They’re inviting, hospitable, warm, and full of charm and lots of personality. Living in the South, we’re blessed with almost year-round weather that calls for those quintessentially Southern characteristics to be expressed in homes’ exteriors. Think leaving the doors and windows open, folks sitting outside in rocking chairs, and gardens brimming with verdant plants and flowers. A home’s curb appeal is its first impression, where guests and passersby get the first glimpse of its personality. And for those houses with unmistakable Southern charm, it’s more than likely they have several—if not all—of the following 7 features.
Welcoming Porches
There is nothing as defining to a Southern home than a large porch. Whether it’s the size of a garage or wraps around the entire home, a front porch is quintessentially Southern with its welcoming appearance and extension of the living space outside.
And Porch Swings
You can’t have a porch without a cozy porch swing to enjoy it from. We can’t help but be reminded of lazy summer days and hot summer nights when you keep swinging just to feel a breeze.
Hanging Ferns
When it comes to plants that are distinctly Southern, ferns near the top of the list. The leafy plants thrive in warm, humid climates, which is why they are so often a staple on Southern porches. Their distinct shape is always noticeable when they’re hanging prominently above a porch railing.
Window Boxes
Where there isn’t a porch to hang plants or fill with planters, there are windows to be adorned with overflowing flower boxes. Why grow in the ground what you can plant right outside your window?
Windows
Windows have historically served a practical purpose in Southern homes by providing much needed airflow throughout the house. Unlike homes in colder climes that work to keep warmth in by minimizing the number and size of windows, homes in the south have the luxury of inviting the outside in, and embrace that with a greater number of larger windows. And even in the era of central AC, Southern homes still often have an abundance of windows in multiple forms: dormers, transoms, bays, and more.
Shutters
Like the windows they frame, shutters first and foremost serve a practical purpose in protecting the glass from the big storms and hurricanes that our region experiences. But they also have a certain charm to them that adds interest (and often contrasting color) to the exterior of a home.
Color
Speaking of color, whether it’s the multicolored row houses of Charleston and New Orleans, or a classic Georgian home with blooming hydrangeas in the front yard, Southern homes almost always have some degree of color to their curb appeal. And if there’s color and personality on the outside of a house, just wait ‘til you see the interior.
