I'd do something very bright for the front door in lime green to show off the red brick and leave the shutters. Modern looking house numbers, planter with taller shrub to the left of the door, and I like the hanging plants idea from the railing. I might even add window boxes from the upper windows with colorful flower arrangements.

Thanks! We have some restrictions on window boxes-- I love them and did them illegally in another house I own in the same town-- but this place is right behind city hall so they would fine me :( I was thinking hanging a planter box over the porch that is not permanently affixed would be a good compromise. I was going to do a bright front door and maybe a dark cool grey shutter.

Lovely home. Have you power washed the porch? That might help. Are your upstairs windows replacements? The downstairs ones have the lovely curves to match the brickwork. The upstairs ones are squared off. Often that is a cheap replacement job. If I'm right, then returning to the original curved windows would add a lot of grace.

Yes I would love that. To do that I have to find a pic of the house in it's original state. The historic board will let you take a house back to that if it's been altered. That's what I am hoping to do with the stoop...I'm betting that there was a cool iron railing based on other houses in town. Power washing is a good idea.

Even if you can't do arched upstairs windows right now, maybe you can do the arch with new shutters that will function. I can't imagine that they will object to that, as it is more likely to have been the case originally than just stuck on decorative ones.

This is the Landscape Design forum. Where exactly is the landscape you want to redesign/update/revitalize? Wouldn't this be more appropriate to one of the Home Remodelling or Outdoor Decor forums. Or even the Old House forum?

^^^ I think there's a houzz glitch, thus gardengals response above.

I have to say that besides trying to clean that porch some so it's not so dreary a color, it is a totally charming house, as is. It looks like somebody's "After"!

Maybe paint/stain the fence and gate black?

I would clean the stoop really well, repair if needed, change the lantern to something larger in a black iron and put some footed urns on either side of the door. They should be planted with color, height, texture and the both front and side views in mind. It isn't homely so much as lacking a little TLC.

I like it, but it is what it is. Can you find pictures of what the original stairs looked like?

in 1895 black windows were hot. my historic district commission nearly wept with joy when i replaced the 70s aluminum combinations with all wood 2 over 2s on my 1870 house.

and i know exactly what you mean that you need to have evidence to go back.... i have 2 shutter hold backs remaining on my house, every time we have anyone working on the house i read them the riot act that they must NOT under any circumstance remove the hold backs, its proof the house used to have shutters so we could 'add them back' some day when we're feeling flush.

we're allowed to paint any color we like, i'd love to see your house with black sashes.

i will add, i'm glad that historic district commissions exist; if you believe your lovely home is 'boring' i'm frightened to think what horrific project you might visit upon it if they didnt prevent you!

The upstairs windows may have always had a segmented arch in brick with a flat top rectangular window and trim filling the arch, particularly in a modest house.

I would clean the concrete stoop before attempting anything else. In my locale they probably would not allow altering that stoop even if it is not original, if it is an old modification.

I think the house is charming as is, not boring. This is what this house is supposed to look like.

@Maureen-- Thanks for the pics! Love the black sashes with the brown overhang in the first pic may go that route in terms of a color combo. The neighbors have a stoop where they were able to keep the stairs, paint them, and install an iron railing. Both houses are eligible to be on the state historic register-- the unit next door was slightly bigger and built by a local merchant with this one gifted to his daughter on her wedding. It has retained some of its very interesting interior features like a servant's back staircase, very unusual and deep baseboard molding and stair banisters, but it was used as a rental for many years.

Your house just needs for you to appreciate it more! It's great, the brick is nice, and you even have decorative brick work around the openings! Would be a tragic shame to paint it, so I'm glad you're prohibited. Agree that the stoop is a bit less charming, but some cleaning up and some planters will go a long way. "Window" box is a great idea! Enjoy your new neighborhood!

@ninigret--Your house is lovely! We can paint any color, we just can't paint brick. The area has a lot of 19th century brick rowhouses, and you have to show that paint or stucco would be necessary to preserve the masonry. Which is near impossible, I would love to add some period-correct features like additional trim around the door, but even that is a fight. I need to spend some time with the archives and see what I can come up with.

@suzyq-- I can look for a pic. As I say, the rowhouse that shares the wall removed the concrete banister and replaced with wrought iron, so it should be possible for our house to do that too as they were built by the same person at the same time. I just have to find evidence.

@acm-- I do love my house. Its just so much more elegant and welcoming inside than it is outside. Our area has very colorful painted brick rowhouses with a lot of fantastic "painted lady" color schemes. I would love to be able to do that and think it would make a huge difference. I am not the hugest fan of brick I have to confess. I grew up in a brick house and always thought it was kinda meh. But no house is perfect. We fell in love with the interior.

Oh my gosh! I read before scrolling down to the photo and my expectations were WAAAYY different than your photo!!

I would be so freakin' happy with that house.

see, here is the thing... as soon as we are allowed to add 'period correct' features, with our deep pockets these days, every house on the street would be dolled up to the max and end up looking like an Epcot version of 'late 19th century street'. it really is a case that less is more. and it keeps me from adding any italianate brackets in my eaves.. ; )

Is there a place for foundation plantings? I think a juniper shrub or two in the yellow-green color family would look great. I also like Maureen's middle inspiration pic with the ivy covering the side of the front stairs--you put a trellis in front of stoop you don't like for it to climb on (freestanding if that's what it takes to get by the historic building police).

@pennydesign... thank you! Maybe I don't appreciate the exterior enough. We thought about buying this house for more than a year and finally gave in.

Have someone in to power wash the concrete stoop...it will make a huge difference. Also love the idea of hanging a substantial window box on the front...

Are your shutters working? I'm wondering if they're worth get refurbished or if new ones are in order..

I love your door, but I would get some brass numbers to put on there (in one house we put a brass kickplate which added a little sparkle)...I love a red front door, but the black looks spectacular.

What about a new porch light?

It's truly lovely and I wouldn't do anything more than the above. I would smile every day coming home to a house like yours.