Abandoned to Chic?

10 years ago

last modified: 10 years ago

About a month ago, I moved from Minnesota to Alabama to live with my fiance in this adorable brick house. The only problem is that he does not care at all for looks so the house hasn't changed much since his relatives moved out. Along with major interior redesigning, the "abandoned look" for the exterior has got to go.
I love Midcentury Modern detailing and am glad to be living in a house that has potential for it.
My dilemmas are: 1 making the front door pop, or at least giving some indication that the door seen from the road(bedroom) is not the main entrance, 2 adding color! we need to break up the monotonous brick with some color! Fiance did give one stipulation to that: no painting the brick.

Can Houzzers help me turn this sad brick home into a cute modern oasis with little renovation?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (2)

Caroline Wareham
10 years ago
Render the brick a dark grey, this will soften the contrasting bricked and metal windows. Then add very large and high (waist high) planter boxes both sides of the stairs with sturdy white flowers (agapanthus or hydrangea) this with pull the white door forward.
User
10 years ago
Move steps to near the door that is the front door, I would also make them wrap around a bit. Add some walkway in front of the steps... it's obvious now that traffic needs to go THERE and not to the middle door... add railings on the rest of the sections and a nice set of handrails onto the steps. I'd go white for the contrast. Maybe add sheathing boards around the porch roof support rails as you work there to make them a bit thicker visually and definitely all white.

Where you have the chair with the plant by the front door now, I would put a white bench, maybe a full seat that could seat two, with back and armrests, as a further invitation for those that come to your porch to come up and be welcome.

Along the two 'bays' that you don't want traffic on, a few feet out (so they have room to grow) put some low growing bushes, that will get no taller than about 4 feet. Low enough they don't need trimming yet enough to hide the foundation.

Paint the door you don't want people to come to some color that blends with the brick.

If you need more access to your porch put steps off to the left side there, but make them as low contrast as possible, and I'd put a gate at the top of them, to continue the railing effect.

You can put some outdoor furniture on the rest of the porch to enjoy it, even a small standing grill, but keep the colors muted down a bit, the high contrast, save for the main entry and guiding the eye and such to the front door you want to use.

IF nothing else, move those steps to the right to the last section of the porch where the front door is. Steps = where to go; and paint the door you don't want people to use the same color as the brick to make it visually disappear.

You have a lot of potential there; good luck on getting it to the house of your dreams.
Related Professionals
New Providence Interior Designers & Decorators · Corpus Christi Architects & Building Designers · Baltimore Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Easton Furniture & Accessories · Miami Furniture & Accessories · San Diego Furniture & Accessories · Carlsbad Furniture & Accessories · Wakefield Furniture & Accessories · Bay Shore General Contractors · Delhi General Contractors · Merritt Island General Contractors · Mineral Wells General Contractors · Norristown General Contractors · Poquoson General Contractors · Valle Vista General Contractors