Those are great ideas. I do actually plan to replace both doors soon, and I like the idea of a bold color. I do also plan to add more plants along the walkway leading up to the front door, and a flower basket to the left of the lower door.

But i should clarify that what im really struggling with is the plain sharp white angles over the doorways. The main floor of the house overhangs the lower entrance by about a foot and it’s just a straight flat white line. Likewise the front door is recessed about a foot under an ugly white square. If I had my way I’d build out shingles roofs over both, or even bump out the front entry to make a little porch, but for now I’ll settle for it looking prettier.

The overhang you don't like can be minimized visually if you paint the bottom floor white like the upper floor. It is part of this style home, which is sort of a split garrison. A pretty red door and storm, plus a larger lantern light, would invite guests to the upper door. I would remove all of the faux shutters. Then work on installing shade loving plants, but keeping the lower windows clear of bushy plants that will cover them up. When budget allows, install a nice landing and broader steps to the entry, and change out the Dutch looking door for a simpler style to minimize that entry to the house. Leaving that entry white will help guide guests to the upper door.

Hmm. I’m trying to imagine the house without shutters. The windows are so small. I’ll give that idea some thought.

Here are a few more illustrative pictures.

This is the bottom entrance:

I’m thinking of putting a bench in front of the large windows where my kid schlops her bike. We do plan to replace that old Dutch-style door, and I thought I could possibly paint the white framing, although I’m not sure what color would work. Some sort of large plant pot to the left of the door, and an entryway mat.

This part overhead is what I really dislike and would like to dress up somehow, but not sure what would help. Painting the underside a nice color? Hanging flower baskets? Tibetan prayer flags?????

This is the equivalent at the main entrance:

Ugh. It looks like the builders just gave up.

The stairway here is on our short(er) list of projects but won’t happen this year. I like the idea of a nicer looking light, and I will also fix up the trim around the door, but I’m at a total loss for how else to improve the look of this.

Nice looking house and beautiful wooded setting. Paint the guest door a bright color. The Dutch door can stay white. The stair railings could be white or black when you add a new coat of paint.

Replace the gold curtains with white curtains across both tall windows. Scrape the credit card logos off the glass.

For a quick color fix, add colorful pots of flowers at the base of the stairs. If that's too much maintenance, add a big garden flag next to the front door. Change it seasonally. Or add a "Welcome" plaque in wood or ceramic next to the front door.

Paint the front door a bright color.

Paint the bottom part of the house white

Replace the family entrance door with a single light full glass panel door.

This way, the family door will blend in like one of the windows.

Your home must be very dark inside. I recommend removing some of the trees closer to the house or at least trimming them up to raise their canopies.

If it's not in your budget to paint the bottom half of the house white as a few folks have suggested, consider at least painting the exposed foundation wall the same color as the bottom half of the house. It will alleviate the feeling that your house is cut in 3 pieces. I agree with replacing the family door with a single full light glass door to look like one of the windows.

I also agree with painting the front door in a pretty color. If you paint the storm door the same color, it will make your door appear larger.

New trim paint and a light, along with adding some flower pots and flowers up to the front door are good ideas as well. You might also consider running electrical up into the over hang of the front door and installing a recessed light that would wash over your front door instead of having the coach light on the side. You could add a more attractive motion sensor light over the lower door as well. Something like this is a bit less obvious and would blend in well with the wall.

I would keep the shutters on the smaller windows but remove those on the large windows as they don't suit the size or style of the window.

Thank you all for your helpful suggestions. It’s not the prettiest house, but I’m determined to make the best of it.

I don‘t know why I didn’t think of putting a plague or some sort of decoration on the wall near the front door. That would be very doable. Theres no room on the stairs for plants, but I wonder if I could install plant pot holders on either side of the door. I absolutely love the idea of adding a recessed light above the door. Not sure I can do that right away, but I will definitely keep that in mind.

I’m not sure if I like the idea of painting the bottom of the house white, but I do think it’s something I could accomplish. That old reddish wood is only on the front of the house, so not a huge job. Would it look silly if I painted it some other color (and the exposed foundation to match)? Or is white really the only option that makes sense?

I‘ll add that I know light and airy colors are very in these days, but we actually like a darker palette. We have lots of vintage maple furniture and like the 70s color palette of browns and yellows and oranges for the interior. Sort of cozy cottage-esque.

Not sure exactly what you mean for the kind of door on the family entrance. Can someone post an example?

Like this. Not all of the trim, etc, but the door.

I think the white paint suggestion was a matter of budget and ease of doing it. You indicated you needed simple, quick fixes. Maybe you need to put together a long term plan for the true outcome you really want. Here are some successful ways similar split homes have been handled.

That top example is very helpful. I could see our house looking more like that.

I really like the idea of painting the bottom part of the house. It’s very achievable and could really change the look. I just have a really hard time visualizing these things.

From a distance, the base of the house looked like brick. Since it is all siding, I would paint it white as well. Paint the family entrance black like the shutters, and paint the front door red. Your shutters are fine - they belong on that style of home. I think your main entrance door with the alcove would look better with two, slightly larger, lights on either side of the door. It would look more intentional.

Maybe some kind of corbels would help to soften the look of the harsh angles that overhang your front door. Below is a picture of the corbels in my home, on the passageway between the front entrance area and the living room.

In the deep south porch ceilings are painted blue as a deterrent to wasps and dirt daubers building on it. Haint Blue is a popular color. You could try it under that overhang for interest and something different.

Paint the steps white. Paint the door and storm door bright. Add a shed roof canopy. Plant something showy like these cannas on each side of the steps.

Then add a paver walkway to wherever it needs to go.

Yes, I removed your shutters.

Beautiful wooded site!

A path to the front door, lined with plants would go a long way to lead visitors to the front door. Maybe add a bench or chair too! Here's a photo of a flagstone path that could be pretty at your house.

See more ideas on our website at https://www.vanzelst.com/ .