I read and understand that I've no idea about seventies. Probably because our seventies were your fifties and sixties.. So I associate seventies with mid century modern. That's why I like it actually-reminds me of childhood. eighties-yes, I already remember some shift..but probably toward eighties? I never saw colored fixtures until I came here..so to me this is like, wow, cool. Our current house was built either 68 or 70. It's a ranch. A Spanish ranch. I really love it. Even though I struggled with having standard ceilings in most of the house..that's because our standard ceilings were minimum a foot higher than standard ceilings here..and we lived with even higher ceilings, older houses, built pre-war etc. So that part was really new to me. Luckily previous homeowners put some skylights in. And we also put one in our addition. Totally changes your perception of height. And I also painted the ceilings the color of the walls, each room..or rather the proportion of the color that would look like it's the color of the wall. Makes it less ..white lid effect. Less oppressing. Also added layered lighting everywhere, including central lights-although many advise against it since it accentuates ceiling is low? Well I didn't find it being true, at all. You have focal point, instead of just staring at the ceiling..it breaks it..takes your attention off the height. Some things are strange or I dislike regardless the decade..say we were choosing bathroom fixtures etc and saw a stainless steel toilet, for 800 or so I think? in one of the stores It's an exact copy of what they used to have in prisons. I couldn't believe my eyes. I still laugh when I think of that toilet..really? But probably someone who doesn't have other cultural associations finds it cool? If it's being manufactured? And costs 800 bucks, at that? As for depressing colors..it's very personal, really. And cultural too I guess, to some degree. Every color has a potential to be happy or sad..some have bigger potential to alternate between both, like yellow. It's like, in some countries black is associated with mourning. And in others, white is. I heard a story somewhere about a cruise ship from here that went to Far East..maybe China, but I'm not sure? Most of the passengers happily wore white-very summer-y color..and then they boarded..and then locals looked at them in a very very strange way..they didn't understand why so many people are dressed like they're going to a funeral, but have such wide smiles..:)

Hi thanks everyone for the ideas. I'm in Arizona where the red brick is a unique feature compared to the typical concrete block walls. Its a distinct feature for the neighborhood and I'm not sure HOA would allow it. That said, I do see stuccoing the the backyard side would create more balance. The railing on the balcony will be replaced and I'm interested in doing wrought iron inserts/railing in between the large painted wood posts. cpaul1 had an interesting idea on stained wood vs painted for the pillars. I'd assume these painted one pillars could be sanded and stained? That might look good in combination with the dark trim paint. Then I'd also consider doing wood slate ceiling on the balcony. Would that look off? I'm searching for some photos of similar homes with the non-painted beams and similar style. As far as the balusters, something like this in a flat black? decoenthusiaste - I'm a big fan of that white home with the dark trim! Wish I had the wooden windows to contrast like they did. I'm not sure how I could do that without the wood windows/door.

I would not add a third colour to the exterior for the trim. As it is, my eye automatically goes to the trim around the windows (as it contrasts with the wall). If you like the existing attention around the windows keep it the same (to tie in with the roof) however, I would be inclined to consider painting the trim out with the wall colour (which I do like). Keep a pop of colour for the front door.

So you've categorized this as Spanish/Mediterranean/Southwest style which are actually three pretty different styles. Based on the existing detailing, this is really a pueblo-style bungalow (i.e., Southwest). I say that based on the flat roof and horizontal trim detail over the windows. To bring some charm and dimension to the facade, I'd suggest a board-and-batten style vertical siding if you really do have to stick with vertical. (If you are referring to historic district or like requirements, however, I'm quite certain you could get permission to go back to the original surface if you can establish the vertical siding isn't original. Consider investigating that first, since stucco would make the most sense.) That is not really historically correct, but no form of verticla siding really would be, and since the original integrity of the house is long gone, I'd be more focused on charm. I think a creamy white is the right color for the siding, though a pale green might work too. I would consider painting the stucco an adobe color like the below. To me, it's not the siding but the windows and doors that really are killing the aesthetic of this house - the material and the lack of ornamentation/moldings. Consider replacement with higher-quality wood windows with period-appropriate wooden sills and moldings. If you have to keep them until they fail, I'd add some wood or Azek window boxes under them, particularly the shorter one to the left, more as a distraction than anything. I'd get rid of the window over the door with the house number, which looks like it belongs in a storefront, not a house. Restoring charm to a house usually requires using historically-apropriate materials that are expensive, like real wood, and adding decorative detailing like exposed beams and stone. Below are some examples of beautiful adobe-style houses that have this type of detailing. You cannot recreate it with metal plate-glass windows. Your little house is cute and I love the courtyard!