I'm actually a bit old fashioned in that I love great wreaths with natural berries. Also, two large plants on each side of the door, and perhaps a white porch rocker.

How about gray to match the roof with the new hardware you mention. Seasonal wreaths/ iron work/family crest may look nice and make the entrance more warm & friendly. A few hanging plants/flowers with color on each side of the 2 posts would add a pop of color which is needed & your house number on one of the post would look nice.

Paint them in high gloss this will make the doors pop and look high end change the handles and kick plate to brushed nickel ones

Yup - keep the gold - it's hot, Hot, HOT and definitely back in style.
Paint the door high gloss black and add black wrought iron planters - love the lions head door knockers! Great Idea... I happen to love the gold / brass kick plate - make it work by adding more gold good luck!

I think a light hanging over the entrance would be nice. Not this one, but just to give you the feeling. You will probably need something that hugs the ceiling a little bit more.

Have you thought about cutting them and inserting glass with wrought iron - we did this a few years ago and it totally changed the look of our house - in a good way. Lots of light coming in the front door as well..

High gloss black paint with brushed nickel would look great. Maybe your family name in center of left door with est. ... In the center of the right. Oversized planters would look great and wreaths on both doors. Good luck!

Although I love shiny brass, I think you should remove the kickplate and see what you think. I think it kind of shortens the look of the door when paired with the front plantings and the doors may gain importance without a kickplate.

What color paint did U use? Would go great with my gray stone .

Thank-you for all your responses! I love the input! We have just moved into the house so I don't know the paint colour, unfortunately, but I was thinking of using BM Jet Black on the doors when I repaint them. There is a pot light above the doors now. I'm afraid the overhang will be too low for a hanging light, although I would love to do that. Looking up some Michael Healy door knockers, I think that will make a nice difference. I like the idea of a number on the post, I have been at a loss as to where to put our house number so it can be seen.

Love barnharts suggestions. Address in white panel.

I think I would remove the kickplates and extend the door color to the edges of the sidelights as well. I would use the brushed nickel hardware as suggested by vdandever and avoid the gold trend unless you plan to keep up with trends.

You're right bev, the address # would make sense to go there on the left where there's a little extra room on that side.

lkp -- there's one other thing that jumps out at me from the curb -- mullions everywhere except the top floor of the house seems a little odd. If not left for you by the previous owners, I'm hoping there's a brand and model number visible in the window if you look directly up -- if it's Anderson it's easy to order -- and you might just wait for a sale if it's them. I got lucky recently to go online and order a batch, and happened to find them on sale when I wouldn't have thought to wait.

I think the storms/ screens are just obscuring the mullions. It does look as tho' they are missing..

I just had I google mullion. Ha. Are you talking about the metal railings around the windows? Should I get rid of them? I'm not a fan, makes me think Dracula lives in my house.

Nope -- those are fine. Mullions are what separates the panes in your windows. For instance, the side lights or windows on either side of your front door are separated by the white mullions into ten individual panes. It's those white grids that these days snap in that are missing from your upstairs windows.

Okay I see that, yes I agree it doesn't look even...

Sorry lkp -- you were only asking about the front doors! We tend to do that on houzz, all in the spirit of helping your home look fabulous. Congrats, by the way, as you mentioned having just moved in.

Here's a couple pretty suggestions :)

Try Benjamin Moore gloss enamel in Ebony King. It's a black but not quite - sort of a dark pencil lead. We used it on our kitchen cabinets in a satin finish and the look is so dramatic. You could also change the hardware to brushed nickel. I would also add a dramatic pendant light to highlight the doorway and add some planters for texture.

I'd do a fresh cost of paint and remove the kick p,ages. Personally I don't care for gold but if you like it and the handles are I good shape the I see no reason to change them. The kick plates are not helping though.

Now I'm thinking of getting rid of the kick plates, but there will be screw holes in my doors. Not sure what I'd do about that. I walked outside and looked and the top windows do have those inserts in them, I don't know why you can't see them in the picture. Love the wreaths just made from greenery.

You can fill the holes in with wood filler. I just did this on the trim of doorways where we removed doors. It's a lot easier to do it with holes. Elmer's makes the product as do others and you can get it at Home Depot or lowes.

I forgot to mention: sand it down with a foam block sander. Just tell someone at Home Depot what you are doing and they'll be able to assist you finding the products you need.

How about a high gloss dark forest green that almost reads black?

Only suggestion I have if you do it in high gloss get a professional to do it they can come and spray it in place it's very hard to apply if you don't know what you are doing and high gloss is not very forgiving you'll see lap marks brush strokes etc. I hope this helps

I like the kick plates for practicality, esp if you have kids.

If you want to have a gloss door, be prepared to pay for a professional spray job as suggested. Also pay the pro to prep the door, filling all the dings and dents to get a good surface.

Can I hand paint if I use a semi-gloss?

Try using a sponge brush & sponge roller. - should give you a pretty smooth finish. You can use a high gloss too. I would rough up the existing finish first with a fine grit sandpaper so the new paint adheres well. Just remember to wipe it off with a damp cloth after you sand so there's no remaining residue. Just have fun with it!

I would follow the advice of Marie Hebson's interiorsBYDESIGN Inc.

The kick plates are totally cool and functional

Yes, you can hand paint semi gloss. I used Benjamin Moores Aura paint on my front door and it looks great.

Have you considered painting the side lights and entire doorway wall black? The white is just too bright and competes with doors. I love the black and kick plates. Or paint that wall another color with less contrast.

You have a nice large entrance! i would suggest you add a hanging pendant lighting fixture, change you door handle, remove or paint the kick plates black, and paint your doors a high-gloss black which will allow you to see the detail in your door.

I love black doors, I'm thinking of painting my door black again. Home Depot or Lowes has a new paint that is a high gloss gell paint. It only comes in a few colors, black is one of them. The store sample looked great. My house is similar in style and brick. Years ago, I painted the door black added a Baldwin fancy door knob and brass kick plate, door knocker. I glued large brass numbers on the brick, that complimented the brass accents on the door. Received lots of compliments and it looked inpressive. But, the high gloss black paint was not easy to get a good looking finish. Definately use the best paint you can afford. Good Luck

You might vertically faux paint large numbers to the left side of the door. Like French numbers, a little personality. Or large wood numbers....painted black.

Hi IKp, have you considered other color schemes a bit lighter than black? They would still look nice with satin nickel finish hardware --

Add a bright contrasting color to the doors. See the doors of Dublin http://www.flickr.com/photos/lonniedean/5878530958/ and keep the gold hardware...maybe take the advice and get two creat door knockers. If your Irish maybe get Claddah (sp?) Rings, or the beautiful lion heads already suggested.

i like the suggestion of glossy black somewhere up in the posts... as you're for black too. it looks good with the gold too. keep the gold, it's classy. ALSO, you can have an artificial vine climb up in spirals those two white columns in the front to add a punch of green.. then install two medium sized black lanterns hugging the roof right next to the columns in the middle stretch (match lanterns with sconces on either sides of your windows), therefore framing the door yet not hiding it..
as for the number, if it's two digits you could have it made in the same shade (also in some nice old/stylish font) as your door handles and install seperately on each door panel.. please keep the kick plates. they look good. adds character..
what do you say?

beautiful house b/w

I agree with others who have suggested high gloss black and red, and the knockers and address numbers. Here is a red you might try. It is called Heritage red RME 25. The goal would be for it to look great with your brick. Benjamin Moore sells samples for $3.99.

http://www.benjaminmoore.net/2584.html

I am a Newfoundlander, originally, and the houses there are quite typically a variety of colours, I will try to post a picture of my mailbox, which is from home and depicts jellybean row, I am certainly not adverse to colour. I considered doing the doors red but was concerned about it looking too busy with the brick. That bm red is almost identical to what I painted the door in my previous house. Interestingly, I saw a picture if my house when it was first built and the trim was a peachy colour with a white garage. The house looked much brighter (I don't like peach but it looked okay). I'm going to Home Depot today to look at door handles and paints. I always wonder if my black garage is making the house look 'heavy'. :/. We have wanted this house for so long and are so excited to be here I want it to look its best!

I love the black. Very classy. If you repaint, paint with a semi gloss enamel. The other thing I would do is to paint the framework and the sidelights in black also. Gives you more impact. I don't like the high contrast of black against white. Change out the spotlight and put in a semi flush light fixture that will not get in your way but will add a decorative element. Remove the brass kick plates. The handles will depend on your style. Brushed nickel is timeless and classy. Large pots and and plants on either side is a finishing touch.

I would definitely keep the doors black and keep the gold colour, gold is coming back in!. I would add some planters with height on either side of the doors infront of the side lights, do some greenery in the middle and some flors surrounding to ass colour. I would also add a large house number on the front of your garage in a black colour.

Therma Tru Doors offers visualization software that will allow you to upload a photo of your entry door and then try on various designs and styles. It's called "The Picture Perfect Virtual Designer". It also will give you the capability to change the color of your facade, roof and trim.
Download the free trial here: http://www.thermatru.com/products/door-designer/