apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

plants, plants everywhere! maybe something large -- like a spruce or decorative object -- on that big wall by the front door. add some color among the boulders in the front to give it some color.

do garage doors with glass windows to mirror the rest of the home and avoid having that side of the house look so closed off

I think the white trim is nice if you plan to keep the brick, but maybe repaint the door a new, glossy color? And replace that tilted plaque on the garage which I assume lists the house number with something cool and bold... maybe simple, large, black cast iron above the garage doors?

I realize a lot of this is decorating rather than updating, but I think there's not too much you can do with the design -- it's very period-specific -- and you should spend your energy making it look charming and lived-in.

Make to look like this:
http://tinyurl.com/3okmu9

landscaping!

Check out the Atomic Ranch book - it has great inspiration pictures.

Foliage!

What if you had forest green garage doors and painted the non-brick exterior a similar color? It would look nice with your front door. Then put a large trellis over that huge swatch of brick by the door and train some cool flower or foilage to cover it. Put some colorful flowers around that flat area of the yard. Maybe put some wood deck tiles down to create an outdoor space on that flat area too, with a porch swing or similar. There was a post the other day about wood deck tiles. http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/sf/outdoor-furniture/wood-deck-tiles-008232

Finally, get some green interspersed among the rocks.

I'd play up the fact that you're in a 60's modern house with some funky landscaping: Evergreens trimmed into topiary balls, Japanese Maples and some of that Korean grass that you don't have to mow...

I'd leave the windowframes white, but paint the exterior panels between the windows on the far right corner teal. I'd leave the front door that great Red/Orange, but apply white mouldings in an exaggerated diamond motif (if it's a flat panel - can't tell for certain). I'd also do the same with the garage doors - but paint the panels the same teal as the corner panels and repeat the white diamond motif from the front door.

I'd put a stand of tall bamboo in front of the brick wall between the door and the windows. It's easy to grow and requires minimal maintenance.

I'd also install planters on the wall over the garage doors. Hang them well below the windows, with plants growing up to the bottom of the actual window. It will give the illusion that the windows are taller than they actually are.

Personally, I would paint the brick and all the woodwork and garage doors the same color, to de-emphasize the awkward arrangement of doors and windows. Or, at a minimum, I'd make ALL the trim and doors brick red. The white trim and garage doors highlight the awkward features, rather than downplaying them.

Landscaping will be your cheapest bet...you can hide some of the brick with trees, vines, etc.

I actually quite like the house. It has good modern lines. From that age when homes were all about the car ;-). All the white stuff needs to be dark. Garage doors, trim window frames. Clean the brick with the power washer you can also use to clean to prep for painting. Paint color could be oxidized copper like the DeYoung museum or even a dark color, blue or green. All that white has to go and that includes any blinds in the windows. Never paint the brick, it's irreversible. Then of course good landscaping.

James brings up a good point about the windows:

The view through them is as important as the trim, so I'd install a great modern light fixture for the entryway centered on the window above the front door - a Nelson Bubble lamp or a simple white glass globe would look great in that window.

refinish the stairs and replace the railing. paint the door a color that will pop and get nice modern oversized house numbers. then add landscaping. consider painting the exterior trim something other than white.

http://www.westonletters.com/index_23.php?catID=23&file=index.php
new house numbers........see link above

get the house exterior and driveway/steps pressure cleaned.
garage doors with windows($$), as someone mentioned.

colors similar to ben moore spanish red(door, similar as someone already suggested), bermuda blue (panel on the right), great barrington green or roasted sesame seed,henderson buff on garage doors and railing.
play with the proportion and "strength" of the colors so they will work with the light, brick, and square feet covered. you may want to paint the window frames, if paintable. then, you can work on landscaping.

I would pick some colors for the garage doors and other parts that are white now that complement the brick - chocolate brown, maybe a saffron-y yellow for smaller parts - the door is a good color. In between the rocks I would put rosemary or some other nice smelling plants that are low water. On the deck area I agree some nice pots of plants would be good, but you have to be willing to water a lot if that gets a lot of sun. Maybe a cool birdbath (not too expensive at the outlets) with a circle of gravel around it to define the space. Don't paint the brick - it's beautiful!

I saw an episode of HGTV's "Curb Appeal" where they worked on a house very similar to your house. Unfortunately they did end up painting the house a very light gray, but that isnt necessary.

I would paint/replace the garage doors and plant some rock flowers/ivy on the front rock retaining wall. Behind that I would make a simple and well kept yard. Possible replace/spruce up the flimsy banister to give it some heft and a modern feel as well as add some low level lighting to guide people up the path and to the front door. To define the walkway I always think hostas add a very nice touch- they are easy to grow, get quite large and add some nice texture.

As for the large barren brick wall, ya gotta do something with it- the bamboo is a great idea to soften that area. As for the front entry, depending on how much light it provides, you could add some cool frosted numbers above the door to really give it some focus.

Found the episode:
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/shows_crb/episode/0,,HGTV_3825_55870,00.html

Some good ideas in here for your house I think.

I love this house! We have lots like this in Seattle.
No vote for painting the brick!
Another yes for anything but white on that trim, preferably a bold color on the front door at least.
On the swath of brick between the front door and the right, either stacked rock like in the first picture (more expensive) camelia bush/tree? or hollyhocks would be beautiful and colorful.
I love the idea of a painted geometric pattern on the garage doors, i would repear the pattern in the railing design.
I also second korean grass, that front yard would be a B to mow.
FYI if that is ivy crawling up the l-hand side you need to hack it back, ivy can actually damage some brick.

I'm not into painting the brick. I also agree with mmepatty- paint the doors and trim colors that complement the brick; brown, gray, maybe teel? White and cream work for a Georgian Revival style house, but not this style.

Yes, and plants.

Another vote for great lamps visible from windows dark trim (dark teal?) outside in place of white. Bold color for front door/mod silver or black metal accents. Sculptural, modern landscaping, a little Japanese influence, as per bepsf. Maybe a water feature. Update at least bannisters (both sides of stairs--not safe as is) if not the whole walkway/stairs--modern, clean lines, no curlicues or anything ornate. At very least, stain the concrete--in a complementary hue to the trim color (but a grayed out version). Mod medallions for garage doors. Good luck!

I'd paint the trim black and put a very large trellis grid on the blank wall to the right of the front door. Landscaping, of course. And an eye-catching, non-red color on the front door, like a peacock blue. As for the garage doors, stainless steel with windows would be neat, or if that is outrageous pricewise, black garage doors with windows and stainless steel "kickplates" on the bottom section (assuming roll-up garage doors). I would also build in a pergola over the garage doors in black, all right angles, that sticks out about 2-3 feet. Then grow a flowering vine on it. Last, stainless house numbers and mailbox and replace those security lights with some sort of industrial stainless light fixture.

As others have said, landscaping would make a huge difference. You could break up the garage wall with an arbor that ran over the doors and protruded 24" or so. Then grow jasmine, wisteria, climbing rose, etc. Assuming there's earth on either in which to plant. Can't tell what's concrete and what's bare dirt.

Please don't tack an arbor over the garage or anywhere else. This house has good, basic midcent modern design. The large blocks of brick and window are meant to work together like the large blocks of color in a Mondrian painting. Bring the windows and wall on the right together visually by painting all the wood and trim a dark color in the range of what you see through the upper windows. Where the window has a shade it should have a similarly dark backing. This visually welds the disparate elements, rectangles of glass/wood, together as a single, big rectangle. Same for the front door and trim around it. Together these large visual blocks interact under the continuous expanse of the single, horizontal roof eave. This all creates a very clean and striking canvas on which to explore some interesting landscape designs. A dramatic flowering vine trained up that large expanse of brick or a multi-trunk japanese maple or star magnolia spreading out across the back-drop of the three rectangles. This is a decent if unspectacular mid century mod classic split level suburban. The earliest examples of this style in the US date to the late 30's, but hit it's peak in the 60's and 70's. This one has enough going for it that I think if you maximize those mid century aspects you will be very pleased with the result.

What about a cement colored stucco?

I'd grow vines up the blank wall in front (assuming you have time to spare).

Window boxes with drooping plants would be nice on the windows above the garage, depending on the look you're going for.

I would like to see stainless steel gargage doors and front door. Paint the trim around the windows in charcoal grey or brick red (golden gate bridge color). Get a stainless steel modern mailbox and numbers for your address.

The stairs could be changed to wood frames with the fine gravel in sand color. I see those green stalks that grow straight up the look like bambood but more architectural grouped in cement or charcoal grey long rectangular troughs planters.. A Japanese Maple would look great pick up the brick color, group colors like deep green, red and sage together, keep it simple.
Sunset has books DIY and I remember seeing Landscaping for mid centrury houses. Most of all you want plants that don't need too much water. Get two large vessels or pots for palms or something sleek to place in front of the brick wall next to the door, have uplights behide the potted trees at night that would look very cool.
Eichler Homes - http://www.eichlernetwork.com/HDlandscaping1.html

very, very nice canvas. the garage doors and panel between the right windows are too bright. your main contrast is there (and where you don't want it). your focal point should be the front door. the trim should be black/dark. the garage doors should be replaced with something more MCM appropriate as well (not the paneled doors there presently), but this will not likely be a home depot find, but your choice here is very important. there is also a lack of symmetry between the windows above the garage door and the doors themselves which should be looked at -- its actually a surprising architectural choice. landscaping, as mentioned will also be a big change-element.

A quick way to change how it looks would be to paint the garage doors, front door, and space between the top and bottom windows on the right the same color. I hope you don't mind that I borrowed your picture to show you an example using an approximation of the color from your front door:

http://picasaweb.google.com/pantothenic.acid/ToShare/photo#5213277153653099778

It doesn't have to be that color, but using the door color makes it even easier since you then only have to paint the garage doors and space between the windows. The look would also be improved if you have all of the windows showing the same to the outside of the house, such as all white on the outside facing part of the window treatments, but this can be annoying if you want some window treatments open and some closed most of the time. I personally like the white trim framing all the windows and doors and that color space, but you could paint all the trim a different color as well if you don't happen to like it.

The right plants would be an excellent addition as well.

Thanks for all the great ideas!! DahliaCactus we are actually a Seattle home!:-) We have been planning to landscape we just had the old cleared out, which was lots of over grown juniper that had to go!! We are happy that we have this blank slate but want to stay as true to the period that we can but give it some modern updates! I think that we have some good inspiration from all the comments. I know we will do the modern house numbers new light and paint. My current thoughts are to make the trim a darker brown and similar or same color with the space under the windows and garage doors. I'm wodering if the door should be a different color to make it stand out and add focus to the entrance? The garage doors it depends on cost(my ideal is the glass doors) We are going to try for lots of grasses, Flax, japanese maples, and maybe bamboo for that large area between the door and right hand window. I hope to post "after photos" this summer! Thanks again for all the inspiring post.