints of the 17th century.
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Fieldstone from Connecticut
Crafted by architect Douglas VanderHorn, the house in Greenwich, Connecticut, is constructed of Connecticut fieldstone and cedar shingles. Its exterior, blue and white, suits its interior with the same colors.
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French Provincial
This Lake Forest, Illinois, French Provincial House was designed by the architect Ralph Milman in 1926. The home is overflowing with color in every room
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Colonial Revival
A seaside bluff commands the facade of this colonial revival house in Watch Hill, Rhode Island. It was designed by Robert Rich, the architect.
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Scandinavian Dwelling
Nicolette Horn’s house is considered a local landmark in Oslo, Norway. It was designed in 1912 by Arnstein Arneberg, a Norwegian architect.
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Bermuda-Style Home
This Bermuda-style house is decorated with pale salmon in Naples, Florida. Jesse Carrier says about the house he built with Mara Miller, ‘There are few places where you can get a pink house.’ “So why not?”
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California Cottage
Across the back porch of this California house and the front of the pool house, designer Stephen Shubel hanged striped exterior curtains to unify the houses, control the light, and evoke the south of France.