Oh and yes, we did have power-washing done just the other day! And yes, the almond color is really throwing me off.

Oh yes, we did remove that large bush blocking the entry. I will be planting 3 miniature crepe myrtles in pinks and white. They only get about 1-2’ tall and kind of fan out and they should do well on that “berm” or mound by the entry..

I think that I would look into the rust color as suggested or even a “ pumpkin” color for the door/sidelight. You have a VERY attractive home!

I might consider a sage green for the front door, garage and trim at the roof line and windows. might also consider a new walkway, possibly a slate...

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whiter trim and garage, and navy blue door:

subtle change, but I think it really makes a difference. a new rug like others suggested. and like I said above, a really special pendant lamp -- something that will catch the eye and become the focal point of the entry.

you could also attach a flat piece of metal art to the entry wall to the left. I'm not sure what your style is so I don't really know what to recommend. something bright, to stand out against the bricks.

or some kind of friendly welcome sign to the wall to the left, or front door:

Good to know the large bush is gone. Your photo won't enlarge but it looks like white would help pull the door out of the shadows. Keep other decor simple since the brick itself has a lot of pattern (we have it, too).

Ok, everybody...I apologize for not have my act together for decent house pics. Here are some more pics of my front entry. That narrow opening off to the side, I guess I could put a narrow planter? Hang something - wind chimes? Anyway, back to door color, making it inviting, decent porch light. I really like many of the suggestions so far. Maybe these better pics will help.

I would prefer having the door and trim painted the same color...a lighter color which matches the reddish color
of some of the bricks. Add a larger front mat in front of the door and a plant in a tall narrow rectangular pot. If
the light fixture can accept brighter light bulbs, go up to the next wattage to brighten the entry.

The biggest thing I would do is incorporate a good size paved half circle at the beginning of the house, extending each side of entrance and maybe a wider side path. Landscape with perhaps a couple of big planters on either side. It will look more inviting. Lighter door and a more subtle emitting light pendant.

you could also consider expanding the walkway to be part of a patio area in front of the window and make it a place for gathering. rethink the entire front landscape so its more of a gathering space vs just a walkway, this is the general concept

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How about a smokey muted gray or white for door and a Big open sphere with visible edison lights. Keep the light tight to ceiling because you dont want to block the beautiful window. Think big!

oh and bigger rug. lol. Maybe those 2 shrubs to the left should go to like the other.

Start your front entry on the right column, by placing house numbers there? Larger numbers, backlit or with a lamp over them? I am looking at all of these front entry dilemmas because mine is a sideways entry, and I found this advice on a pizza driver's blog :) http://tipthepizzaguy.com/numbers/

<EDITED for clarity: I mean moving the numbers from the right of the garage to the right of the front door, but on the front column itself>

Paint the door WHITE and hang a beautiful lamp . That's all you need ! Lovely house !

I knew Houzz wouldn’t let me down! Still deciding on door color...love a deep gray (very high shine whatever color). But I also love sage green. We live in AR and are actually in the forest! A sage green door would look good. I’ll be getting different paint samples and some poster board to experience the with. My old house had a beautiful dark blue door which I loved, but again, too dark for here I think. Love love love the layered rug/doormat! Will be looking for a “statement” pendant without too much glare (frosted),

I actually like the white window trim against the bricks, but thought a white door, white eaves and white garage door may be too stark. Would it be too stark to have white on garage and all trim, and then a nice color on the front door? Also, the window trim is VERY white...what color white for trim/garage should I be looking at?

It never occured to me to move the house numbers or change them out! Another good idea!

Sadly, we can’t really extend the porch...anything real big (that’s big to us) we just can’t afford. Any other ideas, please post, but I think we have a great direction.

I agree that maybe bright white would look very stark for the garage door. off white would look good for the doors, but would it clash with the window vinyl? possibly yes -- since the window vinyl seems really prevalent on your house.

I think it would be fine for all trim to be white while choosing a color for both doors. you might consider choosing the same color for the front and garage, so that there aren't too many different colors going on there. since you said you like grey, I do think that could look really good, and would tone down the bricks. go fairly dark and a tad bit warm. if you go too light or too cool, it could look drab.

sage green:

one final idea if you didn't like using the same color for both doors --- mix materials instead. consider a wood garage door.

however--I like your current garage door, and I think that money would be better spent on new window frames. that white one that's front and center is just so white!

What software do you have that you can see the new paint? I’ve tried some of the paint store apps but they are not very good.

I wonder what a medium gray on front door and garage door would look like and white trim on eaves to match windows? I know, I know...what’s medium gray? Well lighter than charcoal, but darker than light gray - I know that leaves a lot of grays open.

Also, whatever color is on front door, I think it should be a really high shine. Im not sure if that’s a good thing, it just seems a semi gloss at least is called for. I tend to go to dark colors, but with this tunnel style entry, I don’t want a dark color on door. Maybe I should go with a khaki instead of gray on doors? I still think change trim to white on eaves to match windows frames. I really appreciate everyone’s input.

I will definitely get a layered door mat/rug. I’m hoping to bring in some color that way. Next I have to shop for pendants. I also really liked the idea of backlit house numbers on the “pillar” by the porch.

Also, a new garage door is out of the budget. Paint I can afford.

I would paint the door and the trim around the door the same color to make it one cohesive unit. Right now the white trim chops it up to my eye. As far as decorating, I would avoid adding anything like flower pots that would narrow the walkway. I think a bright seasonal wreath would also make the entry welcoming. One of my neighbors has a relatively narrow entry and she always decorates with lovely wreaths on the door. I also agree with the suggestion to a wider door mat.

I Love Mod... love the rectangular Light fixture you suggested. Can you share the sourcing info?

Looks like the brick has a rich deep pumpkin color running through it, now that would look nice on the front door. Grey is just too obvious to go with for the door, be brave!! It's only paint, lol.

What about house numbers like these but placed vertically? By the way, your house is beautiful!

I'm using photoshop. I'm actually having a hard time mocking up your front door in a way that looks real because your photo is small and blurry. so that's why you may have had a hard time with the paint store apps. try taking a new high quality photo and playing around with that.

here's a mockup with something like charcoal grey:

here it is a little lighter. I think it's beginning to look too close to the color of concrete and kind of drab.

here it is with greige. I'm not a fan. like I said in an earlier post, I think you have enough warm tones in your brick, and don't need to add any more warmth.

I know I should use a color in the bricks, it’s just i don’t like oranges, pumpkin color, rust color, red brick color. So that leaves grays, browns. When I’ve tried to use a paint app to visualize and try things like teal, or blues, even greens they clash with the brick. I’m just going to get a poster and a few paint samples and see how it is “in real life” at different times of day. I don’t think I’m getting a clear idea using online techniques. I’m trying to stay away from dark colors, because the entry is so dark and narrow. I am looking at new light fixture (both porch and garage sconces. Also, looking into backlit house numbers and doing a layered rug/doormat to help with color. I have more of an idea than when I started. Actually I’m looking at perhaps a different door...a one light. The interior entry is dark also and a door with a window will help the interior and maybe be more interesting in the narrow entryway. If I stick with a big box hardware store I’ve seen one light doors for $400, and that’s not too bad. We are retired and don’t have a lot in the redecorates budget.

just thinking...maybe get new lighting first with the right wattage and new door with window and then determine color of door. i say that because the lighting and window in door could change the lightness or darkness of the entry way.

also, are you thinking about new landscaping. I say that because there is a lot of rock which makes a hard look vs soft and I wonder if more softness like grass or mulch could also change the overall look of the entry...

Since your entry column sits on dirt, have you considered planting a climbing rose there? It would say a very big welcome in bloom time and might be decorated when just bare with autumn and winter decorations. You could do white, pink, yellow or salmon colored roses. You could shine outdoor lighting on it from below. Look into outdoor LEDs for your lighting that give true color to their surroundings. Additional exterior lighting should do well and with LEDs they are cheap to run so you can even leave them on in daytime. I like the sage colors shown above for the garage and entry door.

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Hadn’t thought of planting a climbing rose on the pillar, but that’s a thought. I am planting some mini crepe myrtles on the “berm” the pillar is on. It’s actually brown rubber mulch, not just dirt. I will look into what climbing flowers I could use...we do have a deer problem, so I’m still learning what to plant. I’ve been told deer don’t like crepe myrtles. - we’ll see. And I do have landscape lights that will be put out...we’ve had about 10” of rain in past wk, so my landscape guys haven’t been able to work.

The sidewalk is "busy" -- would want it a solid color. All white for the door and frame would be my preference. You might want to change out the black metal door handle for a stainless steel one with stainless steel hinges and and add a matching metal kick plate and door knocker. Recreate the house number plaque in the same color metal finish as well.

There is a lot of rock. We are in a very heavily wooded area of AR. We wanted a no/low maintenance yard in our retirement. Most homes around here have rock yards. Plus AR has a lot of snakes...too many bushes, ground covers only invite “stuff”. So while I understand the rock is not the most beautiful, I like low maintenance and definitely don’t want snakes. Someone mentioned a nice wreath on the door and my neighbor found a copperhead in her front door wreath last week! I’ll think of planting something that isn’t too bushy and safe from deer, but I don’t want a lot of stuff to maintain (and hide snakes). I like the climbing rose idea, but again...gotta make sure deer won’t kill it or have it attract snakes. No snakes. No.

how about mulch? does mulch attract snakes? rock combined with mulch instead of all rock?

The front part of the yard that looks like dirt is brown, shredded rubber. Snakes are usually attracted to grass, leaf piles, ground cover, bushes, weeds...wherever they can hide.

https://morningchores.com/deer-resistant-plants/

Here's a handy list of plants that deer don't like. I spent two years digging rock out of flower beds so I could plant day lilies. I'm in your area, Zone 7, so I posted plants we can grow that deer don't like. As for snakes, they definitely are a hazard here, but we leave black and king snakes to do away with the copperheads. Still do find a few, and I like to ground myself by going barefoot outdoors, so it is tricky A baby copperhead was under the front door sill last year and I almost stepped on it!

you don't have to use a color from the bricks. that's why I was suggesting a complimentary color. I still think a dusty green or blue would look great. but if you want to go for warm colors, go for it, it's your house!

sounds like you haven't liked any of your mockups so far, but don't give up. there are a few issues working against you: the app you're using is not very good, the photo you're using is small and blurry, and none of us can see your house in real life. how your bricks look in person is going to be pretty different than how they look in the photo.

go to the store and get paint chips of colors you like. hold them against your bricks and pick a few. paint some sample paints on your front door (or paint giant swatches on cardboard).

if you're still really unsure, hire a designer who can look at your house IRL and help. or do you have any friends that you think have a good eye? ask them over for a socially distanced outdoor meetup!

Yeah, I need paint samples to try out some greens and blues to see how the colors really look. I do have a friend who is super with colors, she’s an artist and does a lot of faux finish work. She suggested teal. But when I tried it with the paint app, I didn’t like it. You’re right, it’s just not a good app.

Once I see real paint in real light at various times of day, I’ll be able to tell what I like. Had some great suggestions on things I’d never thought of for the porch. I’m so grateful for “fellow Houzzers” and their input!

paint is SO hard sometimes. it's a no brainier to paint all the almond trim white, so you could start there with confidence. trim is the time consuming task here. as for whatever color you wind up choosing for your front and garage door: if you don't like it, it will be inexpensive / easy to paint again.

Yeah, the almond color bugs me. It just makes everything else seem really off.

Yes! Paint is the easiest most affordable change for sure.

one more tip: I don't think you even need to match your vinyl trim exactly. a soft white that's close to the vinyl trim should be fine, so it's not so stark.

so, here are a couple with a dusty teal (a bold teal will clash). I actually like it! it's a touch of southwest. sometimes it's hard to pick a color that looks good on both the garage and front door at the same time, so I included how it would look with a wood garage instead.

Agree about not having to go with exact bright white, yeast to a softer white. Not sure about the teal on garage, but I can’t afford a new wood garage door. What about the soft white on garage too? Is that too much white? What about the eaves? Soft white there too?

Yes, I think white for the garage door (match it to whatever you choose for the trim), and a color for the front door! and yes to the eaves. basically, anywhere there is almond trim, paint it all soft white. it will look great!

at that point, the only conundrum is what to pick for the front door. it would be easy to change that whenever you wanted!

Have you thought of adding a pretty mirror to add some sparkle to that area and visually enlarge the space? There are finishes to outdoor-proof mirrors and as long as it's not positioned so birds will fly into it or the sun will strike it, it might be just the thing adding some charm and some illusion at a fairly low cost. Along with a pretty wreath and new mat as well as a beautiful shiny new door color (I like the soft teal!) and possibly, if you have the budget for it, some slate instead of concrete, I think it will look like a million bucks. Your house is lovely to start with so you don't need too much. Also, I was wondering if a small statue maybe with a sort of welcoming gesture to the front door might also charm?

Just read your comment about the snakes getting into a wreath. No, not good at all! But snakes hate essential oils, also presumably human hair which you could weave into the wreath. There are also snake repellents, both natural and store bought, if that helps, but ditch the wreath if it will attract snakes. Good luck.

Just found an old, but similar dilemma here -featured answer by @Maureen-: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/1041488/advice-for-uninviting-cave-like-front-entrance

In my area, snakes LOVE rocks. Just sayin’.

I‘d remove ALL shrubbery within 8 feet of the entry. You have a cave-like entry already. Don‘t add anything to emphasize that.

I like the idea of a sage-y green for your door. A dullish green.

You have a lovely home. I‘d like to retire to the Arkansas woods too! My BIL lives near Fort Smith . . .

Well, I think it’s not that they don’t like rocks, but they are more visible on rocks, rather than hiding under shrubs or plants. Copperheads are camouflaged and still look like some rocks! But still you have a better chance of seeing them out on a rock, than coiled up in plants. 😳

The teal looks good. Worth trying it. If you don’t want to keep repainting your door, get poster board and paint THAT. Hang it in the door and step back. You’ll get a good idea of how much you like it. (The grey options just don’t seem to enhance your small space.)

Yes, I will be getting poster boards to experiment with colors on front door at look at it in different times of day to get a good feel for what I like.

I really appreciate everyone’s input!

Don’t forget to post photos of the options you like best.