For a quick fix, maybe add a more contemporary awning in black and remove the shutters. Add bulkier trim on the front windows, and paint it a deeper color for contrast. Then, work on landscape, which will add the biggest bang for your buck right now. Long-term, I'd look at building a permanent porch roof - one that follows the contours of your roof.

I'm going to suggest something a bit bolder. Use the porch and flowerbed to develop one long

porch which can serve as a foundation for this king of pergola. I like this colorway too with the wider trim at the windows and door. This could make your home the star of the neighborhood. The only issue I have with this illustration is that the lanterns flanking the front door are too small. Should be 1/3 of the front door's height. Major paint companies have specialty paints to use on aluminum siding. Check our Romabio for custom masonry paints to match the siding paint. The gravel drive may work for you as well since we can't see a garage or carport.

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I wouldnt repaint anythng on the house itself. It looks cohesive all one color. You have some porch there, for now, just put some colorful pots of flowers, and some nice porch furniture with a bit of color. Its a cute house. Dont do anything major to it for at least 6 months. What you think you want now, will be what you dont want after living there for a while.

I like the red front door, but you need a full-view storm door to be able to see it better. Black also might be more consistent with your style since you said you don't like pops of color. The shutters are not sized correctly. Can you remove them without leaving discolored areas exposed? I'm not sure I would change the brick. The previous owners may have chosen siding the same color as the brick on purpose to avoid a chopped up look. The porch and/or awning definitely need(s) to be changed. You should photoshop different options before you do anything to the brick as changing it may not be necessary. Does the brick go all the way around the house or is it just on the front?

Hmmmmmm. I think that if you can remove the side panels of the awning that you have now, you could have one that looks pretty good. See if those pieces of siding can come off of the awning. Try that first. Paint it black. Live with it a while before you replace it. I actually like the color of your house. The shutters don’t have a modern vibe, though. i would remove them. As people have said…live with it a while. I think that with a black and beige scheme, you have a good start. Good luck with your new home!

Is that real brick? It almost looks like some kind of panel made to resemble brick. If it is real, often they just did a thin veneer of brick on only a portion of the house to save money (as if we'll never see the house from the sides? what were they thinking?) Either way they can be removed/ replaced with more harmonious / congruous siding.... whenever it comes time to paint, not right now.

If you do a pergola or new porch, keep it simple and in harmony with modest post WW2 1950s style. Your house is not the early 1900s or craftsman-esque style pictured above, and houses start looking like frankenstein houses when they have too many styles from different eras cobbled together.

You should find that a lot of contemporary style will mesh quite nicely with your house - since it draws so heavily from that era. The conventional wisdom is to live in the house for a year before doing anything irreversible, but I dont that applies to tacked-on temporary things like awnings and such. Have fun!

What I nice house! Some years ago I bought a house for its interior layout and location, and for some reason I didn’t like the outside so much. I think for the first six months I lived there the neighbors thought I was such a weirdo because I spent a lot of time walking up and down the street in front of the house, and from the opposite side of the street, and I would stop the car and stare evertime I pulled in and out of the driveway —- but I’m really glad I did it because eventually I came up with the ideas that really ”fixed” the house for me (it needed rather heavy window boxes and a much wider front walk)

So stare at your house a lot at different times of day before you decide to do anything. Also you might find that once you have gotten most of the interior furnished as you like, you will want an exterior that makes for just the right feeling, and that might dictate your color and landscape choices.

PS: I also talked to my neighbors about the house. One of them across the street had lived in his house since he was a child, and now he was in his 80s, and he had lots of great tips about landscaping, plus some opinions about colors! It was great.