If shutters fit in your space, I think black would look nice with your roof. Your home is beautiful, and I love your front door.

Jan

hate to agree with dh but I would do white and no railing. Maybe colums but no railing. Black would look nice but I think the white would stand out more.

We just built our house, also brick, and decided on the distressed black shutters.....here's a pic, not very good, but will give you an idea {{!gwi}}

Here's another one. I notice another similarity we share - the rockers. We chose black for our back porch. Here they are: {{!gwi}}

Wow! You all are great! Thanks so much for these ideas! I didn't expect to hear back so soon! Wodka, you have a BEAUTIFUL home! I love the black rockers and the columns. I am getting great ideas!

amy - thank you, hope you have fun with your ideas! You have a beautiful home, too, and it reminded me of ours. (even the little tree out front - we have a new little maple and we call it the "Charlie Brown Christmas tree!") Can't wait to see what you do. You'll have to post pictures!

I agree that black would look best.

White won't work b/c the house around the door/porch area is white and there is a window there that will also need shutters. And I don't think red would offer enough of a contrast on the brick.

I think a railing in front of where the chairs are would look nice. You need to break up that section of the house a bit, I think.

Another suggestion - if there is enough headroom, you might consider installing a small pendant light above the front door. It'd be another jewel to dress-up the entryway and would nicely light the porch at night.

Here's another quick question....if I do columns, do I go with round or square and do I put 3? Where do I put them? On either side of the door and one farther down centered between the window? I am bad at visualizing this! It would be nice if there was a program to put everything in your picture! There probably is, right?!?

Thanks smarge! More great ideas! My husband just happens to be an electrician! He's going to love me for all this!!! (Shutters, railings, light...he'll be busy!)

Amy, that's a great looking house.
I vote for black shutters
I can't tell from the picture how much room you have on the porch. Be sure to consider how much room column(s) and/or railing would take up.
Can I ask what state you are in? I used to live near Chicago and I miss my brick home. Now I'm in Florida, and almost everything is stucco.
Enjoy your new home.

Amy,
Great looking house. I vote black (or even a dark green-black) shutters because you need some more contrast. However, I would hold off on railings or columns until the shutters are up. I'm thinking big columns might just overwhelm that space. Also, I am a symmetry girl...I think if you do end up with columns, it would have to be 2 or 4, and it would likely block too much of the porch. Keep in mind there are lots of ways to break up the space. Once your shrubs grow, it might be enough to just have a couple of topiaries or hanging plants on the porch (one on each side of the window). Please post pics once you decide... and good luck!

amyryan
Beautiful home! I vote for black shutters too! I think square colums would look good with your house, but I can not help with how many (sorry)
enjoy your new home!!
Ree

wodka
ditto..beautiful home! 'wow' to both of you!
Ree

Thanks everyone! Lynne Melb, I am in Illinois! We are about an hour southwest of Chicago. Florida must be pretty nice! I can't wait to vacation there when my kids are a little older.

amy, I agree with smarge re: the pendant light on the porch. Your lanterns on your garage are very pretty, perhaps you could find a porch pendant in the same "family."

I agree, too, about waiting until your shutters are up, before deciding on columns. With the shutters and pendant and your maturing landscaping, you really might not need columns. It's such a warm, inviting porch, as it is. We needed ours on the front because of the unusual entry (so people could find the front door - ha.)

Have you got your husband up and working yet? Mine just announced he would be watching the football draft today (I don't think it comes on until 2 or 3 this afternoon, so what does that mean? Apparently, not going to get much out of him today.

reeree, thank you, too!

I don't see shutters on those two left windows. I don't think you have enough wall space to put up properly sized ones, without making almost a solid visual line across the house of shutter,window,shutter, shutter,window, shutter, and eating up all the wall space.

I think once the landscaping below the windows fills in and matures, it will help - or perhaps think about evergreens there, to create a more solid, year-round accent.

I don't see closing in the existing porch with a railing or columns.

What I think might be cool would be to fill in that planting bed in front of the existing porch on the right with more concrete, to enlarge that sitting area (the concrete would come out to the sidewalk, and even with the garage. Then build a pergola over that half of the entry (not over the sidewalk area), which would of course have some type of column connecting it to the porch. The pergola would still allow light into the windows on the porch area and not plunge the inside of the house into too much darkness. Painted white to match the trim, it would make the center area of the house visually weightier, to balance the heavy brick on either side, and give a more important front line to that part of the house, but still not feel heavy.

Where are you in Illinois? I am in Lombard. Chilly weekend here - it is 39 without the windchill!

Instead of Black, use a SW color called Wrought Iron Gate, its almost black, but would look great with your roof. I believe it is on their Victoria Collection card, its not on the paint decks.

Wodka, my husband just left to run a few errands and I asked him to pick up some shutters....he laughed at me! I didn't know there was a draft so I am sure that is what he was laughing about! ESPN is on all the time here. Thanks for the ideas. Now that it has been nice, I am wanting to get outside and finish landscaping also. Your landscaping is beautiful. We still have a bare backyard. No trees....we need to get going since they take so long to grow! Last summer I was pregnant, so I did not get too much done. I may be posting some pics on the gardening side of these forums for help!! Take care!

Amy, we used to live in Arlington Heights. Florida is nice for most of the year, but I preferred summer in Illinois. Now I know why my mother used to visit me then.

I would go with black shutters and wait and see on the front porch.