SFGate

Sharon Gorgeous home! Do you generally use the front door or the kitchen door when coming/going? I'd consider some obvious lighting and a house number to make your preferred entry way more obvious. Maybe some red plants/shrubs as a contrast.

SPLASH MAGAZINE Nothing wrong with the design of the house. The right Colour use however will changethe the perceived image of thehouse. Remember colour does not exist andnotwo people in the world can perceive colour the same. Your solution of your required character for your houselies within you, but youmust know the possitive and negative characteristics of colour. The white around the windows create a too hard focus, and a viewer is forced to notice the windows, but it also influence the base colour of the house. This present colour combination creates a restless effect on different viewers. Remember, colour is a subjective experience, and is influenced by your understanding of the working of colour. Colour is a science and is part of the conscious, subconscious and unconsciousand is an experience that is integral to human behaviour and a colour or a composition in colours, can mean something quite different to evert person who looks at it. So ignore all the comments and adviceof other people. Colour is a personalexperience and therefore your colour feeling and colour choice can NEVER be wrong. There is no such thing as a wrong colour, but rather the right colour used wrongly. The professional colourdsigner's duty is to help you to understand the psychological working of colour, how it CAN effect your thoughts, feelings and reactions.

claudiann I would add shutters to the top window and paint them and the front door in a bold contrasting color such as a deep red. Then I would place a large light fixture next to the door and put a large beautiful pot under it.

clayworks A handmade tile address plaque can add some interest. There are lots of ways to go with color, but here's an example that would pick up on your green trim and another that would resonate with that deep red door if you decide to do that.

eoakes great ideas! thanks for your help. I definitely like the ideas of shutters around the top window and a light fixture :)

Pamela Bateman Garden Design Is enlarging the deck within your budget? If so you could expand the deck at the front of the house so that the deck path leads directly to the front of the house. In fact if you could double the size of the deck in the front it would make for a great outdoor area and you could place a bench and pots on the deck near the front door so that visitors would know where the entrance is located. You could also paint the front door a different color to make sure everyone knows this is the entrance. You might also do something about the roof above the front door. I am sure a builder here on Houzz could make suggestions for improving the overhang to make it more inviting.

judyg You need a structure to lead to the front door. So, right when your guests step up on your deck begin an arbor/pergola which covers the entire deck and leads to the front door. Exterior lighting will help,too.

eoakes I love the idea of expanding the deck and creating a path to the front door. That definitely might be an option. I think getting rid of the overhang would be good too. Thanks :)

Denice Shuty The roofline over the front door is a huge architectural mistake. An architect or good remodeler could design a much better entry. If you do nothing else, do that.

zeitgast Agree you need a defining path and a deck extension would help accomplish that. If you pitch the roof over the front door to match the adjacent gable that too would help with defining the entry BUT the wall to the right of the door looks like it wants a window.

janishill Actually the overhang is great! If there were steps leading up to the front door the overhang would serve to draw the end, so there would be no mistaking the front door verus the sliding doors being the main entrance.

I can envision a wooden walkway leading to 3 or 4 steps. The walkway would come off the existing walkway, straight out almost even with the corner of the deck then have a couple of steps down, then straight out parallel to the existing deck, but lower. this part would have a railing just like the deck. It would end where the deck ends and have 3 or 4 steps going up to the deck. The part that begins at teh step down would have a railing that matches the deck railing.

On the walkway right where your deck begins you could have an arbor with a gate. When people are physically stopped from going in a direction they take the other way. The gate will mentally make people them use the front walkway.

A nice light fixture to the left of the door. A small, colorful bench to the right (think deep red) and a rug in front of the door. There will be no mistaking the front door of your house!

poofydreamhouse I think a pergola is the best, budget friendly option

Pamela Bateman Garden Design Do you live is snow country? If so I think the roof was designed so that the snow would slide right past the deck and protect the entry. So this will have to be addressed when deciding how to deal with the roof line. Only a builder or architect can help you with this issue.

anitajoyce You could paint the main door a color. You could place 3 potted plants in pots, one beside each door (maybe an evergreen plant that grows straight up.

The Cable Connection Stainless steel cable railing used as guard rail for your deck would give it a modern look and provide you with unobstructed view.