What about a buttery cream

personally, i don't like grey with cream, depending how yellow the cream is. I do love cream with white trim. I like grey with white and blue. Cream stucco, white trim, french blue door could be modified in this case to blue highlighting in your arches

You want to have three colors on the house when you are finished to play up those arched details, and to pick out those sashes and window boxes. Try sw china doll for the body of the house. Then, for the sashes and all the window boxes, frame and eaves in http://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/color/find-and-explore-colors/paint-colors-by-family/SW6249-storm-cloud/ this gray. Paint the inside of the arch and the area around the front door that same gray, then your front door wants to pop. You could go subtle, be blue-gray where these grays have a blue undertone. I like a rose colored door here - http://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/color/find-and-explore-colors/paint-colors-by-family/SW6320-bravado-red/

Cream, meaning off white, I guess. Would it look too busy if I painted the recessed area around the door, the arch over the window and the small window in the eave an accent color too? I was also thinking about adding shutters to the center window. Too much on this little front? There are "brackets" that are part of the eave troughs that come around the top of the front that could be accented too. There are elements to work with and I need help figuring out which I should emphasize. I know that more is not always better!

There are several white homes around here that have some shade of red on the front door so I thought I would find another accent color. Also, thanks for Mirical Grow, the windowboxes will be hidden by annuals that just love it here, so I will probably leave them white plastic.

What about macadamia from Sherwin with a blue door

I vote no to shutters on only one window - and you have other accents so shutters aren't appropriate on your cute house. Consider giving it a Tuscan kind of vibe. That was my first thought when I saw your pic.
https://www.houzz.com/photos/2jpg-phvw-vp~1279656
I think this orange door color is so current and you could pick 2 shades light to highlight the three arches on your front facade. Then make sure to use a bit of orange in your annuals. Those steps would look amazing with tiles added to the risers, too! I love your house!

I like the Mediterranean steps, but no on the door. My across the street neighbor's door is a variation of this color and it looks like human by product. My door is blue purple, but hers is just awful. Just some personal experience here. This is a very cute little house. With the right paint it will look divine.

My worry is that the front will look too busy if I paint all of the elements different colors. Don't know which things to choose! Maybe I should draw it out, make copies, and set about coloring in different combinations? I can give others suggestions but having a devil of a time with my own stuff!

I love the tile idea and I even have some I could set up and see how it would look. Installing tiles would give me the palate that I need too. I wonder how they would hold up through the winters here and all of the shoveling we need to do .

Your sweet house has a Mission style to me. I would outline the window trim and stain/paint the door to accentuate the recess. What a cutie.

I think the tile would be fine in cold weather. But don't slam it with a metal edged shovel. That would damage it.

Make zerox in black and white and color in the zerox realizing that what you color would be a rough approximation.

Some people around here have programs that will redo the color for you.

You could try windows paint. Maybe you could make it work.

Thanks all of you for your ideas! I am off in a direction I never would have thought of in a million years! I can see now that it could look very different - with just a coat of paint and a few tiles!

Can't wait to see your after pix!

I want to thank everyone for their creativity and honesty! Please keep it up?

Ok, then! I will have a Tuscan cottage here very soon! Here are some zerox, colored drawings I did using as many of all of your ideas as I could.

#1 uses travertine tile up the risers which could withstand the elements, I think. It is rustic and I really love that.

#2 uses decorative tile on the risers and they would determine the paint colors, I think.

#3 steps are just painted and the alcove around the front door is the same color.

I have a side door to the right of the picture and would love to tile them up too but the cost would be too high. They can be painted to coordinate with the front steps.

Also, I have a stained glass window in the bottom half of the center window and another small one in the window in the eave. I am not considering them in this makeover as far as color but I think they add to the Tuscan look.

I love the middle photo! What an awesome house!

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fabulous. you are an artist and don't know it. shop for your riser tile first and then post a pic of it here and we will suggest a color scheme out of the tile.

I like the white/natural stucco with the windows outlined.

Paint the house slate gray/trim the house with snow white/replace the front door and remove the storm door /replace the stairs and landing with slate/add white handrails/This home MUST have a picket fence./plant pink roses on the fence/replace all the front plantings with deep green boxwoods and holly./remove the windowboxes..too heavy for a small home/ Add a slate sidewalk/ add new window grills or brand new casement front windows. Charming..... I love it.

I like curry's ideas but do not remove planter boxes. they are not too heavy. I would remove the storm door myself. If you need a new insulated front door that would be worth the investment. I really don't like negotiating two doors to enter a home. Also, I'm not into pink roses. White or yellow rose are charming and not nearly so cliche.

Also, curry's ideas require a major investment. I see no need for white railings when there are very nice black iron ones already there.

As I said above, the tile you find will determine your color scheme. Don't jump on the first tile you find because there are tons of options out there and you don't need many at all for the risers so you can afford to splurg.

I'm going on line shopping right now.

Well, I only wish I could afford to do some of curryj's ideas! And, Ramona, I love that you mentioned going step by step and checking in with Houzzites as the process moves along. Would be lovely to have this finished before the summer season kicks into high gear! Thank you all! =^-^=

Here you go. The manufacturer can make these frost proof. You need to special order these. You can use the most expensive tile perhaps in the center of the step and then surround it with a solid color.

Notice that the original picture has a different set of tiles for each step riser!!!

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Pictures

Thanks curryj. I would love to be able to do all that you suggested! Love the cottage pix you attached and will keep them in my file.' Stucco painted med. gray reminds me of wet concrete thoeventho I do love this palate. I have a huge trumpet vine that, in the summer, crawls up the left side of my home and makes it past the front door. This year I expect it to grow over to the center window. It has big clumps of orange trumpet-shaped flowers all summer long. Guess I will have to mull all of this over!

But then, I researched tile that is winter-proof and discovered that porcelain tile would be fine. I also did a paste-up using fewer decorated tile + plain colored ones and it got even busier. I will line each step the same and I know that will make this place really sing, Expensisve tho!

Still on the fence. Need to think on all of this information! Thanks a million to everyone for their creative help!

Something like this?

Love your pictures too though!!

Your house is adorable. Please don't even consider a picket fence or casement windows. Both would be totally inappropriate for this house.

For the steps, two suggestions. First, keep all tiles in the same color palette. Second, if you're worried about it being too busy, alternate patterned tiles with solid ones. Here are pics:

I love the white stucco. I don't love the stairs but love the ideas above. Better landscaping will help this house more than anything. And a better looking roof.

I like the 3ed pic with cream and blue trim. Not so much the red door though.

alternating patterned tiles with solid is less expensive and very effective. and please, no picket fences, etc. they are wrong for your home.

Here are the latest drawings and I like the solid tiles alt. with the painted ones. Now I just have to settle on which ones and the paint colors. They are approximate here, of oourse, but it sure helps to see these drawings and visualize what is possible. Thanks guys! =^-^=

I like the alternating style. Are these mock ups actual tiles you are considering? The white storm door is really ruining this look. If you have to keep it, get it professionally painted to match whatever color you use on the door.

I have to say that I am not keen on any of the mock up colors as they appear here although I love the design. Can you give us a high quality picture of the patterned tile you are considering?

I like the colors in the second mock up a lot. I think a pale terra cotta stucco with that teal-y blue would be smashing. The white storm door also doesn't bother me in any of the mock ups.

Well, thanks for the feedback! The storm door has to stay because I love to open the "big" inside door during the warm days. Painting the storm door is a good idea. I have decided that the best design decision is to keep the whole house soft in colors and emphasize the door/arch with deeper and richer colors. I like the arched window in the eave painted the same as the door area too. I have not settled on any final tile designs yet but will post them as soon as I do! Thanks so much !

Good luck, Sandy. I'm looking forward to the big reveal! I'm sure it will be awesome!

I think Ramona is spot on. This is a totally gorgeous, character-filled Spanish style house which should stay true to those roots. A white picket fence is antithetical to that style and wrought iron is the most appropriate fencing/railing.

With mediterraneans it's hard to go wrong with blue so I would use that as your accent color. If funds permit, a stain-grade wood door with a grate on it would be wonderful. If you need to paint the front door, I would use a deeper blue or other color, rather than popping colors which look great with a different style of house.

I like blue too and the thing is, in the summer I leave the front door open into the livingroom - where the palate is off white walls, and 2 Persian rugs that are predominataely navy and turkey red. The color of the door matters in there too. [Am I too picky?] This might be a good thing because it shrinks my list of options. Just thought of this because of mcbriec's comment above.

I love blue. I love the cobalt blue in the tiles I found above. But the blue in the mock up seems more navy based.

That is true! I love the blue you found that is the lighter one. Since this house is so small, I think it would be best to have a light touch with the paint colors. It is one small drop of paint from wonderful and garrish. I simply need to consider all of these points when I go tile shopping. But, I am trying also to not overthink this project and just go for it! Will keep you posted! & Thank You All!

Hi Sandy, You have a gorgeous home, and I totally agree that over-analysis leads to paralysis. So you have to think--but then trust your gut and go for it!

Thanks mcbriec! I was fine with the look of my home for 23 years! Then one day I drove up to the curb and thought, "How boring is THIS HOUSE? Why didn't I see it years ago?" Wierd! Hit me like a ton of bricks! And to think that I am off in this new direction is so much fun and I thank everyone for their input! Stay tuned!

Any updates?

Well, I have had a setback or two - like foundation cracking behind the shrubs, and the peeling of the old paint job was worse than I thought, and window frames and gutters are rotting. Must take care of this stuff before I go forward with the new look. I really thank you for asking though! Maybe next year I will be able to spruce the old gal up!

Well, living close to Canada [MN] means that I am making plans for a springtime rehab. Snow up the ying yang with temps that are no fun to work outside in so I have time to find the tiles, paint colors - the fun stuff! I cannot wait to get started!

Thanks again for asking! I will certainly keep you posted . . . . Have a happy holiday!

I would consider elastomeric paint.
I use one with sand for the five level Highland SCIP new home and the smaller old house next door. Even withstood fourth level sun deck on snowy days.

Blimey! I have been putting this re-do off for years for a few reasons, but the main one is that, we painted it in the mid 90s and within a year, the paint began to peel off! We did it ourselves and went by all of the rules of the process. But now it looks pretty bad and needs to be painted again. Minnesota weather swings from extreme to extreme so we ask a lot of our exterior finishes. It should probably be stuccoed [sp?] again but that is not in my budget!

I am thrilled that there are products out there now that will not begin to peel off the second you are finished cleaning out the brushes! I will absolutely look into the new products and thank you so much for the tip! Will probably be back for more coaching, Mr./Ms. Sims!

Sandy
Paint companies like Sherwin Williams have it non sanded and stucco, stone type contractor supply houses like Rio Grande http://www.riograndeco.com/ in Denver have both non sanded and the sanded comes in different size sand. If you decide to use it email me and I will tell you my techniques to cover small cracks so they disappear.
The heavier sanded covers cracks and does not make stucco look like it was a paint job.
Elastomeric paint like its name suggests has incredible expansion and contraction capabilities.

I will certainly contact you when it is time around here to dig into this project! Thank you so much for the generous offer!