I think I would change the door color to either a brick red of regular red. I also think I would add shudders for the only reason of bringing more color to the house, especially where the window is with the brick, it needs something there to break up that expanse of brick. Shudders would do that. I think I might also put in a small flowering tree in front of the blue side of your house...Since you have windows down below, shrubs would not really work but a small tree pulled out a bit would :)

Robin, Hi, I do remember the drunken painter fiasco, it seems like ages ago so welcome back! You have done wonders, your hard work is really paying off, well done, M

Oh how lovely! I particularly like the idea of a deep red door and shudders in another accent color. That color blue just cries out for a red door!

I wasn't around for your drunken painter stories, Robin, so I don't know what that is about. Personally, I would do the front door in white to match the garage doors. I don't know about shutters. Seems to me if you do the large window with shutters, you'd also have to put them on the two upper windows on the other side. I love that blue on the left side of the house. I think it goes nicely with the brick. Your property looks very serene and well-kept.
Lorna

Thank you all for your comments!

Yes... a red door would look good. The acid green door has got to stay, however -- my kids picked the color and I (for that reason as well as the ability to say to people searching for our house "the one with the fabulously obnoxious green door" PLUS it coordinates perfectly with my yet-to-bloom green zinnias) love it! I do like the idea of shutters although I have this type A need to have shutters that could actually cover the window if they functioned and there isn't room for that on the brick area. I have been thinking about a relatively shallow arbor all the way across the "lower part" of the house - including the garage - covered in my much-loved roses and sweet autumn clematis... phase Q, I guess!

I don't think a flowering tree will work because we have a bunch of large trees casting so much shade already (except in the early morning - when I took these photos) but I am thinking about growing a Clematis up the elm tree on the left side of the house in the picture - would that have some of the same impact you're thinking of, msscarlet?

Thank you for the kind comments about our place seeming "serene and well-kept" - although our house is much loved by all who live here, 3 young kids make sure it is anything but serene! We do our best to keep it up and I have been known to be a little bit obsessive about the mowing (SO satisfying how mowing makes anything -- including the large expanse of weeds I so carefully nurture across the side of our house -- look better) - alright... I'm also a little obsessive about the weeding of the garden beds. The inside of my house, however, is pure unbridled kid-tested chaos! Also, the garage doors will soon be painted (by us, not a drunk painter) the same blue as the rest of the siding on the house.

Keep the comments coming! I love having "fresh eyes" on this!

ok, how about this...

Put a bit thicker trim around your windows. Paint all of the trim, including that on the gables a putty/cream color (something to contrast with the blue and the brick.)
Build an arbor over the garage doors. Have the top of the arbor be gabled at a similar angle as your gable on the left side of the house. Then extend a flat arbor across to the door. That would help break up the long expanse of roof on the right.
Add some of that "carriage door" hardware to your garage doors, I think that adds a lot of character.

I think a small dogwood or other understory tree would look nice in front of the house to the left.

Hope that helps. Maybe someone who is a good photoshopper can give us a visual.

I hadn't thought of incorporating a gable into the arbor over the garage -- good idea! I'll have to do some drawings... I also like the idea of beefier trim (and although I love the vinyl windows in terms of maintenance, I agree that the thin stripe of white around all of the windows isn't the prettiest thing!).

I've been thinking about the carriage hardware as well - I'm on the fence - I'll have to mock that up, too...

Based on the popularity of the understory tree, I'm going to have to give that a second look... maybe a serviceberry - unfortunately no dogwood would survive my climate (and lack of desire to "baby" a tree too thoroughly).

Thanks!

Here is a link that might be useful: Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry

I love the shade of blue you chose for the house and would paint the garage doors to match it. I would defiantly add decorative shutters! You could add them to the large window and paint them the same shade of blue as the house. It would bring everything together and would allow you to really focus on that bright green door.

I'd love to see some bright red flowers in there somewhere. Maybe some geraniums by the front door. I love your border by the fence.

Mary

So... I love the idea of bringing some of the blue color into the brick area but since I have a thing about faux shutters that couldn't actually cover the window if they were operable, how about a blue window box under the large window in the brick area and some lattice painted blue on the brick face to eventually be covered in vines?

I also like red flowers but the windowboxes are filled with hot pink wave petunias this year so I might have to wait to incorporate more red until next year.

...and yes... painting the garage doors blue is definitely on the list!

Here is a link that might be useful: window box idea

Hmm...I have the same thing about shutters that are too small to cover the window (tho our garage actually came with those, ugh). What about shutters next to the smaller windows? I also like the idea of bigger trim, but you'd need brick mould around the windows at the brick, and it wouldn't match.

It seems you need a rustic wooden arbor with a fabulous climbing rose on it to help shout cottage to everyone.

In fact, I think flowers and shrubs are what you need. More roses, more blooms, more, more, more....nothing says cottage like fresh colorful blooms. Planting and growing take time, so understand that what you plant today will look fantastic in three or so years. LOL (I want patience and I want it NOW)

Some pretty colorful chairs to sit in and survey your vast domain would look lovely out front.

You are doing a fine job! Keep having fun!

Rustic arbor... more blooms... more roses... now we're talkin'! There are 9 hardy roses in the border but all of them other than the Harison's yellow are taking their sweet rosy time in getting established and 'taking off'. What do you think about using fence poles (that match the fence we have) for the arbor?

On another note, I love my Bloommaster windowboxes:
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I need to get to work on the bed just outside my big picture window:
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Here's how much we love the bright green:
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...and a fuller view of the front border:
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...and just for fun, my favorite view of the house (the back):
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Thank you for all of the great comments! Keep 'em coming!

Here is a link that might be useful: arbor like this but with peeled poles

I love your view! Wow. I, to, faced the shutter dilema and consulted an interior decorator about it. She said to go with the idea that the shutters are folded in half like old hinged shutters might be, so the width of each would be 1/4 the width of the window. I special ordered them to fit my windows and they look fabulous! We are getting so many compliments from the neighbors (we moved in in Jan. and started fixing up house in spring). Molly

I just want to compliment you on what you have done. I really like the fence and border in front....and your back yard is wonderful. Chickens...a woman after my own heart. The raised beds are so neat. I am assuming they are for vegetables.

You might check into small trees/shrubs that are native to your area then you know they would do well for you.

Arbors next to paintable buildings make me nervous....how do you maintain the paint? Do you build them out so far you can get behind for maintenance.

I hope you keep posting pictures to show us what is happening at your lovely, well-kept Colorado garden.

I love that back yard and that great tree! What kind is it?
We have lost so many huge trees in my part of the world that I notice them immediately.. Sometimes we don't appreciate what we have until we loose them.

1/4 of the window!!! I like that justification. That opens up some doors for my type-A mind. Thanks, Molly. Good luck on all of your house projects.

Oh, and bluestarmom, the house color is Sherwin-Williams "Granite Peak" - thanks for the compliment!

The raised beds are for veges (anyone need some arugula?) and I _do_ love my chickens - funniest darn animals you'll ever meet. Good point about the arbor-paint interface. I'll have to think on that one. The "great tree" is a real-live Plains cottonwood (the native species, not the hybrids that tend to be brittle) - we got it pruned and thinned last fall - totally worth the investment. We moved to this house from a brand-new house where the tallest tree was barely as tall as I am. We L-O-V-E the trees and they have saved us from using our AC yet this year!

I don't have much more to show of the gardens, but here is where we started:

{{gwi:692076}}

Thank you all so much for the ideas and comments! I love the duscussion.

You've done a lot and everything looks so good. I agree with whoever said to paint your garage doors the same color blue as your house. It will be complimentary with the brick. Love your mountain view, your green shed and your gardens. You have a very nice place.

FlowerLady

Yes... painting the garage doors is at the top of the "to do" list. We have always intended to paint them blue-gray but intentions don't always turn into actions as quickly as we hope...

Thanks you for the compliment, flowerlady! Your place is lovely, too!

Great changes to your place! I'd play up the green even more by planting something near the door (and maybe elsewhere, too)that has chartreuse foliage or blooms. Maybe Alchemilla and/or a Euphorbia like wulfenni or red wing.

Would also say you need something tall between your two sets of windows to the left of the door on the front view. Either a small tree or maybe a climbing vine? Not sure what kind of space you have under those windows.

I actually really like the green front door. I like the green shed even more. Check out Annie's Annuals website for more inspiration-- she is the Queen of Cottage, and incorporates a LOT of color in her schemes and scenes. Likely with purple and red. hahahahahaa (I love it) California tropi-cottage sums her up pretty well, as does Fantasia. Something that crosses my mind though-- could you affix a trellis/arbor/support of some sort in between your front windows? Since it appears that your lower 2 windows are at the same spot as the upper 2 windows, you have a large blue canvas, over which something lush and chartreuse/acid green or (and? LOL) red would pop *smashingly*. It's maybe more industrial in style than you are comfortable with, but a lot of people out here (most houses are craftsman style bungalows here) use long lengths of wire cable, planted into the ground (not sure how?) and anchored to the eaves of the house with large eye screws. So you have 8-10 foot (~ish) tall lengths of cable that morning glories, clematis, honeysuckle, whatever-- can climb up. Ooh! Sweet peas! The possibilities are endless. I don't mind the sight of the silver cables, but once the plants really get going, you don't see them anyway. Something to think about. I think I would like a little short fency looking border around your bed near the front walk, too.

I love your house!!!!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Unfortunately, I can't grow anything right under the windows - we have a flagstone area there (that's just begging for an acid green bench). Although maybe I could do an annual there in a large, green pot.....

It would look great to have some chartreuse on the soon-to-be trellis (and, by the way, I LOVE industrial style -- galvalume fills my dreams) on the front brick along with a John Cabot rose - maybe hops vine.

I'll definitely check out Annie's Annuals. Sounds like it would be right up my alley. I love my house, too. Thank you for the vote of confidence!

I love the idea of Alchemilla - I should incorporate some in my shadier area of the border. Thanks!