Hi kled, I really think - especially with such a large lovely structure - that this is a job for a professional designer. Having gotten that out of the way, I recently replaced all my fascia (and replacing gutters too) which was painted a dark red. It looked okay on my red-orange brick house, but I wanted something lighter colored. I finally chose a sand-tone color. But, how did I choose? Well, I took a photo of a wall that was fairly representative, in decent light. And then I looked at it on my computer to see if the colors seemed pretty accurate. Then I loaded the photo into a graphics program and "selected" the red fascia and gutters and experimented with substituting with different colors - via the graphics program. I'd like to tell you that I'm completely happy with the sand-tone color I ended up with, but the jury is still out on that. But, I think I'll like it (Once I get all the gutters & downspouts installed and trim painted). There are so many ways to go with color - really hard to advise someone else.

Here is the dilemma. I have (radiata) pine trim and doors stained Honey Maple. Brazilian Cherry DR floor. Oak treads on stairs open to DR and foyer. Golden oak DR furniture (and kitchen cabinets). But the stringer and risers are Southern yellow pine. I did finish the exposed DR side of the stringer, and the bottom riser, before the DR floor was installed - they're very light (don't remember if I even tried to stain them or just poly'd). Boiled linseed oil and beeswax on the treads - that did not turn out to hold up well to traffic so I'll have to try to strip it off and poly or Waterlox them some time when I can keep people off for a week (like right b4 vacation at Tgiving?). I'm also concerned that going darker on treads will make the gouges the builder put in look worse - or will they blend better? They got darker when I waxed them, I sanded them as much as I dared. So, we're finally installing a railing and newel posts - red oak. How should I (re)finish the risers and treads, and should I go with contrasting stain (reddish brown cherry to match floor?) on the rail and newels? Should the rosettes match the treads or the rail (assuming they end up different colors)? Is it OK to leave the risers/stringers lighter to match the honey pine baseboard, and go darker with the oak pieces? My real big worry is that I will stain the railing and newels dark to match the BC floor, and then never be able to get the treads to match, and end up with 3 wood tones on the stairs. I think 2-tone may look OK, but not 3. I'm not sure I could get the pine risers to stain as dark (without looking blotchy and muddy) as the floor. So, do I take the easy way out and just leave the pine natural (or Honey Maple stain) and the oak natural (Natural stain on red oak)? Pictures are on the original thread on Decorating forum Thanks! Here is a link that might be useful: Thread with pictures

Since the houses you've shown have little landscaping, and since that's my interest, I don't have a whole lot to offer other than to again suggest that the entire hedge needs removal across the front of your house. Note the wide walkways in both of your examples. I would do something similar from the parking pad to your porch leaving a wide entry pad in front of the porch, similar to how wide the steps are in both of your examples, such as from the wall with the door over to the center post. Consider whether continuing the walkway out the road makes sense; does anyone walk to your house or park down by the road? Add a pair of tall pots on a firm surface off the porch to frame the entry, one in front of the pillar and one in front of the wall just to the left of the door, but not where it will hide the door. Choose pots that fit your aesthetic and with colors that work with whatever you do with the house. If the brick on your house goes down to near the ground, put in a bed of evergreen groundcover from the right pot over to the end of the porch and from the left pot over to the shrub at the end of the house. Be sure the bed has a cleanly maintained edge to keep it looking tidy. If you want some shrubs, you can add them to the groundcover bed (being sure that the bed is deep enough to accommodate whatever you choose) or place shrubs or trees further out into the yard to give some feeling of shelter from the road, and consider using some of the same plants used in the garden to the left will provide continuity. If you live in an area with a lot of snow and ice, choose your plants across the front of the house to be able to tolerate snow getting dumped on them, especially if you decide to go with a metal roof. I have a similar area that has groundcovers, perennials that die back for winter, and some shrubs that if damaged by roof dumps can be cut to near the ground and will grow within a few weeks. In doing landscaping, do the home work first such as roofing, painting or repairs, then do hardscape such as walkways, and finally do bed prep and planting. Choose plants that won't overgrow the space they are planted in to reduce pruning work. If you choose to paint your brick to get the feel of your examples, be aware that you will have taken a low maintenance surface and turned it into one that will need ongoing maintenance - cleaning and painting as needed which will add time and expense. I am not wild about your current black shutters and white trim. Perhaps start by choosing colors with a less stark contrast between the brick and the trim such as a sage or the color of the siding on the ell and painting all your trim that same color. Live with that for a while to see if it works better aesthetically for you.

I get the dilemma. Perhaps you can get 2 pieces of the same wood as your steps and try a walnut stain and a no-stain-just-poly example. I’m torn between keeping the steps being natural with polyurethane or getting them a little darker for maintenance reasons. Steps take a beating, so unless there is a runner in their future (which doesn’t make sense with that gorgeous staircase) I would be concerned about wear and tear. But enough poly on anything is like iron, so going natural would absolutely work. My curiosity would force me to try to match the darkest line in the main floor. And yes, your floors are INCREDIBLE! What a gift to find these under carpeting!