Maybe consider painting the front door a color to tie in the brick with the siding...say...sunny yellow.

Is the brick on the left discolored or just mud splashed from the flower bed? I think whitewashing brick will take some specialty paint, not the same as you've already used. Do you have a black storm or screen door over a white French door? Maybe you need a more substantial door instead.

The brick foundation and the stairs is one of the most interesting elements of your exterior and adds a lot of texture and character. Also, your home looks chopped in half right now.

I recommend getting the brick cleaned. Then, paint the front of the house a warm tone to blend better with the brick.

For now, you can leave the rest of the siding the color it is. But, I recommend eventually painting it.

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Thanks for the advice. I agree that the most obvious solution is to paint the siding a warm color. I was just trying to find an easier way to tie the two elements together. I may just have to bite the bullet.

Jacknewportbeach, the landscaping will eventually cover part of the brick. A few months ago we tore out overgrown shrubs that grew up to the windows and replaced them with pint-sized plantings. Most of the shrubs are supposed to reach about three or four feet and on each side of the stairs are ones that should grow to five feet.

Before we tore out the overgrown shrubs, we didn't notice that the house and its foundation don't go together very well. So you are right, larger plantings do help, and in a few seasons I think the new ones will make a difference.

jbtanyderi, really? I never thought of it that way.

When we bought this house two-and-a-half years ago, the siding had been freshly painted. That was the only thing that had been done in recent years, and we have had so much else to do here that we wanted to delay painting it.

Thanks for your perspective.

I like your brick as it is, and the black french doors were a great idea. I agree with you that a warm cream might have been better for the siding, and would set it off from the neighbor, but it's not bad now so I would just wait until you do have to repaint in a few years. It will look much better once the plants are grown in.

calidesign, thanks so much for your encouraging words. I love the idea of cream for the siding.