Would you consider painting it?

Paint the brick and trim or just the trim.

It's not the brick that's the problem - it's the poor landscaping, broken driveway - white garage door - should be painted to compliment the brick.

Another example of brick screaming to be painted. I would also paint the garage door the same as the house. Add a punch of color to the front door. Painting will also be the perfect time to tear out the landscaping and start new. Nice house that just wants to be pretty!

Just to blow your mind, here's all-over paint with... shutters!! :)

acm - you are so clever ! Really helps decide what to do.

You have nice blond brick (yellow undertone) with white vinyl windows, but the pale gray roof makes me want to stay light - the house needs to be lighter than roof. .. what about using that silvery pale gray on the trim, and using charcoal for contrast on the siding? Paint the garage door to match the brick for continuity, use charcoal on the vertical strips of siding and the ends of the MCM beams that now are white, then do your fascia and door and window trim in a pale silvery gray to help the eye jump to the white. You can use the pale silvery gray in a color block fashion around the front door / end of the tunnel to make it come forward to the eye - maybe paint your front door a bright color - purple /eggplant would be neat . . if you play up the contemporary elements with this sort of paint approach, change the post light out to a contemporary post light and try some architectural shrubs with bronze foliage to echo the purple tone on the door . . .flax, hostas, . ..

I think acm said it best! Adding paint and some shutters would give you an entirely new house. I don't think I would go quite as dark as their mock-up but I love the idea! Maybe a lighter grey, or even an off-white with dark shutters.

Guys - this house is modern. It has three beam ends coming out of the gable. It is not a shutter house. It has vertical sliding windows, not single or double hung windows. It won't look right as a "Cottage" or traditional house at all. Many people would die to have a house that has true contemporary / mid century modern features. This one does . . shutters ==/== compatible.

Old post.