We have a very similar berber carpet in our basement family room but it has small flecks of blue in it! We didn't go with blue paint because I couldn't find a blue that was light enough to be in the basement but had the look I wanted. Instead we have a beautiful Pratt and Lambert paint called Havana Cream on the walls, the ceiling is lighter and we have a blue paterned ottomon and lots of blue in our art and accessories. By the way we love the look and function of the carpet. It looks great after 5 years and lots of kid and pet abuse. Even survived a nasty orange soda experience!

start with some idea books about what exteriors you like. come back here and show us. Your pictures will allow us to help you speak the language and verbalize what you are trying to achieve. Your current elevation sketch, as noted, isn't southern really at all - it looks like the builder has a book of plans and he's showing the elevation options and asking you to 'pick one'. I suspect that his architect is a designer, and will make minor modifications to existing plans that get built over and over. Find what you like, then compare to where you are now and see if you CAN get to where you want or need to regroup.

That's a tricky one being your husband probably wont like bright colored door to make the house pop. My first thought was a real or turquoise, but thinking about your husband not liking bright colors, black is the only thing that comes to mind.

I'd love for the exterior to shift towards something more modern - our interior is very much a mid-century vibe, -- I'm thinking that a really dark paint would help push the 80s into a more modern setting. I'm ok with my house looking smaller -- don't mind that aspect at all, especially since the back is more expansive, but maybe a dark color isn't the way to go. (Here's the rear in Fairview Taupe - deck color would have to change): Here's Fairview Taupe with "Rustique" Front Door Here's Fairview Taupe with a Redrock Front Door