Paint is always cheapest. New light fixtures in a more contemporary style - some oversized contemporary house numbers you could mount on the box element that sits over the door . . those are some other relatively minor things. You could switch out the rails on the stair to horizontal cable rails

With your earth toned roof, and the contemporary vertical siding - you have a couple of choices of color that would signal contemporary. Some people are doing black but it is very bold and not great with a brown roof. Your choices land into the darker neutrals that still have an earth tone element. The white windows are fine and aren't really paintable I suspect. So, with white windows and an earth toned roof, you might like one to try

Navy - not too dark - something like bm van duesen blue http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/vandeusenblue

Camoflauge Khaki Green Gray

bm desert twilight http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/deserttwilight

Muted teal gray - this is actually a neat choice with your roof - bm knoxville gray

http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/knoxvillegray

Or you could twist the navy into a teal navy - that would be amazing - look at newburg green

http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/newburggreen#ce_s=newb

Add nautical inspired fixtures to the navy or teal - or white oversized barn fixtures. Paint the garage to match the house -

not an inexpensive idea - but a modern clopay acryllic and aluminum frame garage door in the contemporary style - home depot sells them - that would do a lot for you too . .

Oh - search houzz for contemporary landscapes, and replace the evergreen shrubs in the front with a grid planting of evergreens. Take the cottagey hanging baskets and wreaths off the house and find a swap meet 60's metal wall sculpture - use rustoleum on it to make it brass or nickel or bronze toned - which ever element you use for your lights and exterior house numbers - hang that where they have the little wreath. Do the front door in a contrasting bright -

with navy - yield sign yellow or tangerine orange

with teal or camo green - eggplant

Thanks, everyone. I was leaning towards a charcoal color on the garage door and the middle section (which are both actually a baby blue color now, even though they look white in the photo), but after seeing that Clopay frame garage door online, I may have to save up some bucks because I think that would look amazing!

The front door is actually flush against the left hand side where the wreath is, behind the colored hanging basket-- so that won't really make much of a statement unless you're right in front of it facing in that direction. :/

oh, don't worry, I can tell that it's baby blue... :))

Painting the trim, garage door and the middle section in the dark charcoal will certainly make it more modern. Then,changing the tone of the wood to either a medium grey or brightening your existing stain to more of natural "fir" color would pop off of that charcoal.

You can always bring in color with plants, etc....

L-O-V-E your house! Our home in Michigan was very similar to yours.

Here's an article on modern exteriors, you might find some interesting information.

[https://www.houzz.com/magazine/exterior-materials-mix-it-up-stsetivw-vs~1902480[(https://www.houzz.com/magazine/exterior-materials-mix-it-up-stsetivw-vs~1902480)

I think that to recapture the 1980s modern flavour you might consider:

• Landscaping: (1.) Remove the evergreens around the entrance area; (2.) Think about redesigning this area with hardscape, grasses and ferns; and/or (3.) Consider planting white birch or Japanese maples.
• Introduce a water feature.
• Change the lighting fixtures.
• Use MCM house numbers.
• Remove wreath from door and hanging flower basket.

Here are a few small changes that would move the exterior toward modern:

Lighting Fixtures:

* http://www.lightingdirect.com/access-lighting-20300mg-1-light-ambient-lighting-marine-grade-wet-location-outdoor-wall-sconce-with-outer-ribbing-from-the-poseidon/p1742905

House Numbers:

Mailboxes:

Try an edgy modern fountain or perhaps a sea serpent fountain.

Hillside Residence · More Info

Use different tones of gray

Deep dark house colors are really current now. Love love love the idea of painting out the trim dark and charcoal for all trim, especially the garage and doing door dark too. Get away from pop of color other than landscaping around the house.

Make the Front Door a Textured Silver, Brushed Aluminum Color with Red Numbers and the Charcoal Exterior.

Contemporary landscaping would make a great investment. Here's a sample image to give you a couple of ideas. The great thing about landscaping is that once your hardscaping is in place, you can switch out plants to change the look.

Garrell Street - COS Design · More Info

Creative Outdoor Solutions · More Info

Are the shingles 'grey-ish' or 'brown-ish' ?

I'd say slightly more 'brown-ish.'

Here's another view-- a "non-realtor" picture. :)

...and the front door/entryway

The roof is why I think charcoal is not going to work for you. Consider testing the knoxville gray (blue green teal gray) if you keep the cedar tone elsewhere - there is a great shot of that combo here at houzz .

zipper house · More Info

I would consider moving the entryway door to the center over where the wreath is and then extend a portico with a colonnade of squared columns jutting out into the yard... Replace the shrubbery... And I like the idea of the numerous comments of a charcoal color exterior, in a few shades of that color

One more comment... One needs to be able to find the front door. Presently the "front" of the house is lost... One does not really know where the front is.

I have something very similar and used Sherwin Williams Modern White for the entire house. I kept the landscape clean so the house could be seen using blue globe spruce near the house and other evergreens in the area. I am fortunate to have out buildings so my red barn is the "pop" of color. I love the idea of using a color for your door. Pick your favorite keeping in mind that it is a large door. Instead of completely re facing the house, I celebrate it:)

I love your house :-)

I would paint the baby blue with a dark grey (for windows too), find a happy colour for the front door, change the fixtures and take good care of the grass so it will be a brightful green. And never paint the wood!!

Yes, darken the garage door and entry area. Charcoal seems too dark but a darker shade of the cedar would look nice. And how about that space just to the left of the front door? It looks like someone forgot to install a window there. Maybe a tall, slender, wall art - even something like a barn quilt if you want the whimsy and pop and if it fits the neighborhood.

I love this house. I bet the inside is awesome, open and spacious. It's not an easy thing to just move a front door over to where the wreath is, that could be anything behind there. If the piece with the little window on it, is the entryway space from the door now, that could be where to put in a new big double door. It would mean revamping some landscapeing there but that is pretty easy.

I also love your contemporary house. There are so many wonderful suggestions here and my favorite (inexpensive) choices are landscaping, color change on the trim and siding, and the new garage door. Later on when you can spend more, hardscapes and a roof would be my choice for the next stage of your renovation(s). Regarding that front door, moving it would be expensive, what if you gave the suggestion of a door being there by adding something to your stoop; a simple handrail, etc.?

The entrance door to the side is not very welcoming and is kind of odd. It doesn't pull you into the house. Re-configuring it if possible would be nice. Glass windows added to the garage would also balance out the facade. Right now it's a big blank door that dominates.

I agree with 67years...dark siding with white trim. You can even look at a large fixed glass panel window where wreath is to add more glass and modernism

You might consider making the element over the front door a different material or color all the way around to the roof on either side. It would make that, and thus the front door below, stand out from the rest of the building. One suggestion was corrugated galvanized steel, which could be very cool.

Lauren Liess (a designer in D.C. area) has a house similar in style to yours and painted it flat black and it turned out great (especially with all the green landscape against it). Peruse her blog at laurenliess.com and check out house pics. The interior was shot for Domino, but the exterior is very nice, too. I think an accent color door would be amazing with a dark house (orange or chartreuse, but soooo many options).

This is really fabulous looking! Very modern especially with the window frames also being the same color. A different colored door would then REALLY pop.

I too love your house, and think a simple metal pergola over the front porch area would spiff it up a lot, and soften, too. I think its just plain wrong to have fewer plants, they add so much to a home.

I see dark siding (darker version of roof color), same color for garage door, leave door and window trim white for sharp contrast. A simple way to draw attention to the entry could be to add two more square wood columns under the existing wood beam that supports the popped-out area overhead. Glass- or screen-in the resulting side areas, leave the center open. Then the area behind the columns becomes a gallery-like, semi-indoor space. Paint that wall light, add a weatherproof rug runner there. Hang large-scale contemporary art where the wreath is in the photo, balancing the small window. Add more contemporary planters and seating outside. Something like this (except I didn't change the seating)?

This bench would pick up the wood-and-charcoal theme perfectly (found on archiexpo.com).

Wow, simplynatural, that is amazing! Thank you. :) I love the idea of adding the extra posts.

Dark color of paint and a bright trim color

With all that siding maybe you should just add an oil staind like deck stain to the front of the house and just trim out with a deep black charcoal trim and door in the dark charcoal too.

Better drawing . . .

I would paint the exterior a light color and a darker color on the trim around the windows. In order to highlight the front door, I would paint it an accent color and the garage door should be painted the same color as the walls so that the front door is more evident.

Here are a few ideas. I tried to stick with a simple design. It might not be what you're looking for, but at least it shows you some options. :)

Another pic from 'Houzz'. I still had a Nokia film camera when we owned the house that was similar to yours, so don't have any digital to post.

We had roof shingles similar to yours. Paid $5,000 to have some deteriorated boards replaced and then painted a green much like this:

Lake O'Brien 1 - Exterior Lakeside · More Info

[https://www.houzz.com/photos/jersey-way-addition-midcentury-exterior-denver-phvw-vp~6420948[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/jersey-way-addition-midcentury-exterior-denver-phvw-vp~6420948)

A series of MCM exterior pics. Hope one will give you a solution.

If the roof is staying for a while, they have products that will clear up the staining, or you can hire people to "shampoo" your roof. I would consider as everyone has said darkening the garage door. If the windows are aluminum they can be carefully painted if you dislike the white. The small window by your door just doesn't look right. Is it needed? Could it be covered over or changed? Maybe consider horizontal siding or metal for this area as a contrast and to mix things up. I like some off the house number ideas suggested. Enjoy your new home.