Quoins are what they are called.

If you don't like them, I'd suggest you simply paint them out with the body of the house so as to not draw attention to them.

If your quoins are not foam-based, they were probably framed in metal as you see below.

The element that will govern your selections is that reddish roof color.

I'd paint the house with a neutral paint color to replace that pinkish color you currently have, replace that white railing that isn't the same style as your Mediterranean style home with black wrought iron, and call it a day. No faux brick.

BTW, do you have an HOA that has to OK any changes you make to your home?

If I had a pot of money, I'd spend it on replacing the garage door with one that either is or looks like wood.

The minute you try to remove those corners the staucco will be damaged. Hoe do you think fake stone or brick will make it more modern???I would paint the hause as it is but in a dark gray if you want that modern feel change the garage door to one more modern with some glass in either black or a nice natural cedar look. Put the garbage cans in the garage and then concentrate on landscaping , oh yeah a black raling too.

Here quoins are made of foam attached after wall lath before stucco. If you are going to put a different material on your corners anyway than removing them will be fine since you'll be covering the damage. A sturdier lath than the chicken wire used for walls is needed for faux stone and aluminum trim might need to be shimmed level with stucco but either would look better IMO.

I agree with Beverly that if you just paint the quoins the same color as the body of the house they will be less noticeable and you don't know what you would be getting into by attempting to remove them. Unless this is your forever house it's more sensible to leave them alone. While it would be nice to paint the house gray, Beverly is right again, the roof color is a limiting factor and gray won't work. Our first house was stucco. We had it painted and it was a huge improvement, so start sampling neutral colors to find one that looks good with your roof.

Paint the stucco brown. Quions look cool and great in a contrasting color. The current shade is probably fine with brown stucco.

Beverly beat me too it. I'd pant the square and your house white and get a really nice wood garage door.

As also suggested above, I'd spend the money on nice wood garage and front door.s If the squares really bother you, fill in the space between the squares then paint the entire house in a warm white. Replace your porch railing with a more attractive one, install large sconces and street numbers, a porch light, work on your landscaping.

I appreciate everyone's feedback. I should have mentioned that the shingles are nearing the end of their lifespan, so I will be replacing them, most likely with a dark grey or black. Additionally, the garage door will be painted—currently thinking of black—but will eventually be replaced with a modern door featuring five glass panels down the right side, along with a similar style for the front door. I'm considering widening the front stairs and removing the railing. Also, I believe the quoins are made of foam; so could possibly remove them. Lastly, I will be removing the current house numbers and replacing them with large, modern numbers on the side of the house. I must say I don't mind the white.

I would wait until you change the roof color, and then think about color to paint. However, I am wondering why you would ever think, removing the railing by the steps would be a good idea?

In my initial message, I mentioned removing the railing but didn't clarify my plan about the handrail. To add to that, while I'm considering widening the stairs to make the entrance feel more spacious, I am also thinking of installing a new black handrail on the side for safety and aesthetic purposes. As always, I'm keen to hear everyone's thoughts and feedback on these plans.

Stop with the black. You seem to think that adding black makes it modern.

It's not the right color for your roof. Select a less severe color.

Again you were going to spend some money on the house, replace the garage door.

You have a garage with a house attached to it.

It's the best money you will ever spend in terms of improvement of appearance.

If you want the house to be more modern then select a more modern style door.

In 2024, I don't understand why people still want very dark roofs. With our world getting hotter, having a light colored roof makes more sense. I think people should start designing with this in mind.

Agree. Use the lighter gray for your roof. He’s right about the world getting hotter, and a black roof will hold the heat.
Definitely agree about the garage door. It will make a huge difference.

Not much you can do with a big garage door as the focal point. For sure - get rid of the rocks in the flower beds and put nice colorful flowers and wood mulch in natural un-dyed color. Brown wood door like other photos much better - do that. Eyes are drawn to the lightest color. Paint the white railing on the front porch a darker color - sticks out too much. Put flower gardens as many places as possible. Consider making driveway tiled or with brick ribbons or something instead of plain - if it ever needs repair. I have an antique brick driveway and it really dresses up the property.

If you're thinking of a White House, we painted ours a few years ago with "Misty Air" Benjamine Moore. I saw it on a house and LOVED it. It's a perfect white, it reads creamy. It looks weirdly yellow in the online sample but is not at all. Painting the Garage Door Black is ideal for now. I like your idea of extending the front porch.

Great ideas above. Right away I thought of the Garage Door with window panes/ the thought of windows along the side of the door is perfect, they look so modern. If you paint the doors, black would be my go to colour. (I did the same went from a lovely green colour to a "gunsmoke" tone of black. When selecting colour, I suggest you find a colour that is on the market as accessories (such as a designer's colourful garden pot, you truly like and bring that into the paint store to match. I find it overwhelming to pick a colour from a small swatch, I never feel I selected the right swatch after. Picking from an object that was selected by an interior designer/architect, hence by an expert is my go to now adays.

Remember once you paint stucco, it is a big labour intensive in future maintenance.

Garage bins (GB), are they the neighbours? If not, then can the GBs be put behind the brown fence.

Black handrail and entrance door too, add a Red or Deep Blue flower pots at both entrance with seasonal plants, or with evergreen so soften the look.

Beverly showed you some beautiful garage doors which will work well with your style home. It sounds like you are thinking of going in an MCM direction, but that is not the style of your house.

I had the same issue with quoins on my house. A simple coat of paint, all one color, really minimized the look of those things.

I really like the suggestion and photo submitted by "lisedv". It looks very elegant and modern.

I would keep the quoins as they add character. Definitely agree on changing or painting the garage door a slightly darker color than the house or wood. When we had a plain white garage door, we dressed it up with magnetic carriage house faux hinges and handles.

Some people call that a "snout house" with the garage door being the snout. It's the first thing you see, so give it some TLC. There are some nice ideas above for really attractive garage doors. I actually like the quoining. I'd think about better landscaping to soften the whole look. And yes, something to hide the trash bins.

To get a quick change on the garage doors you can gel stain them to look like wood. A cost effective DIY change. Good way to see if you really want a more expensive wood door. You can also do your entry door to match.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IaspaEOvnVI

https://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&client=tablet-android-samsung-rev2&source=android-browser&q=gel+stain+garage+doors

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I agree about the garage door , I really like what BeverlyFlADeziner showed you 👍

Your house is beautiful as is, but I understand the impulse to upgrade it and make it your own. The replies focusing on the garage door are spot on. It’s an inescapable fact that your garage door will always be the most prominent visual feature. An investment here will have a major payoff, so I’d suggest dedicating a major part of your budget to it.

BeverlyFLAdeziner posted some high-impact examples. I’m partial to the ones with wood in them, to add warmth, variety and texture to the exterior. The wood also adds to the sense of richness. I especially like the last two designs, with the next-to-last one a beautiful pairing with the stucco. The design you suggest sounds lovely, but I suspect that something more symmetrical would be a better match for your lovely home.

Another prominent visual element from the curb is your driveway. It’s now modern looking and in good shape, so you might want to just power wash and seal it. But if you want to go for something more complex, you might consider staining, stamping, engraving or stenciling the concrete. Some examples are here:
https://www.concretenetwork.com/concrete/concrete_driveways/existing-design-ideas.html

Keeping with a modern look, I think you could keep the stone beds at side of drive and add a series of potted drought-resistant plants or ornamental grasses on top of the stone. The containers could coordinate with any you use near the main entry, to unify the look.

At the risk if stating the obvious, you might save yourself some headaches and expensive do-overs by running the details of your plans past a qualified designer. The devil is inevitably in the details, and you will have to make many decisions about scale, form, texture and color. A designer’s help with these elements and his or her knowledge of how they’ll interact in the big picture can help you ensure that the finished result is breath-taking, not just OK, even (or especially) if your plan includes the use of modest materials.

And there is no HOA or covenants to quicklyshut this all down or fine you into bankruptcy?