Copy the Curb Appeal: St. Paul, Minnesota

“We were drawn to the entry’s decorative brick and the 9-lite windows. Before, the door was gray, and it blended in with the rest of the house," say homeowners Natalie and Joe Paquet. "Painting it red gave the whole place a happy refresh.”

The couple purchased the 1926, 1,821 square-foot home in 2001, then got to work revamping the yard, starting with American arborvitae trees that provide greenery even during freezing Minnesota winters. “The last homeowners were more grass people than plant people,” Natalie says. The couple chose a mix of hostas and sedum for an easy-care way to fill out the beds.

And those window boxes? Natalie built them with her dad, and puts in different flowers every spring. “I pick a color scheme — this year it’s red and pink — then layer in leafy textures,” she says.

Snowfall White

Dark Storm Cloud

Cracked Pepper