I think you could go with your trim color Or the color of the houe and use the trim color where you want to outline/highlight an area. I think and I could be all wrong, if you make it all white it will "stick out" too much. I would want a blended/seamless look.
Your new home looks very nice! Congrats

I would definitely paint the wood structure of the screened porch the trim color of the house. That will unify the structure more than any other color would.

Thanks for the reinforcements, we walked this morning and I pointed out all the porches and decks that had rails painted the same color as the trim on the house.It'll be a huge project so maybe that is part of his reluctance in taking it all on. Maybe this will be a "hire it out" project.

I hadn't even considered using some of the house color, so will have to take a closer look at that.

The more I look at it, the more I realize that it needs something to help tie it all together. I snapped a pic from inside to give another perspective and agree even more now.
(as an aside, any advice on the rug? The next size up won't fit due to the bump out of the fireplace, but I think it looks like the rug should span the length of the sofa)

Congrats on moving in to your new home. I was following you on the Selling and Buying Forum.
The screened in porch looks great. I see what you mean about the rug size. How about finding a remnant that can be sized and bound for your specifications?
Or, just do a smaller rug that fits in the center under the coffee table.

I don't think I would use a rug out there. They always gather dust and dirt around the edges from the stuff that blows through the screen, making what should be a relaxing, low maintenance area a lot more work. Additionally, I think it makes the porch look smaller.

If you want to use some of the house color, why not paint the decking floorboards the same color as the siding? You may also want to replace the cushions for something else once the new colors are in place.

I like the cedar. It looks rich, and the cedar color/texture makes a nice relief from paint, paint, paint. The house benefits from the accent it provides. Leaving the wood alone makes the house feel more at home on it's land and makes a clear statement that "You're not inside the house anymore. You can leave your shoes on and you don't have to dust the rails". I would love the porch for that reason. It also shows that the house "grew". I like that. I like seeing the passage time on an older home.

I would leave the inside ceiling area and crown white, but paint the window surround a shade similar to, perhaps a little darker than, the body color -- just the porch window. I'd also paint the horizontal band on the outside of the porch the same body color or darker. It might look nice in a glossier finish than the rest of the house body. I'd leave the sloping, angled line of white trim, and the line at the very edge of the roofline on the left. But that whole front-facing board that wraps around would be body color. I'd start the color change at the downspout.

When I was doing this for my own house, I printed out the picture and painted my experiments right on the printout using tiny inexpensive artist's brushes.

I'm not sure about the lattice. Hopefully it will be mostly covered up.

This post was edited by jamies on Sun, Apr 7, 13 at 11:04

Congrats on moving.

And I like the cedar. It is not common pine boards, and will never need scraping if you never paint it. I would stain it if you think it needs it.

And OT.....Are you in Brookside? I think I looked at that house about a month ago. Is it the one that is completely redone inside? If it's the one I am thinking of, it was really nicely done, so welcome and congrats! If you haven't discovered it yet, on Brookside Blvd right before 63rd street on the east is one of the best restaurants, and very affordable and family friendly. Bella Napoli.

Yes Julie, it is Brookside (on Huntington), so I am sure it is the same one that you saw . It was a strip to the studs remodel in 2009. Originally I was lamenting that it was a little bit too "redone" but based on feedback from our new neighbors it sounds like prior to that it was inhabited by a bit of a hermit (and a family of raccoons) so am now grateful. We moved from Johnson County, and I think a "new" 1920 house may be an easier transition for my husband and I who aren't the handiest folks around. We had a contract fall through on a house that was closer to the Waldo area (74th and Summit) and am now very grateful it worked out that way because we love our new neighborhood. Thanks for the restaurant recommendation. We have been taking full advantage of the other restaurants, but haven't made it there yet, so that will be next on our list!

Jamies - thank you for your detailed response. With the way that you described, I have a little more vision. I especially like the thought of taking the house color around the base, and feel like maybe that would tie the porch in in a way that I feel that it is lacking now. I will definitely do the mockups that you recommend and think that it will be very helpful. The one thing I am having trouble envisioning is transitioning the trim around the roofline. I guess the next question will be on staining and color, but think we'll likely go the transparent route since i like the look of the grain.

Regarding the rug, I remeasured and think I can get the next size up which will span the length of the couch so make it feel more like it fills the room. I guess this means vacuuming my deck which I may come to regret (as kswl points out) but I do like the coziness that the rug provides