Stymied But Still Striving

Dear Homework,

My home still feels plain Jane even after a renovation. There are large spaces between windows and no cohesive color palette—it’s lots of tan siding with a gray roof and orange doors. A new roof color or shutters, perhaps? I am stymied about a door color under the dark, north-facing porch.

Sincerely,
—Stymied but Still Striving

Dear Stymied but Still Striving,
I think you are right in your appraisal of your house after its remodel. I think that with a few bold changes and some minor ones, we can pull a rabbit out of the hat.

First, I would like to morph the porch columns into more Craftsman-style ones with new stone bases. These would ‘hold up’ a new, wide, white fascia board, aligned with the garage fascia.

Next, the stone from the columns is carried over into a garden wall, which creates a new entry garden and adds to the visual importance of the porch. This is augmented with flower urns, a trellis and a variety of plantings.

Now that the composition has a focus, a few minor tweaks will help. A multicolor, slate-like asphalt roof will give you some colors to play with and add some visual ‘texture’ to the scheme. I would then paint the front door the maroon seen in the shingles, and paint the garage door off the porch the same color as the siding to mask it.

Finally, add a Craftsman-style garage door and coach lights. If the cost of the stone garden wall is too much, a white picket fence would be almost as effective. I hope these suggestions are helpful.

Thanks for asking,
—Homework

Homework is penned by Paul Doerner, founding partner of the Lawrence Group. If you would like your home critiqued, contact us at homework@townandstyle.com.