Are you kidding me?

Climbing ivy can damage house facades, and ground ivy might attract rats, who like to make their burrows in it. I'd personally ditch the ivy, although it can work if you're willing to put in the maintenance.
For the steps, I'd look into sealing and painting. A more expensive option could be to tile. Many houses in Denver have decorative tiles on the risers, which I always liked.

We had the concrete steps at our old house faced with cut limestone by our favorite handyman. Looks excellent, and gave the same basic textured surface in case of icy weather.

I agree that the ivy and wisteria are not a good solution. It looks like an abandoned house. I like the idea of some lanterns. Maybe a different (darker) color for the entryway would help disguise the plain glass.

I second the limestone suggestion. I also second the initial poster's curiosity as to why the home was purchased if it's not to the buyers taste?

Hmmm.... the vines aren't doing it for me, especially the way they're growing over the stairs. They lend an aura of neglect that's probably not what you're going for.

I do think a vine on one side trained up a trellis to drape over the arch could look nice, but the vine should drape over the arch only, not climb wildly all the way to the peak.

I'd wait to replace the lamps until you've figured out what you're going to do with the door. That way you can get something that goes well (I'm thinking bronze lamps might look nice with an antique door). Also, when you do get a door make it a double one and lose the white trim.

OK, good luck with that.

is this a pic of your house? if so, well, even if not, it's lovely! I have a foursquare/ bungalow-ish house w concrete porch & steps, am deciding between simply staining it kindof bronze (matches hardware, house is dark reddish brown brick) or having the concrete stamped to look like some sort of stone.maybe sconces similar to this: http://www.lowes.com/pd_157380-22685-6041-44_4294857032+4294867538_4294937087_?productId=1037089&Ns=p_product_prd_lis_ord_nbr|0||p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&pl=1&currentURL=%2Fpl_Ceiling%2BFixtures_4294857032%2B4294867538_4294937087_%3FVa%3Dtrue%26Ns%3Dp_product_prd_lis_ord_nbr%7C0%7C%7Cp_product_qty_sales_dollar%7C1&facetInfo=Ceiling%20Fixtures

Oh, it might also make a big difference if you match the gutters to the colour of your roof. The white really stands out.

I hope that you have not planted English Ivy - that would be a nightmare for your trees or garden as well as for the rest of your neighbors. Have you considered painting your door (maybe Benjamin Moore "Red Brick") and then adding two over-sized urns in a similar cheerful hue (maybe "Pomegranate"). If you keep your existing planters and choose not to paint, at least pull out the bushes and replace with something a whole lot brighter like super-green ornamental grasses. Also, this is a lot more work, but one more realtively cheap idea to change the approach to the house, instead of painting the stairs, add more interest with planters or a steel climbing wall and set yummy peas growning on it.

I heard that ivy is alright structurally if you cut it way back every few years so that the tendrils aren't able to dig in too deeply (can anyone confirm that?). As for looking like an abandoned house, you really need to keep it neat and controlled for it to be pretty. It's really overwhelming the house here. Cut it well back from windows, doors, the roof, and details like the lighting sconces.

I find the current door lovely, and since the steps are in good condition, the limestone surfacing sounds like a great suggestion.

Definitely remove that ivy from the steps immediately, it's a tripping hazard. It's also hard on buildings, should at least be on some kind of trellis. Paint door and existing lanterns an intense colour, do a trompe l'oeil painting to imitate stonework on blank spaces. You can spiff up the glass with painted on or real ironwork or wood fretwork if it's too plain. Doesn't have to be overly Gothic, can be all kinds of styles. I think the main problem is the door is too small for the scale of portico, could possibly do some kind of framework that integrates door, sidelights and top window to make it look like one larger unit. Steps? There are lots of products out there to change the look of concrete but I have no idea how durable or affordable any are. You can also put pots of greenery or bright flowers at the outer edges of the steps, maybe make some hypertufa trough type things. A lot depends on what you want the style to be. Mediterranean? Gothic castle? Tuscan? More modern?

RE The Ivy. There are two kinds of ivy, one will destroy your house, the other won't. You need to make sure you have the right type. Ivy can take the roof right off a house if it's the wrong kind.

I had a plain house and I kinda did the same thing. I planted the wrong ivy, had it torn out, and planted the good ivy. Then I had an awning frame made for the end of my porch. (I had a Charleston or New Orleans thing going on with a side porch.) I had the normal bubble awing form placed onto two foot wide ladders, as it were, on both sides. The frames are made of aluminum. They are light as a feather. I stripped the metal with a product from BM, primed, and then painted the 12' tall structure laying down in my driveway on plastic. BM has a product that contains metal filings, meaning you must stir and paint at the same time. But the result, using the black, is what appears to be wrought iron, unless you touch it. I didn't get the canvas covers. Instead, I grew the Ivy up and over the dome.

I transformed the front of my house, for less then $400. A neighbor's friend who came to visit her said of my house, 'I don't remember that house being so cute.'

I should have mentioned. I also stained the concrete. BM has several stock stain colors, and can do custom colors. Here, I would suggest beige. It's a stock color, and it will make the steps blend in and therefore disappear. The large pots is a great suggestion. And why not run pots down the sides of your steps? They are wide enough, and won't appear so large.

I mean this nicely, but if you want ivy, you have to take care of it. This looks like an abandoned house. And if that's the wrong type of ivy, it has already invaded your roof line. You may already have water damage if the Ivy has encroached into the roof. And even if it is the good kind of ivy, do you intend to let it cover the roof? I think you need to separate the ivy from the roof, and start those tendrils headed back down. Ivy has to be trained, like a child. It's really high maintenance. It. never. stops. growing.

@pbsteele mentioned the plain glass, and I agree. Consider some multi-paned windows to add some interest to the front. Perhaps diamonds or prairie style---I can't quite tell what architectural style the house is. But a window shop would have hundreds of styles to choose from. Slate or flagstone tiles over the concrete would be better than staining the concrete, which often results in uneven results that can't be easily changed. Nix on the vines.

Wisteria and ivy are both destructive to structures. They're right up there with kudzu.

Agree that the ivy is both destructive and does not look good. "Well-maintained" is my favorite look for the exterior of a home, followed by architectural style.

I've heard that acid-based concrete stains (Google it) are the best for durability, also many people achieve a faux-paver look with stain and cutting in grooves with a masonry saw. Gray would look very nice, as would some lanterns with a nice warm light.

Landscaping is huge, though - I would ditch the ivy, significantly clean up the plantings and add in some beautiful huge containers. Your lovely wide steps could hold a lot of nice pots.

I'd like to see the entire front of the house before I offer any sage advice, but I agree that the wisteria and ivy just aren't doing it for me.