I hate the shutters, but am afraid to take them down entirely because there are enough houses in our neighborhood with the same floor plans that it makes it seem like something's "missing" whenever someone HAS taken them down. They're just not appropriately sized on the big window (and who would shutter those things anyway??) and the color screams 1992 to me!

You need a big colorful planter where the hose is.A stone textured coating or paint on the concrete. And a bigger mat with so me color in it and maybe a colorful paint on the inside door. Love the color of your shutters!

Thanks! I have a couple big red planters that I love on there during the winter, but I have to move them during the summer or the plants don't get any water! But that's hilarious that you like the shutter colors! Ha!

Also, every time I've thought about painting the concrete, I get stuck with where to stop. The walk up to the porch is the same concrete, as is the driveway. Obviously, I don't need to paint my old driveway (another dream project for replacement!), but if I do something punchy with the porch, do I have to do anything with the walkway to it, too?

I would paint the shutters and the sidelights and the door a darker navy color if you don't want to take the shutters down.

I wouldn't have thought of navy, but I dig the idea...

I think that instead of painting the concrete you might think about staining the concrete porch and walkway stopping where the walkway meets the driveway. The problem with painting the concrete, it wares off, chips, and doe not look natural. Besides that as it chips and fades you will find yourself having to have to redo it over and over. There are a lot of different color variations that you could pick with stain that would give your porch and front a lift/freshness. If you are not to sure about it you check out a home store (lowes, HomeDepot) whatever is in your area and talk to someone in the paint/stain department and see if they can give you any insight. Maybe even check out some web-sites that do home improvement, you may find something there. (Sorry even this site.) You could even Google concrete stain and see what you come up with, it may give you some ideas there. You could put large pots with color on left side with heat tolerant plants or even a small table with a chair or two (like small cafe style) You could also try taking down the shutters just next to the door and if you think that it is missing something, you could add something to the left or right side wall to add a little something different. I hope that some of this helps give you some ideas. I know that there is not a budget for the porch since you just got done with your kitchen, but if you look at garage sales, restores, thrift/second-hand shops, freecycle.org you may find a few things that you could use for little or no money and really spruce up your porch. Have fun with it. I would love to see an updated picture when you decide what you have gone with.

Just an idea......

Thanks, everyone! I've ordered a new (& much larger) doormat and will get some more drought-resistant plants for my red planters so I can move them back onto the porch. Still debating the paint for the door/sidelights and whether we'll stain the concrete, but it's nice to feel like we're making a little progress. :)

Meghan you are making progress, I think once you see the small changes, you can then better decide if and what else you may want to tweak.

I love the shutters especially the color, I would paint everything in that same color, it will make everything come together as one inviting entry!

The screen door is not inviting to the home...can you either eliminate it or change it so it is less visible, i.e all one screen, darker color other than white...I would paint the shutters, navy or a black/navy would look rich, particularly if you are using the red planter. The porch lights look too small...can your budget spring for a couple of nice larger lanterns, not brass...include the one by the garage door...Simplify for your entrance garden with a palette of no more than three kinds of shrubs...If you live where it is cold, be sure to pick evergreen ones...a garden center should be able to help with this...keep the colors simple, go for a difference in leaf texture, maybe something that has a green or variegated leaf, a grey/green leaf/a red leaf....good luck

I would lose the shutters & do agree about adding a planter or two. If you need to keep the screen door, I would suggest replacing it or painting it to match the front door color so the two don't fight against each other. I also prefer a darker color to contrast with your side lights as you can see in the attached image. Have fun with your project!

Consider these changes over time: Remove shutters - you could replace with foam surrounds or something else to beef it up, replace screen with phantom screen to show off new door with rectangular windows and updated hardware, bigger lights, modify landscape to accommodate straight and clear path to entryway with plants on either side, stain all concrete same color and new house address numbers.

I agree with the two above postings....lose the shutters and add planters AND prune all those shrubs. Don't just shave them off to look like meatloaf. Cut down in and thin and prune and lower them.

I would remove the shutters by the door ,but if you cannot then paint them the same as the side panels or vice versa

Definitely remove the shutters. In addition to potted plants, you might want to install some lattice type material to create a side "wall" on one side and it will help define an entry way and give some depth to help define your front door. Perhaps even a small bench along the "lattice side wall"

perhaps the shutters black with a bright red door to make it pop, screen doors easy to replace. Also replace the lights on the side of the door and the garage, they are too small something a bit bigger would make an impact, again in black. Your red planters would go nicely with the black shutters and a red door, or take a pic of the red planters to match for the door. The driveway, there are companies that can "stamp" the concrete to look like brick or any other pattern, makes a big difference. I would make the walkway a faux patio stone.

I think the porch roof, which looks like a band-aid, is the worst issue here. Try another approach and with a more substantial covering, and you can remove the storm/screen door. Taking out the green shrubs will make a big difference too.

I think you should follow the example in Jayme Hobbs picture, above, and paint the sidelights (AND the shutters if you want to keep them; I don't think there's anything inherently wrong about the shutters, they are just the wrong color) the same color as the door trim -- possibly even white, as shown in the example. If you LIKE the color of the shutters (but above you said you didn't), then paint the door and sidelight trim the same exact color, and then paint the door a DIFFERENT color -- maybe white or cream, maybe a French grey. If you go with white trim (which means re-painting the shutters white, if you're going to keep them), then paint the front door in an accent color you like -- maybe a nice deep turquoise, or a rich navy blue, or a blue-teal-gray (think the color of aged copper) -- but keep in mind that your brick is orange, so stay away from orange-y colors -- and then either get rid of the screen door, or paint the screen door the exact same color, so it doesn't ruin the entry look.

It's too bad they used brown for the roofing -- I'm not a big fan of mansard roofs myself, but if they're done in a nice color they can actually be a positive feature instead of a negative.

Please DON'T paint the brick. (1) It's a very nice brick, in very good (sound) shape, and (2) unpainted brick is literally zero-maintenance, whereas painted brick has approximately the same maintenance requirements as wood! Don't do it. Just work with the color it is -- use complementary colors to orange on the color wheel (blues).

By the way, I think the concrete walk is fine just the way it is. If the budget allows for it some day, then replace it with limestone pavers or brick or something you like better, but for now, it takes literally nothing away from your house's curb appeal, so just forget about it. Spend your money on the details that really matter -- in this case, I would STRONGLY recommend replacing the front door as soon as you can afford it. That is the one detail that will really make a difference to your house's curb appeal.

What about a topiary in the space next to the door? I think you need something besides the shutters to give some vertical interest. And the best part: they make wonderful artificial topiary and you wouldn't have to keep it watered! Then, at the Holidays you could put twinkle lights on it.

And if your budget allows, some day, the suggestion decoenthusiaste has, above, would go a LONG way to making the entire mansard roof recede, and making your entry way "pop"!

Also -- I realized there are two sets of shutters, not just one. I definitely think the skinny little shutters look wrong on the living room picture window, and I would remove those. (Are there other shutters elsewhere on the façade that are out of camera range in the first picture?)

Classic modern mansard... I enjoy seeing updates that fall back on the original inspiration of the design.. In this case it is French.. decoenthusiaste did a good job finding something that relates to the origins of the design but modernizes it as well. Columns, wide arches with square doors underneath makes this a perfect modification for you house.

What if you add the columns to the roof that's already there? Even double columns if they're 6" columns, otherwise you might have to go 10-12".

Maybe take out the shutters and do plantation shutters in the side lights for the same look

Havent seen your answer till now so I dont know if you have the budget for it, but I agree you need a new door. That looks like a back entrance door where I come from, but of course perhaps in your country it is different. In my opinion getting a new door that says entrance, not kitchen-entrance, would make a world of difference, with or without the shutters.

I also think plantation blinds on the sidelights would be awesome in white, wood tone or black! A nice larger door mat for sure. Replace the screen in the storm door with beveled glass, pressure wash the porch/walkway/driveway, mulch the beds, update the exterior lighting, paint the front door, and add a beautiful large pot on left side of the door with a beautiful evergreen and plant annuals around the base of the evergreen for each season. Maybe a nice bench on the other side that is in proportion to the space. All easy inexpensive fixes that would go a long way.

Oh boy! This was quite the explosion of comments today! I am so looking forward to a better screen door (or none at all, though the cross-breeze it gives is nice) when we can do a new door. I've been wanting to do new lights for sure - just stuck on what style. I like arts & crafts or even sort of barn style, but have seen some folks in the neighborhood do these rather unsuccessfully (IMHO), but your comments on scale make me think that maybe they just didn't go big enough. No plans to paint the brick - we both agree here with the earlier comments about that. :) Will keep tweaking...

no to arts and crafts.. It's a french house.. don't make it a frankenstein

Ok! Making progress! New larger mat, new plants in the planters and they're back up on the porch, aaaaand... I ripped off the shutters by the front door! Very cathartic! New lights ordered - clean modern lines in a dark copper/bronze that doesn't scream any one design style (hopefully), just an update. Thanks for giving me extra chutzpah! Pics to come once the new lights are up!

Progress update: here's a shot of the improvements. Still in the fence about paint colors (or actually taking on the work) because the cream on the sidelights is the same as the trim around the entire house. Just not sure we're equipped to do all of that ourselves at the moment, but we'll get there. Hope you all like the new lights and doormat as much as we do!

Wow that's already a great improvement, you must be quite happy with the update. :)

Exquisite! Thanks for the update, Meghan.

Looking good! I think the cream is okay, though I'd do a richer color, personally.

Btw... I don't think you meant "chutzpah," exactly :)