Our judges have chosen the finalists, now you choose the winners. Vote for your favorite projects in our 2018 Considered Design Awards, once per day in each of the Gardenista and Remodelista categories. Voting closes at midnight on August 3, and winners will be announced on August 6.
Below, browse the finalists in the best Curb Appeal category—which is open to both amateur gardeners and professional designers—then head to our awards page to Vote.
Framing the Side Entrance to Our North Georgia Home
Above: Amateur gardener John studied techniques used by farmers in Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and the Cotswolds to build this wall and gateway for his DIY Framing the Side Entrance to Our North Georgia Home project. Says Gardenista editor Michelle Slatalla: “The vocabulary of a classic English cottage garden, translated to make sense in a hotter, more humid climate, looks right at home in a Southern landscape. A beautifully proportioned fence and gate elevate the term ‘DIY’ to a new level.”
Lawnless Front Yard Garden
Above: Another of Michelle’s picks: BetwixtDesign’s Lawnless Front Yard Garden project. “This street-facing garden makes me wish I were a butterfly (because then I would have a new place to live) or a neighbor (so I could pass this house every morning),” she says, and the vast selection of drought-tolerant plants including Achillea millefolium, Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’, Festuca glauca, and Penstemon “are proof you don’t need to use a lot of water to create curb appeal.”
Mesa House
Above: Guest judge Brook Klausing chose Kiesel Design’s playful Mesa House for its magnetic allure. Says Brook: “It’s kinda like being summoned and you’re not sure if you should trespass. You’re thinking, it’s so cool, maybe they want me to come back and check this out. Eye candy is a sugary slope to one of life’s many delicious pit stops.”
Ventura Keys Residence
Above: Kiesel Design used thyme to soften the path of segmented pavers in their Ventura Keys Residence project, a favorite of Brook Klausing, who praised its “color-enhanced, eye-catching softscape paired with a low megapixel hardscape.”
Vibrant Mediterranean Front Yard
Above: The focal point of Urban Oasis Landscape Design’s Vibrant Mediterranean Front Yard is the Moorish quatrefoil planter, which is surrounded by a grid of concrete pavers. Decomposed granite helps soften the abundance of color and texture. Guest judge Brook Klausing selected this project, comparing it to “the last day of school before summer break. There is a feeling of abandonment with something special waiting for you on the other side.” Photograph by Mike Boden.
Have you chosen your favorite? Head to the Curb Appeal category page to vote.
Don’t forget to vote once per day in all contest categories on both Gardenista and Remodelista, now through August 3.