With black and white tiles you don't have to use black or white grout, you can choose a dark gray that will have less issues with dirt and staining. Also, depending on the style of your home, you could consider some natural stone. I don't have a picture, but I used Ostrich Gray Slate/Quartzite in my entry and I love it. It's a natural stone with a lot of pattern in gray/charcoal/black and it's honed smooth. The dark gray grout never looks dirty. (I have the same tile and grout in my mud room/laundry room too.)

@Anna & @NHBabs- I was trying to say add an above window pergola...not add a window =) We definitely don't have the room for that inside. I think with Dougs design a pergola would be too much though. We can definitely do a smaller, more affordable version of that gorgeous front deck. We are experienced DIYers and can do much or all of the work ourselves and with a few changes its completely affordable. I actually have more of the pavers from our walkway that can be added to the front area to widen that landing out some, though we won't go as wide on the left side as is shown because our yard gets narrower there against the neighbors yard. We can do stone that matches our existing stone out back on the steps and instead of stone columns we can do thick wood posts with black metal caps, and the affordable black aluminum railings that we had planned anyway, which would match our new back deck perfectly. We have considered stone in the chimney at some point in the future, though it won't be next year. It won't be quite as grand as Dougs design but gives a very similar look for alot less $$. I think to the left of the door we can add a long, covered, decorative bench box for wood storage in that space. That way we have wood for a week in the winter without trudging to the fire wood shelters out back every day or so. (We have 2 wood stoves that get used alot in the winters here.) We never use our entrance unless we are going out the front door for mail, and all our friends use the back entrance as there is ample parking out there. I can see us sitting out there on the deck with a glass of wine in the shade though. Since the only visitors we get out front are deliveries and people selling stuff, we probably don't need to add anything for sheltering them lol. Still struggling with house color. Currently its a pale yellowish color my husband hates (ditto for me) and it clashes with our new stone. We were thinking maybe something more earthy in a brown/gray...meaning not just brown or gray, something with a mix of both. Or maybe a darker beige. We'd like to darken it up a bit. The shingles are a dark gray but do have a little brown/tan in them along with the black and gray. Its called Canadian Driftwood.

I don't think you need much -- the plant seems ok, or an umbrella stand if you come in and out this way. If you find something you like, then either wall is ok. If you need additional functionality here (not just for decor purposes), you could move the plant to the other side and put a little shelf for mail or whatever, with a small picture or mirror over it. Otherwise, I like the rug and I'd update the chandelier to something with maybe some black metal elements...

What do you need to make it more functional? It's difficult to tell from the photos how much room you have to work with. I'd definitely want a small table near the door. Some people want a bench and place to stash shoes and coats. If a mirror would make it more functional for you, I wouldn't hesitate to hang one!