I am another vote for not painting or limewashing the brick. Turning a virtually no maintenance surface into a high maintenance surface seems counterproductive to me, and limewashing is one of those trendy things that will become the equivalent of the 60's avocado or harvest gold appliance but harder to fix. (I think I am dating myself . . . ) The paint color of the stucco and front door are uncomplimentary to the rest of the house, so I would change those and work with the landscaping, and then live with it for at least a year before doing something like painting the brick. I like the suggestion of a gray or brown that works with both the dark bricks and the roof color for the stucco, and a bright shade for the door. For the landscaping, remove the shaggy large bush eating the right corner of the house and replace with something that won't grow in front of the window. Let the tightly pruned shrubs grow out a bit and then snip as needed to allow a more natural shape to see whether you like them better that way. If not, remove them and replace the landscaping including some evergreen and flowering shrubs, something bright at the base of the stairs, and a groundcover to tie it all together. Plant the shrubs a bit farther from the building since the current ones look like they were planted too close, and make choices that are sized so that they won't need a large amount of pruning to stay in proportion. I like the idea of having the ornamental planting fill the whole triangle between the walkway and drive, and unless you want to see the street from the windows, putting in a small tree or larger shrub pruned to tree form there might work well. If you want any specific plant suggestions we would need a location (nearest large city) and planting zone, or you can go over to the perennial forum and shrubs forum to ask for suggestions for your area.

When I look at the picture of your your house from the street side I see several different and competing shapes: the garage door being the most jarring along with the 2 awnings over the upstairs windows. If the awnings were removed then the 2 upstairs windows with the nice curved brick line above would be more visible and match the one on the 1st floor which I believe would be more harmonious. Next, the garden on the driveway very much looks like an after thought and is taking up some of your very limited space and no doubt makes access awkward when getting out of the parked car. Save the plants and soil and maybe you could re cycle them to another spot. If you still want plantings along the front of the house I would suggest a more formal rectangular bed made of similar brick as the house. You could add a trellis for a climbing plant for more vertical interest if you made that choice. Moving along to the side of the house, the awning adds little to the house's design. It also likely provides little shelter from the weather. Perhaps a redesign of the porch with a roof, wider steps & walkway would help make the entry more welcoming and attractive. I would suggest an architect or designer for some help with that as a DIY fix may not be as pleasing to the eye. The picture of your house from the street with the tree in the foreground gives you an idea of how plantings can soften and enhance a home, so some help with plant choices and placements may be money well spent in the long run. Good luck with the project, your home has great bones and just needs a little adjustment or 2 to really make it even better.

First thing that I see is the corbels. They really don't fit this style house so I would do away with those. Next would be getting rid of the green paint. I would paint it the same color as the siding. I would also paint the garage door the same as the siding so it's not as noticeable. Then pick a color you like for the front door to make it a focal point. I also wouldn't stain the columns, just paint them white like the trim. You could wrap them and make the look a bit more substantial since they are so tall. After that put some money into landscaping. The vertical siding on the gables would look better horizontal but that's something you can fix later on. If you're interested in seeing some virtual makeovers of your home check out my web site, Creative Visual Concepts.

Really interesting house. I think it will look striking painted a creamy white with black trim. I would get rid of the stone edging. Make sure you kill all the ivy. It is a menace that is outlawed in some states. It can grow back from the roots. If rhododendron, mountain laurel, variegated holly and other evergreen plants do well in your area, I would plant a selection along the foundation, but not in front of the windows. Get some low growing plants for there. In front of the foundation plants, install perennials for seasonal color. You could also plant an ornamental tree like Easter Redbud, which has beautiful purple flowers on the stems in spring and lovely burgundy leaves. Another plant to think about is Hydrangea. They come in a taller variety that you could use. Just make sure you don't plant too close to the house and allow enough room for the plants to reach maturity. Much with a natural material that is not dyed. I would get larger lantern, maybe in a more modern style. Good luck and enjoy your new home!