You can stain brick if you decide to change, but what you have is nice and bright and lends itself to cottage style with your charming bow window. Two levels of fix. I would focus on changing the entry door and house light and numbers. Black, traditional hanging lantern light, and new house numbers in black iron. Maybe paint the front door a deep blue-gray instead of black - like sw storm cloud http://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/color/find-and-explore-colors/paint-colors-by-family/SW6249-storm-cloud/ If you want a window in your door, make sure it is a cottage style front door you buy, but just repainting will do a lot. Second level would build / pour a new wider stoop that extended the width of your awning/(must be retractable?) and make it about 3' - 5' deeper than it is now cutting into the yard (and your pretty planter beds). Tear up the side path in, and plant foundation plantings in front over there. Instead, stairs out of the center of the new stoop towards the street then to a new curvy path over to the drive - maybe use stain to color my concrete drive like my brick as is goes past the house to the garage The new stairs might be stepped half circles with gray slate cladding and a pair of railings at 2 and 8 oclock. It looks like you have just 3 - 4 center stairs down the front with black railings on each side. Next time for new awning, consider charcoal and white cabana wide stripes.

I just came across this thread and I'm so curious how the house came out. I am trying to solve a vaguely similar interior decorating problem where I've got a lot of inherited Colonial and primitive pieces (not all Revival, mind you, actual Colonial, in some cases) but I've collected quite a bit of mid-century modern over the past few years because I get a kick out of it. I'm at the point where I have to choose one or the other and unload something but I'm torn between the two so I keep trying to figure out a way to blend some of each. I figure people back then couldn't typically afford to ditch all their Colonial pieces they acquired in the 1930's-40's but, of course, they continued to buy furniture and things in the 1950's which would have had that mid-century style. How did they blend it? The simple lines are a common thread to each but the mid-century style cleared out the ruffles and frou-frou in the decor, especially curtains and upholstery. I like that fact but I also like the real aged wood of the antiques. How the heck did they pull it off? Or did they? What's a furniture hoarder to do? As to the house, I applaud the preservation and loving restoration. I just saw one very similar torn down to make way for a waffle house. People went in and stripped everything they could but the bones of that house were so sturdy, it would have lasted another 200 years. It was a disgrace. I'd recommend an old Cary Grant movie called Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House to the owner to watch to get that period vibe.

Any architect worth their salt should be able to help you. Interview them and just ask them how they feel about Spanish architectural design. If they give you an energetic positive response they can handle it. If they grimace and only like doing modern design keep looking.

The top picture shows the wall to the right of the home. You can see the brick column and then the wall next to that. I'm sorry I don't have better pictures. The home is more of a creamy yellow and the columns on the wall are red brick and then the actual "wall" part is kind of a shade of mauve or something, I'm not even sure how to describe it. Obviously the home needs some SERIOUS landscaping which goes without saying. I'm looking more for ideas on how to make the home and the fence/wall have more curb appeal In a coordinating manner. I also forgot to mention that there is a lovely brick walkway that goes from the street sidewalk and up around to each side of the home that you can't see in these pictures. We plan to keep this. I don't mind the restrictions as our town takes a lot of pride in preserving the historical aspects and I want to do that as well. Just hoping to get some opinions on how to meet the restrictions and improve the flow. Thanks!