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.

Hi Danielle, congrats on your new house! The kitchen's main challenge as I see it is a layout(say I'd be bothered by a very close position of the fridge next to the entrance, cooktop in the peninsula with eating space next to it) and lack of storage. It looks nice, at least on the pictures. I wouldn't do anything cosmetic, (including putting heavier countertops on older cabinets, or painting cabinets that from aestheticall point of view look fine and appropriate to the house..unless they're very worn and I can't see that, etc) until I'm in the house, maybe minimum half a year, studying how I want it to function, considering how layout can be changed(if you decide to go for it) and how it will impact the space as a whole. Changing the layout in 60's house..I don't know where the house is but here wouldn't be 20 K. Even with a small kitchen. Would be almost twice the cost. You touch walls, plumbing, electrical, you might need to abate asbestos, etc..drives the prices up, even if you keep the materials etc very reasonable. And it takes lot of careful planning, thought put into it, weighting pros and cons, your own preferences (say I'd be tempted to enclose the kitchen some, or move it a bit, to create the better sense of entrance, and increase storage..maybe I'd shorten it on the entrance door side, but encroach more toward the hallway so to say...I'd consider whether a pantry can be put in, or free-standing hutch would work better on the opposite side..I would give up seating there..and hundred other things) You will know all that better when living in the house. What bothers you the most, what bothers you the least..what are you ready to sacrifice and what you plan to gain. I'm waiting with interest to read other responses-there are some very talented people here, with better eye for layouts and spatial thinking than me..they might have great suggestions for you to consider. If you can upload even a simple plan with dimensions, that would be helpful too. If you want to paint meanwhile-your preferences will work nice with the kitchen as is. So you'll already feel more at home while thinking about bigger picture of a remodel.

I’d do something more countryish. Woods or white. Remove the shutters New outdoor lighting Maybe a cushion on the bench to add some color ...

I agree with you that the porch columns are too narrow…they need to be a bit beefier. Also agree that thicker window trim would be an improvement as would a front door with sidelights and wider trim. Agree that coach style garage doors with windows would also enhance the front of your home. As far as the shutters go, the main problem with them is that they are inappropriately sized for the windows as well as installed incorrectly….they are basically “pasted” alongside the window frames. They should have hinges and shutter dogs for a more authentic look which would also give them more dimension rather than looking so flat. So….I would enlarge the columns, install wider window trim, and start with replacing all the upper shutters with properly sized ones (each shutter should be sized so that it could potentially cover half of the window if you were to imagine closing them). And then install them with shutter dogs and hinges. And as suggested, not use a louvered style. I would also consider a cedar material using a natural stain on them or paint them the same color as your front door, or plain black. Examples of properly sized and installed shutters… Garage door option…