Your house was most likely a dark color originally... hidden behind a lot of greenery. Big bushes and leafy trees. It would have been a private oasis in the desert of suburbia. I am thinking paint... chestnut brown. Eggshell finish. The exterior wood trim., including rafters & doors, to be semi-gloss deep chocolate... with a hint of red undertone to the chocolate. Delish! That color combination... nestled in behind leafy greens... decadent! Secret & divine. Another option is the color of the bark of your tree... Brown with barely a tint of grey & mossy green... then the woodwork...glossy black brown. Lovely. Either way... a brown house with a red roof is a classic combination... so much more elegant than beige or cream with your roof. Your architecture... the proportions and details were designed with the intent that it would be nestled in behind lush greenery. The architecture was influenced by Japan.... and was part of a national trend that began in the late 1800's and lasted until the early 1980's. On that note... if you are daring... you can also consider painting the wood trim work & doors a Japanese laquer red hue... which is a bit darker than the red of your roof. Either way... your house has great proportions... it was designed with landscaping in mind. If you can find someone who knows Japanese style landscaping... that will be a bonus. Love your privacy wall and the bump out... especially the screened doors and slatted open roof. I can imagine that as an open room... completely hidden by bushes and trees... so inviting!

Oh, I just read your design updates... shaker kitchen... yes... very naturalistic... wood, simple & elegant lines... no wasted excess... yes... lush garden... lots of leafy texture. Minimal color... limit to one "color" and then shapes and leaf sizes. Gorgeous... you will feel like you are deep in the forest. The plants will muffle street noises... hmmm... a bubbling water fountain hidden in the plants will also muffle outside noises.

Thank you Christina for your ideas and background on the house design. And here I was thinking the architect had taken leave of his senses! Your thoughts have triggered the need for me to undertake more research into this style and find successful examples.

Oh... that will be a challenge! Attached is a photo of a book cover. Start with modern architects of the era your house was built. The photo is of an earlier architect, but he was an influencer. Also, the architect Mies Van De Rohe... nature... flowed indoors seamlessly. "Form Follows Function" is a famous mantra of architects... steeped in meaning. Consider spending time and money on landscaping. The house was not meant to be noticed. It is meant to be tucked away. I highly recommend hiring a professional landscaper. When I lived in Tucson Arizona, I learned the value of landscaping. Boring houses with barren, lonely neighborhoods nearby to gorgeous houses with lush, inviting neighborhoods
It took me a long, long time to realise that the houses of both neighborhoods were identical. I am from New England... the Shakers were very practical people. The beauty of their architecture, furnishings and floorplans were all based on use and function. Your privacy wall is a nod to Frank Lloyd Wright. You are entering a space... equivalent to an outdoor version of a foyer. It is meant to be an emotional space. A calm place, shelter... where you leave the world behind. The plants will be your architecture. I grew up in a wooded neighborhood... full of pine trees. My neighbors were very close, yet I couldn't see them. When the wind blew, the branches of the trees would dance... creating lovely shadows and sounds... of pine needles moving... so relaxing! The Shakers were farmers... nature was a strong influence.

What climate and geographic area? Rain in summer or not?

I'd consider removing the huge wall in front of the entrance but first I would want to understand why it was built. Are there clues?

Do you have photos from farther away showing the front, sides and back of the house?

I’m really enjoying reading your insights Christina and suggestions for further research. Our inability to find similar style houses that have been thoughtfully restored or updated means that we are falling back on a perceived need for a balanced view of the facade through symmetry (e.g. adding a matching gable above the garage and a portico above the entrance with central steps leading to the entrance) or asymmetry (balancing the gabled side of the house with a row of small trees leading up the left side of the driveway). This is probably why I’m a bit put off by the off-centred window below the gable, the left hand side gable ‘arm’ that stops abruptly above the entrance and the presence of a curvilinear wall in an otherwise fairly rectilinear style house (Apple_pie_order, I can’t see any reason for the wall other than what was suggested by Christina previously – an opportunity for presenting a sheltered outdoor room before entry into the house. It may also have been introduced to soften the façade in some way? – not sure).

Having said that, we also don’t want to try and squeeze the house into a style that just doesn’t suit its overall structure. If we can understand and therefore appreciate the thought process behind the current style then the preference may be to enhance the existing features in some way rather than undertake a costly and perhaps unconvincing facelift. It’s not a big house and is basically L-shaped, with a series of French doors bordering a covered outdoor entertaining area in the crook of the L which looks out to the back yard where there will eventually be a pool, grassed area, limestone paving and stepped retaining walls.

I’m encouraged by your suggestion Christina that the style was actually intentional, and can understand how the house may have been a bit of a hidden haven to previous owners with a focus on the landscaping rather than the house. We certainly want to do some fairly significant landscaping in the front and back yards, but ideally we’d like the house to be an interesting addition to the streetscape while still providing some surprises for guests on entry.

In terms of climate apple_pie_order, we are located in Perth, Western Australia. Therefore the summers are hot (think multiple weeks above 100 deg f and very little rain), while the winters are mild and relatively wet. As you can see from the photo, the whole area sits on ancient sand dunes, which is great for drainage but limited in terms of the soft landscaping options available. No cottage gardens or tropical plantations here unless you’re prepared to be a very hands on gardener.

Anyway, time to do some reading on the work by the architects suggested. Thanks again for taking the time to provide your thoughts.

Google: "Xeriscape"... landscaping for arid sandy areas. The wall that hides your door also blocks the hot sun, rain and dusty wind from blowing into your house when you open your door. It also blocks the sun, wind & rain for the patio to the right. In Southern AZ this walled in outdoor room infront is common. Often the space includes a bubbling water fountain, large potted plants and a metal bistro table with two metal chairs. It is a wonderful place to eat breakfast or have an evening drink. At certain times of the day, I assume that area is in shade... and is cooler temperature than out in the hot sun
A great place to sit... no one on the street can see you
This house is designed to have outdoor living areas for different times of the day... based on the direction of the sun and wind. It was never meant to be pretty or balanced on it's own. Landscaping is architecture. Large cacti... gorgeous
In Tucson, AZ we have suagaro cacti... huge... living pillars. Large succulents will work wonderfully in your yard. Succulents in bloom... fabulous!

I don't know if your climate is too wet for succulents. Another plant that thrives in sandy soil is bougonvilla. All year long, gorgeous fuscia flowers that look like tiny paper lanterns. When the flowers fall to the ground... gorgeous! It is used as a hedge in Arizona. Easy to grow and the plants grow to be huge... both tall and wide. If your house were chocolate... and you had bougonvillas im front of it... your house will be a gorgeois backdrop
People will be stopping to take photos. Please... please... comsider plants as architecture. On that note... you may want to consider scented plants. Especially divine just after rain or on a hot day... when the scents are released more intensely. Please research landscape professionals and landscaping in general. In the USA we have a monthly home & garden magazine for your climate... Sunset Magazine. Even though I now live in the North East USA... I still refer to it myself... because it offers the best ideas for outdoor living.
Also, you may want to check what # zone you are in. I think it is called temperate zone? Then look up what other parts of the world in your zone are doing for landscaping. You may be able to copy their ideas exactly. Please, please, if you research architecture... please note you will have a very hard time finding a house like yours. It is not a cookie cutter house. It is a house of parts. Each part has a purpose. You may find similar versions of your house within your town... if you don't mind driving around. However, I can only assume they have cut down all of their plants too. It is no longer the trend to have the property be the beauty. Now people only want the house to be noticed... while the lawn is a flat carpet of blah. If you use plants as architectural enhancements... don't be surprised if your neighbors copy you. That is a very good thing. In California... there are neighborhoods that started out with a couple of owners putting in large bushy plants. Their neighbors copied. Then it spread to the entire street, then to several streets. Now they are tourist destinations. Yet none of the houses are interesting on their own. However, as backdrops to the landscape... gorgeous! Honor the architecture... it has a psrsonality of it's own... it's just lonely without it's living accessories and architectural trees & bushes.

P.S. Landscaping with native plants... is no to low maintence. Also, after the first season... no need to water. I am all for lazy! - signing off now as... Brown Thumb :)

this home could go mission spanish if you let it. remove the tree by the gate, add large rounded wrought iron gate, plant trellising vines for the wall and get some vines going over that trellis by big window.

:) Flair Lighting... Nice gates Flair! Can you add a tall bush to the right of the patio and the right corner of the wall? And maybe make the bushes in front of the wall taller?

I would first remove that privacy wall. If you must keep it, maybe put a trellis with vines on it to soften it up. Paint, of course. The first poster had some great recommendations for color. Re-landscape and plant a vine in that pergola. Move that tree to the left of the large window. Update garage doors.

The house faces west and therefore the tree to the left provides quite a bit of shade to the entrance and the hidden area behind the wall as the sun traverses it's northern path so we'd probably need to keep it or replace it eventually with something that complements the rest of the plants once they are in. To balance it out, we are considering removing the pillars and pergola and planting a mature tree just to the right of the right hand side window as you look at the house.. Flair lighting, thanks for the mock ups. The entrance has a metal gate although not as ornate as your examples. That wall definitely needs a vine. I agree with your idea about mission Spanish. I found the attached photo which is surprisingly very close to our design. We would prefer to keep the house lighter in colour to reflect the heat and keep it fresh. It appears quite stark at the moment but with more vegetation this should be toned down a bit.
http://www.houzz.com/trk/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5rb2Zma2FwaGFrb3MuY29tL3Jlc2lkZW50aWFsL2ZlYXR1cmVkL3NwYW5pc2hjb3VydHlhcmQuaHRtbA/2e646a2356dedb23526afeeedc173c81/ue/NTY5MDkxNg/e32a848efa9b0701d3eebbbc7e1412b1

Will have a look at the sunset magazine Christina for some landscaping ideas that suit.

Garden & house color ideas...

Colors, shapes & a garden. 2nd photo reminds me of your house. 3rd photo... green house has a hint of red in the window trims.

House colors and landscapes. 2nd photo needs a red roof and to lose the bulky shutters. Would have been gorgeous if: the shutters were removed, the roof was red tile, the fireplace was brick colored and the wood trim was a deeper red... all of the trim... windows, at the roofline, pillars and balustrade. Currently a red roof and brown house is not in trend... however, in the 1900 - 1940's... and maybe... 1950's... it was an extremely popular combination. Chocolate colored houses make the green color of plants pop gorgeously like sculptures. The color combination reminds me of chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and a mint leaf on top... decadent... yum!

Colors... first photo... note how the blanket pops as a decorative accent... anywhere else, and it would just be a blanket. Chocolate is a wonderful backdrop. The next two photos are of colors that look best when surrounded by greenery. The last photo... check out how the light colored trim changes an average bungalow into a show stopper!

.In Arizona, people buy large rocks and place one or two in their yard to add interest. The rocks are the size of a bush... so it gives volume to a flat front yard. They also sell fake rocks that are really well done... the fiberglass versions are actual molds of real rocks and are painted many colors... plus tiny chips of mica are added to give the sparkle of real stones. You may consider adding a few strategically placed large rocks. Your nursery... or a rock & stone supplier can help you with that. The 2nd photo gave me an idea... what if your entrance wall were a different color from the rest of your house? It would be a statement piece. You could buy large metal house numbers and put the numbers on that wall. Even better... if you use longer screws and spacers... the house numbers will appear to float on the wall. This will make lovely shadows throughout the day... even at night... if you use solar powered landscape lighting. The other photos are examples of how contrasting trim colors can enhance the shapes. BTW... the shakers used contrasting trim colors... :)

Many paint manufacturers carry historic paint colors... you may enjoy looking at colors in these categories: Mission, Bungalow, Arts & Crafts and... the darker Victorian hues.

You will love Southern Living Magazine! It is filled with stucco houses. You will be able to visualize much more easily than with my images of wood bungalows. Sorry about that! I have a bungalow... and I happened to be searching online last night for window ideas... these photos reminded me of you.

Consider painting your house two colors... Base color... and then 2nd color for: garage doors, walled area, all wood trimwork & doors. Color blocking... this will balance out the house. 2nd color needs to be complete opposite of base color. Example: if base color is light... then 2nd color needs to be dark... and vice versa. Oh... well... maybe you could do less drama... tone on tone colors might work nicely too. I think this may address all your architectural issues... regardless of plants. Plus... so easy to test out the idea. Even without photoshop. Print out the photo of your house... and then color-in the garages, doors, wall, and wood trim... especially the trim just under the roof overhang. Yes, I should have thought of this earlier. Hmmm... you may not need much landscaping after all. I guess that means you can take your time developing the garden... less stress :)