Window Boxes Captivate on the Curb
For home appeal that reaches to the street, dress up your windows with boxes brimming with blossoms, vines or the freshest foliage
Have you ever walked by a house that looked a little flat, a little bare? Something was missing, but you couldn't quite put your finger on it? Try imagining that house with one simple little addition — a window box. Picture a little box full to overflowing with pink blossoms or bright yellow pansies. Can you see it? It kind of completes the picture, doesn't it?
Like the perfect pearl necklace or strands of gold, window boxes put the finishing touches on the "necks" of plain-Jane windows. Take a second look at your home. Could it benefit from a couple of well-placed window boxes?
Let's grab some ideas from well-boxed windows in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors and materials.
Like the perfect pearl necklace or strands of gold, window boxes put the finishing touches on the "necks" of plain-Jane windows. Take a second look at your home. Could it benefit from a couple of well-placed window boxes?
Let's grab some ideas from well-boxed windows in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors and materials.
If your window is long and low, you've got to balance it with a shallow but lengthy window box. Make sure the box extends at least a few inches out from the base of the window to create a pleasing line. There is nothing worse than a top-heavy window over a dinky window box.
An exception to the rule? These window boxes are exactly the same length as the window sill, but they look well balanced, thanks to the shutters. The combination of shutters, box and window create a fully dressed look that makes this "plain" white home hard to forget.
You might think window boxes are far too hard to care for when placed on a second story. Choose drought-resistant annuals that will bloom all summer long. The care needed will be minimal, but the visual impact will be strong.
This home has a beautiful garden, but if you are anything like me, your eyes bypassed that garden and headed straight to that overflowing window box on the second story. Literally dripping with foliage, the window box gives an air of abundance to this home.
Even the smallest windows can benefit from a little flower love. This little potting shed gets all charmed out with the addition of a sweet little window box.
Working with a small apartment with one little window? You aren't left out of the window box party. Try planting a box for the inside of the window, as Jen Jafarzadeh L'Italien has done here. An old soda box filled with annuals or herbs is the perfect indoor pick-me-up for bland windows.
Classic whites and khakis get a boost from vivid green and blue in this indoor window box.
When planting a window box, consider planting vining or trailing plants. Softening the edges of the box and the straight lines of your home, these plants work double duty. They can also act as a bridge between the home and garden. Notice how these plants seem to be reaching toward the garden beds, creating a fully integrated look between the two.
Informal and abundant, these draping plants are more than enough to completely change the look of this window. The window box itself is all but invisible, with the plants taking center stage.
Care to go a little fancier? Try on this arrangement by Troy Rhone Garden Design for style.
Whether your window box is indoors or out, trailing or straight, formal or flowing, it can change the look of your space. For the cost of a nice dinner out, a simple window box can transform the look of your home all season.
See how to make a simple wood window box
See how to make a simple wood window box