What about dark brown (BM Van Buren Brown?) for the shutters and go a bit deeper with the red on the door? Like BM Cottage Red?

Your brick has a very nice browny-pink tone, which is emphasized, but not really helped, by the green of the shutters, and which in my view is not really compatible with the bright red of the door. I am not sure that browns and reds work well with that subtle brick.
I'd go another direction...I would consider a very deep, almost black, navy blue for the shutters and the door, and also the body of your sidelight. It is more lively than black, and offers a nice contrast to the greens of the landscape. I think would make the brick and roof tiles snap into focus, and the whole house seem anchored in the landscape.
We used a dark navy mixed with black on an ivory clapboard house with white trim, on a lot with lots of trees and shrubbery, and it looked both elegant and lively.

Black on both door & shutters would look crisp & classy.

Navy/black is a good idea. I like off-black too (Farrow & Ball color). It's softer than gloss black and leans toward charcoal:

A colonial blue/gray color would look nice on the shutters with that color of red on the door; or you need to get a green that looks almost black. Burgundy shutters and door would look pretty as well.

awm03, can you also do one in which the body of the door's sidelight (but not the surrounding trim of both) is also the dark shade, to test my notion that it would balance the entry better?

Oh, thanks! Love seeing it, and I never would have thought of black. The house used to be brown all over, brown trim brown body brown everything, and it was awful, so I'm not sure I could go back to even a different brown (even if it looks great).

Have you ever considered getting rid of the shutters, at least on the lower windows? IMO, the ones on the two front lower windows are much too small, and don't really add anything to the house. Instead, you could paint the bumpouts that surround the windows in your trim color (white, off-white?) to give the windows presence and not have the yellow undertone fight with the pink/russet brick. That will also help balance the larger amount of white on the door sidelight.

Window boxes below those two windows would be great.

I would move the table and chairs to the other side of the door, since the sidelight already makes that side of the front entry more prominent visually. On that side you could put a wonderful grouping of three various size pots or urns to enhance the corner.

I would then consider doing the door in a deep moss green.

Here's the house with the door trim painted (badly! my "fine mouse" skills are poor) per bronwynsmom's suggestion, and with the shutters removed per les's suggestion:

I am not liking the black on that house. I love your original photo with the red door.
I am not sure what color for the shutters though

What a charming home! Here are my thoughts. I Would remove the shutters on the lower. I love shutters, functional or not, but those really aren't appropriate for those windows and they don't seem bare at all without them. Voila!

I've tried working with your current colors. The muted tones of your brick work well with muted paint colors. Once the door color is toned down, the shutters look pretty darn good from here. Hard to tell the true shade of green, though. If you love a bright red, however, it may not appeal to you. In the second virtual, the shutters are toned down and to more of a sage-y green.

While there's nothing wrong with your lamp post, this style looks fabulous with your house, as well.

I'd love to see a header across the porch, with trimwork extending or installed across the windows, along with some porch posts. This would really define and enhance your entrance. If something like that is possible, maybe it's another idea for you to consider down the road. And, some color in the landscape and a few ideas there : ) (That's lush pachysandra extending beneath the window areas.)

Hope you find something useful here : )

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Squirrel, you have got it right! It isn't the shutters' color that is the problem- it is the door color. And I agree with no shutters at the first floor. Great job!
Diane

The black and dark brown do nothing for the house. The current colors look warm and inviting. I like Les's suggestion to remove the lower shutters. Both of Squirrel's renderings look nice. Especially like the addition of the tall olive jar. That side of the porch needs something with height to balance it out.

Thank you, Diane : )

Here's another lovely combination. The first door color was kind of a rose-y/plum-y muted red. Here's a warmer muted red, a little terra cotta coloring to it. I did change the shutter color, though, to a richer darkish Giverney green (some blue in it).

Almost forgot! I added a trim piece to the left side of the door. There's a transition problem with the door step, though (trim extends wider than the step does). Maybe adding some skirt moulding around the porch would solve that by filling in the gap. The baseboard also gives the small porch a little more oomph and provides a nice finished look.

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Working a stronger red on the door. The first set of shutters is a black-green. The second is your current shutter color.

Iron bench angled in the left corner.

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Here is another photo from last summer when we had new windows put in, and shutters were off (still no brick mold up in photo, though). The first photo is pretty old. Different view of porch, too (which looks different even today). Thanks for all the input!

I should say that, yes, the courtyard needs more help. It looks better now, because landscaping is bigger, but we are removing the window in the corner and adding two taller windows to the left of the corner. (Results of big remodel going on inside.) So once that's done, we'll fix up that side of the courtyard. FYI ...

I think Squirrel hit it at 12:47!!!

Love your house. Can't comment on paint colors right this second because I'm in admiring mode! ;-)

Cute house! I love the 12:47 Squirrel(aka genius photoshopper)did, I am just wondering about a lighter front door? The symmetry is throwing me off alittle. I like the columns! I am not sure about the shutters upstairs after seeing them without,awnings would be darling :)

Wanted to try the brighter red door again, with a medium green shutter. And another landscaping version. This is Giverney green again (has blue in it).

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Here ya go Snagd : ) You're right, it looks very nice without the shutters too. 12:47 door:

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And trying some light doors. I like pale and monochromatic homes. It looks very pretty to me.

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I like those! I somehow feel the door needs to feel ''taller'', what do you think about moving the columns closer and doing a ''pergola'' effect entrance? You know I am just thinking to much!lol Super job

Ooooh, I love the pale doors!

I've removed the larger header that I installed. Here the existing pieces along the roofline are freshened with paint (I think I extended the ends also, though, from the original? Have to check.) Also added a wider trim piece above the door.

Also changed the style of the posts.

Both versions look very nice to me. Just different styling.

Snagd, I'm not sure what to do with the pergola style entrance. Maybe post some examples?

I just looove these pale versions. Great idea!

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What about removing the shutters and painting the door green? Can we try that?

lol! I thought maybe we'd lost you.

Here's your porch back and a good ole white : ) Olive green wood slatted bench. And one green door image of a series.

I've removed the trim around the door for these (though did paint the bottom quarter-round in white on the sidelight (something is dark there now). Do you want to see the greens with or without the door trimmed out more than it currently is? And with the sidelight painted or in white?

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If my vote counts at all I would replace those shutters with the old fashioned french country wood ones and stain them a dark walnut color. Then I would match my front door to the walnut stain or do a deep country red.

Not seg. Will try that for you, though, Dreamy : )

Here's a sage green with the sidelight painted:

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Thanks, I'm still here -- just extremely busy; will keep checking in. Interested in the stained option, too.

Wood shutters in a weathered walnut finish and an earthy door in the red family.

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Trying again:

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I didn't think I'd like the look without shutters but after seeing the PS version I do. I think they look nice on the top but also looks nice if they're all off. If it were me I think I'd paint the shutters black and keep the door the same or make it a darker red. I do like a lot of the ps pics though also. You have a nice looking house!

Back to the basics:

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Forgot I'd tried a richer red with the wood stained shutters. Here's that effect:

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Now I'm just confused, ha ha!

Thanks so much for all the options ... I really am kind of confused, but I love seeing it all.

You're welcome, lol.

All you have to do is r-click on the images that have something you like to save them to file. (Threads get deleted pretty quickly around here.) Then you can just look at them later for some inspiration.

I haven't checked out this forum in a long time so I'm not a regular but for whatever it's worth, I really like the side door window painted the same color as the door whatever color you decide on. Otherwise the window sticks out like a sore thumb and throws everything off balance. It looks really great painted the same color. Isn't it wonderful there are such talented people to show you exactly how it will look before painting.

Squirrelheaven, how did you alter the picture of her house? What program did you use? I am trying to decide what color to paint my double entrance doors and you did a wonderful job of showing how the house looks with various colors.