You probably recognize the front of our house from the blog header, but up close it has always needed a serious update. From a distance it can look charming—especially when the azaleas are in bloom—but on closer inspection the entrance shows its age. The slate path is chipped and uneven, the scalloped trim above the porch feels dated and out of step with the rest of the architecture, and the old screen door was rotten around the edges. We tried to make the door work for a while by painting it a cheerful yellow, but it had clearly seen better days.

Yesterday we finally said goodbye to the screen door and revealed the solid wood door hidden behind it. I painted the wood door a crisp black, along with the shutters, and the difference was immediate—cleaner and more cohesive. We’re even considering a bold lipstick red sometime soon, but for now the black complements the house much better. Once the door was sorted, I couldn’t resist tackling the scalloped trim above the porch.

Removing the scallops was harder than I expected. The whole job stretched into a full day of work—pulling, prying, hammering and a lot of muttering. It turned into an eleven-step process that took about six hours and left me with a few cuts and a lot of satisfaction when it was finished. The ground around the porch is a good example of why the walkway needs replacing: old slate, shifting stones, and uneven edges that make the entrance feel neglected.

With the scallops removed, the porch looks much simpler and more in keeping with the house’s original 1950s ranch style. Gone is the country-lodge detail that felt like a mismatched addition from the 1980s. The cleaned-up trim reads as intentional now, and it makes the façade look less busy and more streamlined.

Seeing the difference from inside the house is just as gratifying. Shortly after we bought the house almost two years ago we photographed the living room, and the scalloped porch trim was a constant visual distraction through the window. At the time it was partially masked by pulled-together but temporary window treatments, a mismatched lamp, and a bulky cube divider. Those elements helped hide the porch detail, but as we renovated the living room they stood out more.

Since then we removed the cube divider, installed a new window, added crown molding, and painted the room throughout. As the interior became cleaner and more modern, the scalloped silhouette kept clashing with the window’s rectangular lines. That inconsistency finally pushed us to remove the scallops so the exterior would match the interior’s refreshed aesthetic.

Now the view from inside is much sleeker. The straight lines of the window and the simpler porch trim create a more cohesive look, and the room feels less visually interrupted. Our dog Burger seems to approve—he spends time staring out the window more than ever, apparently enjoying the cleaner sightline.

We also hung airy white curtains high above the window to emphasize the room’s height and add a soft frame. The next step is to install natural matchstick blinds just below the curtain rod to create the illusion that the window extends higher than it actually does. That little trick will help balance the window proportions with the room’s new architectural accents.

Removing the screen door and scalloped trim was a transformative upgrade that instantly improved curb appeal and harmony between inside and out. Next on the list: deciding on the front door color—black for now, red maybe later—and a complete overhaul of the walkway and landscaping. We’ll be redoing the path, refreshing the planting beds, and shaping a front façade that reflects the house’s midcentury roots. Stay tuned for photos and updates as we continue improving the entrance and overall curb appeal.