Getting rid of those hedges was a great idea! Continue with the rest of the bushes, and put a wide planter box with colorful flowers below the wide window on the right. Paint your shutters a contrasting color, right now they blend in. Same with the front door. Replacing the arched window will probably have to be custom and could be expensive. I don't mind the stone on the one side only but if it bothers you a large tree in front of the stone will give you shade and hide the stone, too. Congratulations!

I wonder if a creamy white color paint would look better? Here's what I'm thinking of:

http://materialgirlsblog.com/chicago/files/2012/01/Screen-shot-2012-01-23-at-7.15.56-PM.png

You could make most of the area under the large window (which is cool and part of the house's character) a large planting bed that comes up almost to the walkway without crowding it too much and border it with a similar stone. Repeat the planting bed on the other side of the house with the same stone to tie it together. You can practice with a string tied to stakes to get an idea of how the planting beds will look before committing yourself.

These are such great ideas! Thank you for taking the time to respond!

Maybe replace the railing and have it come down the stairs as well. Definately lighten up the paint on the right side. Love the window. Congratulations and have fun with your new house

This is a great "clean slate" opportunity to redefine the traditional flat, one dimensional, front lawn with a broad pathway that follows the existing lines. Border the lawns with perennial shrubs with some vertical "grasses" in between. Also, I see an opportunity to create a few landing pads along the pathway made up of the same pathway material- organic shapes that expand the pathway to roughly 8' in diameter. A few boulders or mid-size rocks will give some structure to the landing pads and add to the vertical element of the front design.

Congratulations on your new house. The stone facade and wonderful window are dramatic. Something about the front porch does not feel right: perhaps a stone pillar has been removed? The steps are not in scale. Something is missing, not just a railing. The shutters are a later addition; they can go away with no loss in style. It's as if the right half were built in the 1940's and the stone facade area added in the 1960's.

I'd recommend investing in a couple of hours with an architect to talk about the huge window, the porch and entryway. A trip to city hall to review the building permits first would be worth the time to aid in solving the puzzle. And of course, there's always talking to the neighbors who've lived nearby for many years.

New landscaping would be a great addition after a good pressure wash to the stone facade.

Here is another mid-century modern home, which has similiar stone to yours: One idea would be to paint the trim and the window muntins and casings a rich dark brown, the facia black or a deep charcoal, and the rest of the house a light taupe to blend with the stone. Definitly get rid of the shutters.

You might not need the railing since the grade is not that low, check with local code. If you don't I would get rid of the railing, otherwise look to replace it with a metal one that almost disappears: or install horizontal fencing like the Austin home.

I would have the stone cleaned, it looks like moss is growing on it.

Modern homes look best with archtectural landscaping: Nothing like the foundation planting that was there; you were right to remove it.

Look for modern doors like these: , - love this one, or

Oh my goodness... thank you all for the wonderful advice and ideas!!! I will definitely keep you posted on the progress! While we were working in the yard removing shrubs and cutting back the overgrowth, the neighbors came out and were very forthcoming with their ideas. They were delighted to see things happening at this house. I am loving it! The interior will be just as much fun to update/upgrade! I'll post pictures of that later. Thanks again!!!

As you already know, those mid-century houses are now considered classics. Here in Michigan, we have several very cool furniture stores that carry great things, like danish modern, which would be so perfect in your new home. Above all else, make yourself happy. Love where you live!

Estate sales and thift stores and yard sales are sources too for original mid-century and Danish Modern. The older generations furniished their starter homes that way.

Houssaon has some great ideas. I would use her pic. and look for a new door at Crestview.com--they have a door visualizer you can use. (just ignor the railing for now). You can also use her image for oline paint visualizers if you want to tweak the color a bit, shuch as at Sherwin Williams. Painting the storm and the front door would do for now. .

I would look into keeping that window as is, and getting storms either inside or outside. I have a picture window and I love the thick frames you can put items on--glass looks particularly nice inside and outside. I put window film on the lowest row for a bit of privacy and draw the drapes at night. We also used clear removable caulk to seal up the windows--take your time and be neat and it is hardly noticable.

Single glazing has an R1 and new double glazing has a R3 at best, hardly worth the expense in energy savings, especially for a picture window (has about a 50 year payback or so). A good storm with caulk on both sides of the glass and around the exterior casing is nearly as efficient and a lot cheaper.

I don't mind the railing--painted dark it would be hardly noticable, and I have seen thing like that on mid-century houses. Of course you could do other styles, like boxed squares, and horizontal railings spaced apart. I would consider doing one thick enough to show on the top rail and something thinner to fill, maybe even a cable system, and continue it down the steps to integrate it all in. Wider steps might be nice too.

The stone facing may be hard to match--slight differences in color and placement are noticable from a distance. I would consider installing a water table (stone facing up to the level of the porch) and maybe a low built-in planter (be careful with drainage by the house though and don't go too high). But I would either do it in a different material, perhaps cedar, or in s similar stone but in a noticabley different pattern--perhaps ledger or stacked stone. A flowering tree on the right would visually help balance the halves of the house too.

A painted line around the building painted a darker color might work too. I used to live in Germany and nearly every house had this, and it reallly grounds the house and helps conceal any dirt that splashes up.

When landscaping consider check the drainage and even installing dry wells and swales to help control water during a heavy downpour. A rain chain might be nice too since you don't have a good spot for a downspout.

Here ae some homes with features you might be interested in and from old planbooks of the period.


New house--eally nice modern interior with mid-century feel

Remodel of mid-century with very nice finishes
https://www.houzz.com/magazine/5-inspiring-midcentury-modern-homes-stsetivw-vs~798620
https://www.houzz.com/magazine/home-exteriors-take-color-cues-from-stone-stsetivw-vs~2090477
color cues from stone (Sherwin Williams has a tool for this too--load a picture and it picks the colors that match it.--pretty cool)

Haven't read all the posts, but you'll have fun with this one. Try a power washing of the stone before you select any paint color from it. Have you checked with local records offices to see what info you might find on the original home and/or owners? You might get lucky and find out about the original plans. That would give you a great direction to head in!

Thanks for the additional comments and information. Crestviewdoors.com is a great website for this type of remodel!!!

I love your house! I agree with other commenters that the railing is a later addition and is not right for the house. It looks like perhaps the stairs once came out the front, instead of to the side. To solve this, it occurred to me you could do some very cool, modern looking wraparound stairs - with no railings - that wrap in a backwards L shape from the side where they are now, around the front.

I'm a big fan of the American ranch. It's an under appreciated legacy of the 1940's/50's with functional 20th century design. Paint the fascia boards and soffits, and windows bright white across the whole building. this will tie them together. Remove the shutters. Do not try and make the brick look like the stone--it will never work. Use the difference of the materials to your advantage. The house would look awful if it were all stone. Paint the brick in a solid dark color--rich gray, dark blue, rust brown. It's South facing so think Mediterranean. This will look amazing when it get sun blasted and it will resist fade and brighten your day. I could even recommend a rich deep bright red here, if you could handle it. Something with a lot of pigment (please, not pastels). Replace the railings with simple stainless steel cables set horizontally all the way up to the soffit and plant a gentle climbing plant that has a bold color flower (I use blue clematis a lot). Also, I'd be tempted to leave the low bushes on the right side. A little softness is good. Sweet house. Good buy. Live well.