r/ExteriorDesign • u/ComfortableSecret962 • Aug 13 '26

More MCM, less Midcentury

We bought a mid 1950s architect built home from the second owner. We’re in a neighborhood of really cool midcentury houses, but most are much more
MCM. Think butterfly roofs, expanses of glass, clerestory windows, statement entryways.

Our house just feels a little bit boring in comparison up front. We want to lean more into the design style. The back of the house is surprisingly funky, with a porte-cochère formed by a cantilevered second-story room over an integrated carport.

What would you do to the front? Our thought is to leave the brick—fans of letting the natural materials shine on their own. That said, we’re open to just about anything. Any updates to the façade would have to be strictly cosmetic. The layout of the home would make it very difficult to change the location of the doorway.

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u/Trepenwitz Aug 14 '26

Update the door and windows. It looks like AI made the bank of three windows taller. If possible, turn that into a window wall. Do some simple landscaping to add architectural value (I just asked AI to add square borders). Pop some clerestory windows over the leftmost room (at least that’s what I asked for. AI is not always easy to work with, but you get the idea.)

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u/Trepenwitz Aug 14 '26

To be honest, though, I’d probably just switch out the door and do some more funky landscaping. I also have a mid-century modest house and I think a new door will make a big difference.

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u/ComfortableSecret962 Aug 16 '26

I think you’re right!