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I would leave the shutters the way they are and paint the front door, maybe a dark hunter green, a dark red, anything to make it stand out a bit. I agreee that the white garage door is overpowering the whole house. I would consider paintong it to blend in more, although with all those little panels it will probably be a huge pain in the neck. That project would end up at the bottom of my list.
Larger more distinctive light fixtures would really help, maybe in an oil-rubbed bronze finish. Also, not a cheap idea, but a thicker, more visually weighty handrail would help bring the focus to the front door.
The design of the house already makes the front entrance disappear. That's the reason I would keep the shutters the nice neutral color they are now...they don't need any more emphasis. Instead, the entrance needs the oomph to stand out from the other competing elements.
Nice house. Good luck with all of your projects!!!
(Also, why not wait til you get the landscaping in, see the new look, before you make any decisions)
Great tips. I really dont want to paint the door because we just replaced it since it was damaged. It is a metal so a real pain to paint. I love the idea of a red or burgundy door, but I'm also thinking white as well. Could I do something like a fire engine red? Landscaping is a slow process. I have someone coming in a few days to do a design for me, but I'm only going to be able to afford a few plants here and there. In "paint" I removed the shutters and it made the house look really silly, and 90% of the houses around us also have shutters anyway. I agree with a new handrail, it is wimpy and we dont even use it at all!
I don't know if anyone has suggested this yet, but the very first thing I would do is make your garage door disappear by painting it the same color as the siding above it. Since your garage is so prominent, why anyone would paint it an accent color is beyond me.
Then I would paint the front door a bright color..maybe a sunflower yellow, or whatever warm color you like (I feel a cool color will fight with your other exterior colors). After I did these two things I would stand back and assess whether I needed to do anything else. The trick is that you want the front door to be the focal point and right now the big old garage door is.
The less attention drawn to your shutters, the better, since they are incorrectly sized for the windows and should never have been used in the first place...this is a huge peeve of mine, but it doesn't seem to bother other people. Right now they at least blend in to the house pretty well without screaming that they're there.
So been playing in "paint" and did a red door, white, and a blue, what do ya'll think?
Also added a circle of rock around the 2 trees in the front of the house. Going to do a 2 layer bed under the bay window using the same stone. The stone has red, yellow and a little gray/blue color.
Last edited by FutureBettyCrocker; 03-30-2010 at 12:28 PM..
Landscaping is a slow process. I have someone coming in a few days to do a design for me, but I'm only going to be able to afford a few plants here and there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by FutureBettyCrocker
So been playing in "paint" and did a red door, white, and a blue, what do ya'll think?
I think I'd wait to paint the door until you see what bloom colors are prominent in the new plants-to-be.
Has anyone suggested a light fixture in the triangle above the garage door?
The plants we are doing are going to be almost all evergreens since flowers only bloom for 2 months or so hear. :-( So dont really plan on doing any flowers. Maybe a flowering bush but again, most will be evergreens. I'm in zone 5.
Front door color should not be the same as anything else it should stand out, say come here to enter. Landscaping extend a homes edges, a tall tree or shrub in the right corner about 10to15 feet from the edge of the house wouldhelp anchor the house.
Get rid of the shutters that couldn't possibly cover the window if closed. I know they're fake and don't close...another reason to get rid of them. Wood trim board is a much better application.
A wrought iron screen door would better emphasise your front door...as would a brighter colour.
De-emphasise the garage door by painting it the current colour of your front door.
The front wall of the garage needs some architectural detailing (ie. trellises on each side of the door, a window above the door...maybe with a window flower box beneath)
Overall, however, I like the current colour of your home...anything bolder would serve to emphasise the garage.
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