I think the first thing that is throwing me, is the arched entry. Could it be squared off, or removed?

The second is all the different windows, but I'm not sure you want to change those just yet.

I'm not a fan of the dark gray, but again not sure if you are open to change it. You might love it.

Wishful thinking, I would love to see the entry removed and a porch roof extended across. Then beefed up ballisters and railing for a defined porch.

I'd consider adding shutters to the windows on the right side of the house, top and bottom, with a contrast color, e.g. a deep red or deep blue/green to offset the dark charcoal gray and paint the front door the same color.

Your house is cute. I'd add a large landing at the bottom of your porch steps and widen your sidewalk. It will help ground the house to the lot and give your entrance more presence.

I'd also pick a really vivid, unexpected door color. The right orange would look great.

Landscape will definitely help as well. Some height, some color, some texture. I'd make the bed in front of the picture window larger with a graceful curve.

@eld6161 Thanks for the input. We don't "love" the dark grey, but I picked it and there's no going back (oops!). I like the idea of the roof over the porch... not sure if it would be in the budget anytime soon though! We've talked about closing up the covered area and making it into an indoor entry room (that way the front door would be at the top of those few steps and visible from the street). I'd love to get all the windows to match but the bottom two are basically brand new and really nice views from the inside. We'll probably change out one or both of the top ones so they at least match each other. Not sure what type of window to choose though!

@Sabrina Alton Interiors, would you mind explaining to me why the shutters should go only on the right windows? I tried to research whether shutters would work for our house but got confused with so much conflicting information.

@d_gw Thank you for commenting! I really like all those ideas! Do you think it's worth painting the front door even though it's not really visible? It's not under the arch, but to the right, facing the steps on the far left of the house. Wish it was more prominent/visible!

This comment is made with best intentions…it’s what happens when you get differing opinons.

No shutters…none will fit appropriately.

Your front door needs a light/bright paint…why? because a dark color recedes (as you can see in your photo).

You have many different windows…that would be an expense to change them out, so, keep window treatments the same so the view from the outside is consistent.

I really hate to say this but I think you need to repaint. I think it will save you money in the long run to repaint instead of trying to do other stuff to make up for a paint mistake.

It's a wonderful house but all that you see is Black House. The fabulous arch and cozy entry is just plain painted out of existence. The trim and windows are too stark. A white house can pull off black trim, but a black house can't handle white trim.

I actually like the color. :) Maybe you could add a Wood colored Door/gate in the arch area

I would put two bright planters on either side of the left window. it looks like a porch area. something like this with a large tree/shrub

@Olychick I really like those ideas! Now that you mention it, I see that there is definitely a black hole vibe going on under the arch. Do you have any suggestions for colors to try under there? I'll do a little experimenting in Photoshop and see if I can get a rough idea of what it might look like.

@JudyG Designs Love the juniper idea! I'm not sure painting the door would help. You can't see the door in these pictures, since it's not directly behind the arch but rather sharply to the right of the top of the stairs. Hard to explain. Do you think painting the inside of that area under the arch would be better?

@Fori is extremely displeased Unfortunately repainting isn't an option... at least not in the near future. I totally get what you're saying, and I know it's not ideal but we'll just have to work with it. Do you think changing the trim color to a less contrasting color might help? That would be more doable for us budget-wise.

@dover P I love all of those ideas! I've never seen a door/gate like that but it looks really cool in the photo. Thanks for the input!

Its part of the architecture of places such as Charleston,SC and New Orleans but i also figure you could do a style that would fit your house. maybe a planked style

Oops... my photos disappeared when I was trying to replace them. Here are the hdr versions that are a little more accurate to real life.

Wow! What a lot of controversy and conflicting viewpoints! Guess you have your work cut out for you sifting through them and figuring out which ones will work for you.

I absolutely love the little arch and think it ads a lot of character and charm to the house. In fact, I don't think you need to make many changes at all. Your place is already quite charming. The color may be darker than you intended, but I like the drama of it and the white trim keeps it from being just a solid dark box and gives it some dimension. I think you can make it work until it's time to paint again. Maybe you'lll even end up loving it. Your best investment will be in improving your hardscape (potentially) and landscape.

A white arbor extending out over the window could work. I'm not sure about a roof though. I would be very concerned about cutting off a lot of natural light from coming in that window. Unless that front room is overly bright, I would keep as much light coming in as you can, otherwise you may end up feeling like you live in a cave. I've lived with large covered porches before, and I found it quite depressing.

I favor the gold color suggested for your front door over the orange. Orange and dark gray (almost black) would be too Halloween-y imo. And yes, painting your front door a bright color will absolutely make a difference. You may not be able to see it from the street if you are looking straight on, but at angles and coming up the drive and the sidewalk you will definitely be able to see it, at least partially. And Judy's idea of repeating that color in your landscape is very sound from a design perspective.

I think lightening up the wall that you can readily see through the arch in some way would also be a good move. There's a few things I could see there: a gray that's several steps lighter than your house color, or a light neutral tone that matches the color of you your concrete. Or, maybe a large scale art installation on that wall in wood or a light colored tile could work. Lighter colors in that space, will also brighten things up a little because there will be more reflected light.

Good luck! And please keep us posted on developments!

Btw, there are thousands of examples of gray houses with white trim here on Houzz, so I really don't think this is a disaster, even though it might not have been what you originally had in mind.

Here's what a quick search found. It includes some lighter gray homes too, that might be what you want to try when it's time to repaint again.

https://www.houzz.com/photos/exterior/house-color--gray/query/Charcoal-house-white-trim/nqrwns/p/16

I love charcoal houses and I think yours will look great when landscaping is complete. Looks like you took out a few trees near foundation? I think flower boxes would make for a cottage style. If that is something you like.

Here are a few door color options to open up the enterance and some flower boxes added for I love charcoal cottages!

At first I thought you were in Holland because the only photos I could see were in your idea book, and I thought the house in the Netherlands was yours! I really like the arched door in those photos - do you have an arched door currently in your house? If not, do you have an arched window above the door?

Which direction does your house face? Does the front get much sun exposure?

I like the white door, but I think I might like a light gray better. The brighter colors seem a bit jarring to me and also seem a bit out of character with the house. I think the landscaping like Roarah added does the most for its appeal. I would hate to have to maintain second story window boxes, but I like the way they look. I agree that you do not have room for shutters.

A porch light will help also. Do you have a closer photo of your front porch and door?

I don't have any new advice. I just wanted to say I love how it looks currently. The paint might have been an error, but I think it looks sharp. Landscaping will help a lot, and I like your idea of a white arbor. I don't think shutters would look good.

@DH Thanks for the encouragement and ideas. It makes a lot of sense and I really like all your ideas! My husband loves the color, so that's a plus... I waffle back and forth about whether I do, but since it's staying, am trying to make the best of it! I agree that brightening the wall behind the arch would be a good move. A wood installation would be right up my husband's alley :). Thanks again for the input!

@roarah Thankdnfor the kind words. And I looove the flower box idea! What color do you think would look good for them? I'm thinking maybe cedar/natural wood or white...

And I wish the door was where you Photoshopped it. It's actually to the right under the arch :(

@Lars/J. Robert Scott I WISH I lived in Holland! Haha. Nope; eastern Washington.

We don't have an arched door (wish we did), or an arched window. The door is rectangular and directly to the right of the landing at the top of the front stairs, so you can't see it from the front of the house. Our house faces south and we live on an extra wide street so we get a lot of light, thankfully!

We've had second-story flower boxes before and I don't mind keeping up on them... when I remember! I'll grab a couple shots of the porch light and door/entry in a couple minutes.

I like cedar for low maintance but white would look sharp too! You really have an adorable house!

Love your enterance! How about cedar flower boxes to echo the wood door and a cedar trellis with two potted clematis trained to climb up it to the left of the door to be seen from walkway?

Those last pics you posted really help. Yes, I think that back wall (and maybe the area around the door - although maybe you wouldn't even see that from the street) a lighter color would make a huge difference. It could be any color you love; any of the door colors posted could work, or even just a lighter gray. Since you can photoshop, try some different ones...I might like a goldy yellow, but would have to see it to be sure.

I love dark colored houses and yours looks terrific. Roarah's orange really appeals to me with your gray, maybe for the door, if you do the back wall a lighter gray. But I'm an orange lover!