Thanks for the feedback on the curtains. It sure is easier for me to do....nothing! Of course my dog has already managed to get tangled up in one and pull the entire thing (including rod) off the wall. And in less than 48 hours since hanging too! Thats gotta be some sort of record. Hopefully that doesn't happen again. Geokid, I wanted it your way too, and when we moved in tried to get it set up this way. I was vetoed and since I got to pick placement of every other room, I didn't argue too much. I can't recall the problem....maybe the dresser didn't fit on that wall? Some weird feng shui thing? nosoccormom - that light will likely be replaced with the oh so functional but not always attractive ceiling fan when we get around to it. It's close to a 100 year old house. It's been remodeled/rehabbed but not quite sure of how well it was insulated and how HOT it will get up there. We have lots of pretty windows, but they probably won't help much. Thoughts on a chair? It will obviously have to be small. I would love a pop of color over in that corner (I like color) but am not confident that I will find one that matches the rug. So how would another color like coral look? Too much?

Notice that both designers removed the shrubs and grass and filled the entire bed with ornamental plants. Good choice. Regardless of what you plant, start the planting outside of the rainshadow caused by the roof overhang. That will be better for the plants and give you space to do maintenance such as washing windows. If you stand across the street opposite the front door and take a photo of the whole yard side to side, you may get good suggestions for tree placement. (If it's too wide stand in the same spot but take three photos: 1 straight on, one pivoting right and one pivoting left) I usually prefer trees not in line with the front door since as one grows it may make the entrance more difficult to see. I also discourage the use of rock mulch in areas like Chicago that have to deal with heavy rain and snow removal since they will get moved around and will need to be moved off the drive and walk and out of the grass. Your lawnmower can fling stone hard enough to do damage. For the downspout, if you want to plant a climbing rose, add a hard prune clematis with it to best hide/distract from it; many roses have rather sparse foliage. Provide an ornamental trellis and clip the rose to it so the rose doesn't grow around the downspout. (One of my more vigorous climbing roses sent canes between the downspout and the house which needed to be cut out.) You could also do the same between the windows and at the far end. Think about having something that won't be just bare in the winter, whether it is evergreens, shrubs with colored bark, a tree with a great winter silhouette out in the yard, or ornamental trellis that will look nice in winter once the clematis is cut off it. Winter can be long in zone 5! Whatever plants you decide to put in, research their size potential on reputable sites such as the Missouri Botanical Garden's plant finder. Nursery tags tend to give size at 5 years, but many can get quite a bit larger.

Very cool house! Your view of course and location is worth the effort of painting. To enhance the architecture of the house, paint the house and trim the same color. I would suggest a fairly dark slate blue. Then the shape of the house would be unified and nestled into the landscape as it was originally designed to do. The contrast with your reddish roof would be nice. A nice extra large entrance "waterhog" mat at your front door in a dark blue to cover the concrete in front of the door would be useful. Your front door could go brick red, or navy blue. You could have one bench or chair to the right of your door. Keep your landscaping simple around the front door. Maybe a water feature or bird bath with day lilies around it or some other easy perennial. Line your walkway with low growing plants and keep them uniform. You could scatter some pots around the back with flowers of your choice.

First off, thank you all for the quick and detailed responses. I already have so much to think about and love your suggestions. Here is a little more info on our intentions, budget, etc. This is an upstairs/downstairs set up with 2 beds and 1 bath in each unit. We plan on renting out both units long term after renovating them both. So although this isn't a house we will live in, it is something we will regularly see and want it to stand out as a beautiful property. Since they will be rentals, we are required to provide at least 1 parking spot for each unit off street. My thoughts were to utilized the minimum amount of the front for this and use the rest for grass/land scaping in the shape of a T, across the full front of the house, with a strip in the middle going to the street. Budget wise we are pretty flexible because I am skilled in most trades and can do everything myself or with the help of friends. I love the idea of a porch on the front and will be leveling off the lot as soon as we take possession. I think these two are my best options moving forward. Knowing that I need to keep spaces for two vehicles, can anyone suggest a great layout for the front grass/walkway etc? Thank you!!