Cookie-Cutter Colonial: Before
“What can I do to make my house less boring? It looks so cookie-cutter,” says Amy Hynes, who lives in this 1968 Colonial in Akron, Ohio, with her husband, Mike, and their two kids. So we turned to Cleveland-area architect Rebecca Pantuso for ideas.
The biggest challenge: “The garage is more prominent than the front door,” says Pantuso.
Charming Additions: After
Adding a gabled portico and mirroring the garage roofline with a shallow porch gives the house more harmonious proportions and draws attention away from the garage. To add dimension, Pantuso suggests classic old-house touches, such as larger divided-light windows and raised-panel shutters. An inviting, colorful front door with sidelights and a new garage door help boost street presence.
“What a difference these changes make!” says Amy. “The first thing we are going to do is tackle the front porch.”
Operable shutters mounted over the window casings (rather than flat against the siding) help impart an authentic period feel—a small but telling detail that separates a true Colonial from a builder-grade imitation. Pairing them with larger divided-light windows reinforces the old-house character Pantuso is after.
Cleveland-area architect Rebecca Pantuso identified the core issue right away: “The garage is more prominent than the front door.” Her solution—a gabled portico paired with a shallow porch that echoes the garage roofline—shifts the visual weight back to the entry, where it belongs on a traditional Colonial.
Finishing Touches: Paint
A pleasing palette and timeless accents go a long way in classing up a Colonial. Icy blue with hints of charcoal gives the house a fresh look; bold red highlights the front door.
Paint: Sherwin-Williams’s Blue Horizon, Foggy Day, and Rave Red; $56 per gallon
Finishing Touches: Sconce
Not only do these carriage-style sconces bring stately charm to the facade, they also balance the large garage door.
Sconce: Lowe’s; about $100
Finishing Touches: Shutter
Operable shutters, mounted over the window casings, help impart a period feel. Painted wood raised-panel shutters are an elegant upgrade that suits the style of the house.
Shutters: Shuttercraft; from $174 per pair
When shopping for quality wood shutters, look beyond the style. In This Old House Magazine, shutter expert Amari warned against shutters made with finger joints—visible as zigzag seams in the vertical stiles: “We’ve found that in some old shutters the bottom has just fallen right off. It breaks at the finger joints.” For any shutter longer than 72 inches or wider than 18 inches, he recommends insisting on pegged mortise-and-tenon joinery instead.
Finishing Touches: Window
Simulated divided lights give this aluminum-clad wood double-hung model enduring appeal.
Windows: Marvin; from $380
Why simulated divided lights work here: Muntins are no longer needed to support small panes, but we still like the way they dress up a sash. With simulated divided light, muntins are adhered to the indoor and outdoor surfaces of double-pane glass—more energy efficient than a true divided light, while preserving the traditional Colonial look.
