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xantippe, it's no longer a double door house..that is our oddball window, and the one that concerns me about accenting the window trim. It doesn't have the wide trim around it that the other windows have, it's also longer than the other windows. I've thought about gray, but I was thinking that I wanted a change..since the white already looks gray :) I love deeper colors on houses (and not just because of road grim..something about them just has always appealed to me) Bulldinkie, living in Pa is so wonderful for driving around looking at all of the old houses. It's always been our dream to own one, and now here we are...living in our very own money pit..lol! kindred ny, we have tossed around the idea of extending the porch..I love the idea! We'll have to see what the budget dictates when we get to that part of the renovation. One thing is for sure though...I HATE the hip roof on the porch...so whether we extend or not, the porch redo will have a shed style roof and not a hip roof! Since I took the pictures last week, I painted the front door and front storm door red...it does a bit to perk up the front but mostly it just makes the rest of the paint on the house and porch look sadder :) How stupid would it look if I painted the trim around the windows and the oddball window didn't have the same treatment? Any ideas on what I could do to camouflage ...or should I perhaps just accept it as part of the quirkiness of the house?

Maryland - you should be in zone 7. I also like the brown; it's fitting for the style of house. As for landscaping, you can lighten up the heaviness of the old pines with the addition of a lacy dogwood or one of the many beautiful varieties of Japanese Maples out at the sunny edge of the stone retaining wall. The lamppost bed would look nice with something simple like Perovskia or Walker's Low Nepeta - both have silver grey foliage with lavender blue spikes of flowers. I'd resist the temptation to color up with the usual assortment of rhododendrons and azaleas - beautiful, but just everywhere in the Mid-Atlantic. Sometimes less is more.

I'm the party pooper, I guess. I suggest you do not pick the tile for the back splash until the cabinets and counters are in. You will not believe the difference it makes. When the counter is horizontal and bigger, it will look much more different than that little sample. The lighting in your space is different than out in the tile shops. Also the cabinets when installed will give your space a different look. There is nothing lost by waiting. There have been several GW members who made their decision based on a door and granite sample only to be disappointed later. In our future house, I plan on just painting that drywall area and then deciding. I know I probably will want to go with the arabesques again, but I really want to see it before making that decision. But, while you are out there looking, check out the Mandala Tiles, especially their Sinu collection. The tile is subtle but really does have some depth to it without stealing the show. I know srg215 used it in her kitchen in the color: Stingray. Gorgeous. Good Luck!