Thanks so much for all your comments -- and for not going "yech" when you saw my tone-on-tone shutters. I can always paint them again later, but sure don't feel like doing it now. Enailes, the pathway, which will widen to 10 by 10 at one spot to accommodate facing benches -- will be a stamped concrete in a coquina (light creamy tan color) banded in a taupey brick shade a bit darker than the shutters. The benches (Ellsworth on benches.com) have been painted to match the shutters. I like them. Amysrq, the plants you mention sound interesting and I will pass them along to our wonderful landscape architect. Thanks. Caroleah -- no offense taken on the roof suggestion. Yes, we're planning on cleaning it -- just trying to find something that will not damage the roof like pressure washing can. Next week the digging up of the old walkway and some plants will begin. That's why we have to figure out the door color. So I hear it for a dark berry or black -- any green/teal fans out there or anything else? Thanks so much to all!

What a wonderful project. And how nice that the house is set back so that different areas of transition can be created. Will you be growing tall trees so the home is eventually sheltered in dappled shade? Lower landscaping so the house rises above washed with sunshine? Do you want a rather mysterious look with a narrow area of accented house intriguing and drawing the eye in , making people going by try to see more? Do you want an open look with the property lushly foliaged but the house very much on display, serenely or exuberantly? If you have a image in mind of what you want, style, mood and light included, you could then drive around both creative older and expensively landscaped neighborhoods looking for ideas to realize it. Color choices made then? These mostly lack the rich color you want, but I was mostly thinking first of how it might be dressed with garden. :) Lush elsewhere, perhaps, but close in as open and airy as the interior? I'm really not crazy about brown in general, but even I think a brown reminiscent of wet tree trunks works wonderfully to accent and tie inside, transition areas, garden together. The previous property uses it also.

Thanks everyone for the great tips. I'll drop the red trim idea. FWIW, here's an old picture before we repainted (pardon the car in the front, we'd just bought a Prius. Matches the trim of the house, lol). FWIW, I hated that bright red trim, though at Xmas the door looked pretty with a wreath. Brown Dog thanks for all the tips. (on the mock up, I ran out of time. I actually am supposed to be doing something else right now, now getting sucked into Houzz! ;) Thanks for the point of all the design elements fitting together. That's good advice. BTW, yes my gardening style is "controlled chaos." In that shot, the sweet peas were running a muck. ;) Another question: I am keeping these original windows but in the back, adding Marvin Ultimate (wood interior, alum exterior). The windows will be trimmed out to match the front. What color should I choose for the aluminum cladding in back/ I'm considering Coconut Cream, but there is Stone White or another ivory, Sierra White. thanks! https://www.marvin.com/our-products/options/exterior-finishes

I suggest you remove the shutters permanently, as they do not fit the windows. Your windows are white which suggests maybe all trim and shingles be white, garage doors, not quite black. I’m having trouble with the front door and the storm door. I see white mullions on wood door, I like storm and door to match in color, so I would paint the storm door white.