You haven't been specific enough about what kind of overall project you're taking on. Photos of the full front of the house will be helpful in determining your best options. More info/photos please.

I’m trying to leave as much of the original aesthetic as I can (i.e., brick, stucco, cedar beams and corbels), but the arched windows look dated. We’re keeping the arches windows, but I can’t figure out how to incorporate the cedar beams in order to update the top and bottom of the windows. I’ve thought of everything I can think of with no solutions.

Trying to upload more pics now

We last added an arbor and I painted the door purple with a lime wash. I would like the house to maintain its original Mediterranean style, but updated.

Wow this house has the esthetic of a church. Why the pergola? Are you going to grow something on it? Have you thought of staining them to match the pergola? Do you keep the shutters closed all the time?

There aren’t any shutters. We added the pergola to help with the curb appeal (we’ve never liked the curb appeal). When we bought the house it was covered in white aluminum siding, and the driveway expanded to cover most of the front yard (another thing we’re not happy with). We’ve redone the entire interior, which we love. It’s the front yard we can’t seem to get right.

Hm…..I don’t want to hurt your feelings but I’m not sure the purple door goes with the rest……are you in love with the color?

I love that you picked plantings that tie in with your door color, fabulous start! It may be that when the beams are done, the windows feel right to you. How about filling in the planter on the left with taller, wider plants? Ornamental grasses or a tall weeping conifer for example would balance the windows and make the planter look finished. A bib extender would keep your hose accessible. If you ever want to change the lights at your front entrance, hanging two dramatic lanterns from brackets on your pergola posts would amp up your Mediterranean vibe. Love your look, these homes tend to have great flow!

Your particlar window does not seem dated to me. It is not the typical half wagon wheel that was prevalent.

I would concentrate on painting the exterior. And, I agree about the purple door.

The purple door seems to be a sticking point for some. I think it‘s a great tie in with the purple plants framing the entry. But, . the door has some amazing details & my thought is the darker color on it doesn’t highlight that. I’d like to see more purple tones in the plants & add hanging baskets - maybe paint the bench purple & lighten up the door to a better color for house & to emphasize detail on it.

The round top windows are consistent with the Mediterranean style and it would be expensive to change them. You would have to get replacement rectangular windows and repair the stucco on the exterior and the drywall on the inside to change the shape. A dark natural wood door would also be consistent with the style.

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I might also add the gutters are brown now and the cedar beams are being going to be painted the same color as the arbor (which also has to be painted). We were hit with a hail storm which damaged the windows and beams.

no no no on those lights.

its not an MCM its a Mediterranean ranch. just because it shares some lines does not mean its MCM IMO

The classic arch windows, need to let the window do the talking I would paint the beams the color of the trim not of the pergola. The pedestal lamps should ring modern med. and the front door is a pretty door but its a dark entry I would consider lighting it up.

I would let the windows do the talking. Also, consider some soffit lights

Sorry RL it's not a Mediterranean ranch. It has all the details of MCM and none of the details of Mediterranean.

When were the brown corbels added?

This is what the house looked like when we purchased it. It is not a MCM. The arched windows and door were original and the home originally had a cement tile roof.

We added the arbor to give it some kind of antiquated look.

Everywhere the white is was covered in aluminum siding. We replaced the area above the bottom windows and the top windows with stucco. It was supposed to match the mortar from the brick. We’ve had hail damage 3 times and each time we’ve tried to change the look, but with no luck.

In my area, it would be called a 1970's contemporary. The windows are perfect for the style and proportions. I suggest finding the name of the architect from the permits at city hall, then see what else they built in the area. You can often get inspiration from an architect's other works.

To play down the windows, paint their surrounding trim and area above each in the same color as the bricks or in brown if you are keeping the pergola brown. These trim colors can be easily changed when you want a new look. Another paint option would be white arbor, trim, and windows, much like when you bought it, but with your pinkish purple door color to add punch.

RL, I agree with what you said about the windows, however it’s the cedar beams that I’m having a problem with. Any ideas?

BeverlyFLA I like the color scheme you did! Is the stucco more of a ink black color and the pergola and posts dark brown?

Thanks for all the great advice!!

The cedar beams and pergola should both be painted a muted beige imo

Apple pie asked a good question those don’t seem to be there when the house is white

I like the white better than the current color.

Yes you have shutters. I was talking about the inside shutters which ruin the look of the windows. Agree they should be a darker color

I’m not skilled at computer mockups - my daughter does them for me but if you can try out some different colors either digitally or printing up color copies and colored pen/pencil you could find something that looks great.

If you painted the window panels a brown to match your beams it might look good - just try it on a pic first! I too love a purple door heres a pic showing our colors of garage door, trim, and stucco although our front door is a dark bronze color.

BeverlyFLADeziner after doing more research I found you are correct in saying this is a MCM! The arched windows and spanish door have always thrown me. I've spent so much time through the years trying to get the old world look with NO success. Thank you for your advice. I am not sure my husband will be too thrilled removing the arbor, but I'm trying to figure a way around it. Any further advice you might have is appreciated. thanks, again!

Try moving the pergola to the back yard. It could be part of a freestanding patio area. Add climbing roses or hanging flower baskets.

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I think the reason everyone is having trouble applying a style to this house is because it's a builder special. One wonders if there was even an architect involved at all. :-) I think you need to pick one style and emphasize it. If it were me and I didn't have a budget constraint I would change the round topped windows to rectangular and go MCM. The MCM elements overshadow the Mediterranean, but with those windows it is hard to call it MCM. What does the house look like inside?

If you go for MCM, consider staining the brick charcoal (Romabio) and cladding the stucco parts with cedar. Perhaps the cladding could actually just be overlaid on the top of the windows to give the square look of the first floor ones. Upgrade to an MCM door, put the pergola in the back yard, and complete the landscaping, and you're done. Here's just a feeling of what the color combo could do to update, remove the church vibe, and improve things.

https://www.houzz.com/photos/query/charcoal-and-cedar-mid_century-exterior/p/440?oq=charcoal%20and%20cedar%20mid-century%20exterior&redirectoq=charcoal%20and%20cedar%20mid-century%20exterior

You all have given me some great advice! So far, I'm incorporating a lot of them. I am going to move the pergola to the backyard; leave the arched windows (they were pretty expensive) and paint the cedar beams, the area above the windows, and the trim in a dark charcoal (almost black). The front of our house faces the west, so it's super hot in the afternoons, which is why the previous owners installed the plantation shutters inside. Not sure if there's anything I can do to make those darker (suggestions are great). Between the windows upstairs I'm thinking of having wood siding placed vertically and then stained a walnut color. I'm going to replace the door with a five window MCM door, remove the brick from the entry along with the existing light fixtures and replace those with lights by the front door as Beverly suggested.

This is my inspiration picture.

The front door would look better painted a solid dark purple, perhaps the color of the plants. The blotchy faded look doesn't enhance the brick color.

I would cap the to low post lights and use that power for landscape lighting in those areas, that will also help light up the front of the house a bit more.

Great plan Kym, keep us posted!