Thanks tibbrix!

Yes, my window frames are dark brown not black... And I can't paint them myself, I have neither the time nor the skill!

Lovely home. I would pick a glossy color for the door that mimic s the verdigris. I might try to see how the house looks with no shutters at all. The stone, the brick and the roof are already three different visible patterns and colors. You have to remove them to paint anyway, its worth a try. IN our last house,a brick Georgian, when the painters removed them, I wished we could keep them off.

Beautiful house!! I too was wondering about no shutters. Then I was wondering about a different roof colour....but I like no shutters better than I like the roof colour I tried.

I'm assuming those white things in the windows are bars. If they're not (and removeable) I would remove them. If they are I would paint them espresso.

One of my first thought was removing the shutters, but I thought it might look too bare, but seeing the house without them makes me think the house actually looks quite elegant that way. When I put my fingers over the railings the house seemed to immediately look more welcoming. I think a tree, or even a group of three, placed not too close to the house, would be a very effective accent to soften the lines of the house.

Thanks again! We don't have budget to change the roof.. I do like the look of no shutters. Is anyone able to do that but with the existing roof? I would love to see but I don't know how to do it...

I think the white things can be removed, will check on it today. If the can, I am thinking of removing the lower ones on each window, but keeping the ones on the upper half.

I agree with tmnca. Leave the house alone--it's adorable, but your landscaping needs something with height at the corner of the house to balance out that darling porch.

No shutters, red door, same roof.

Oh, that looks wonderful, Robo!

My house has one million percent less curb appeal than this house to begin with but improving the landscaping did help quite a bit until I can convince my husband to drop several tens of thousands to do everything I want to the exterior (new windows, reside, new front steps, add a porch, you know, the little things.)

Robo, THANK YOU!! We will remove the shutters as a first step and take it from there. It looks great in your picture!

Maybe you could take the $1000 you were going to spend on the shutters and invest in a nice tree and some taller bushes.

The folks on the landscaping forum will tell you that buying a huge tree is not always a great investment - because of transplant shock, a smaller tree may actually end up larger than a bigger tree in ten years. Depends on your timeline but a 1-2" trunk tree will often recover from planting best.

http://www.yourgardensanctuary.com/what-size-shade-tree-to-buy/

If you are planting a cherry tree don't plant it right by the house. Find out the mature size of the tree and plant it a good distance out so the crown can spread out. For example a Yoshino cherry might have a mature size of 35 feet wide, so it should be at least 15-20 feet from your house. A lot of cherries might only grow 20 feet tall and should be at least 10 feet from your house.

Personally I like to do deciduous trees and evergreen shrubs. That way I still get a little green in the winter but that nice shade in the summer.

I once planted some birches in front of a home in Sacramento, and started with quite small ones, they might have even been one gallon but certainly no more than five gallons. They began to look good in no time and even at 5 feet already added to the landscape appeal. I would personally go for a more open, lacy look like a birch or something similar, and would not plant a red tree. Green trees against your red home will look much nicer and more natural. There's nothing worse than having several colors of trees that break up the overall picture and give the yard a chopped-up look.

(that was a flowering crab I grabbed just to simulate a flowering cherry).

How about window boxes? These are black, I think, but there are also the deep rust color/brown that would look nice. You can use (gasp, fake) evergreens or pots in the window boxes for ease of maintenance.

I love the light pink Japanese cherries, would love to have that :)

It's a new house!! Thank you :) Wondering if I can paint that door myself..

To tell you the truth the house has such great bones you could do any number of things with it. I would concentrate on getting the grass redone and opening up the foundation plantings. Those bushes are kind of crowded and all the same shape and height and color. I'd thin then out and plant some type of small, lovely tree but well away from the house. Avoid meatball pruning, learn to prune properly because meatball pruning is not good for the long term health and appearance of your shrubs. By continually trimming your shrubs at the tops, you will continue to stimulate growth at the tips, which is the exact opposite of what you want to do. So the plant keeps trying to grow at the tips and you keep cutting it off, so it kinda wears out. There are shrubs that do have a natural meatball shape, like globe arborvitae or boxwood, so plant those if you want that shape, but forcing others like laurels or rhododendrons into that shape eventually leads to sickly looking shrubs. That's all you really need to do, the rest is up to your taste and creativity!

pink is right. Most people make the mistake of planting foundation shrubs that will eventually want to grow into giants, and so are forced to prune and prune again, which does not help the bush at all. Short azales (white would be pretty, no pink with that brick) would be nice, but I would inquire at the garden forum. You'll get lots of advice. The blooming tree is beautiful, and would not cast shade in the cooler seasons. I would inquire about trees also on the gardening site so you don't end up with a monster that buckles the pavement and threatens to lift your house off its foundations. Ask me how I know. I was not the one who planted it but was the one who got to cut it down at some expense when I was told that it would without a doubt go under the concrete foundation slab and pry it apart.

If you're in the DC area, make sure and check for deer-proof plantings. Deer will definitely eat azaleas and many other plantings.

I love the new look without the shutters. It just looks like the house wants it that way too.

I like it without shutters, too. Great curb appeal and I love the snow guards on the roof. Is your vestibule roof copper?

I used to blog about my deer-resistant garden at Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel (was in July 2010 Southern Living), but it was more about flowers than shrubs. What deer will eat depends upon the availability of food. I had a Kwanzan cherry tree that they left alone. They'd eat some hollies in the winter, but those shrubs grow quickly, so by spring, they were flush again.

When I bought my 1939 colonial last year, I wanted a vestibule entry, so I researched the style and added a stone vestibule with a metal roof to replace the flat entry that had no porch. Great to see your house with the stone vestibule. I'd love to see how you decorated the interior of the vestibule.

Love the house without shutters. And I really love the red door!

Yknow.... Im going to say it - I like your original photo the best of all! At least on my monitor the colors all come together in a way that all the photoshopped stuff just doesn't. Sorry, but when key elements are changed or removed then whats left (stone around the front door, red brick etc.) suddenly doesn't relate as nicely to ea other.... imho.

As is, the gray of the roof relates nicely to the stone around the door, the faded brown shutter relates nicely to the red brick and to the door - if you paint black they're going to jump out at you and removing them.... well, I dunno. Are shutters original to the house & that style?

You say the wood is weathered and must be painted - I question that premise - Id put clear finish over.... With both antique furniture & antique houses - I just love a little touch of wear to them. Not too much mind you, just a touch.

Definitely would remove the railing though and add the tree in the lower left corner and perhaps tweak the bed in front of the house to something more floriferous - what are those shrubs?

Another vote for the red door and no shutters and no rails. I believe the OP said they had already addressed the grass and roof. So if you are buying in to the 'no shutter & rails' look, I'd invest the money you were planning to spend on painting shutters in a few new shrubs.

The shrub we can see on the far left I'd remove and replace with something tall and columnar such as a sky pencil holly. It won't get too tall or wide so you'll be safe there. I'm assuming there isn't anything else to the left but if you could provide a broader view it would help. I would not put any tree in the front at all. Trees are going to grow and will certainly shade your grass. Pink is right, you should try to avoid the meatball look. You might choose a few other shrubs for replacement too but without knowing what is already there it is hard to determine what to keep and what to replace.

I think what's troubling me most about your front facade is the brightness of the stone relative to the brick and the dark trim. Is there any way you can investigate a stone stain to tone down the color so it's more in keeping with the rest of the colors in the building?

I think gray would look great on the shutters and the door. It would match the roof. and pullout some of the colors of the stone. It seems to me that a flag should be mounted near the door. Maybe at some point, you can replace the walkway and stoop with blue stone. I think that would look wonderful

Omg Annie, I thought the exact same thing and also did a picture just now before I saw yours. first thing that came to mind was some glazing in that area to tone it down but let the stone show through. I would paint the brick band under windows a solid color of the glaze. I would then paint or stain the door a tic brighter (but not too bright).....................AFTER #1

The shutters are meant to be a gray tone or tone to match roof and glaze (pretend they are wider). #2

Thanks everyone! Wow, there are a lot of options to consider ;)

I agree that the darker stones look good in the photo, but am a but worried about how that would look in real life.

I think we can achieve a lot by improving the landscaping and I really like all the advice there. We're planning to get some help from the landscaper of a friend to put up a hedge and do some planting. I also want to do something about the door. It really needs to be freshened up. Wondering too if we really need that storm door.

My husband is not convinced on the no shutters look :( But perhaps starting with the landscaping and the door is not a bad idea and then decide on the shutters later.

I'll state the obvious. If you take down the shutters and give it a few weeks to decide if you like it better with shutters, you can always out them back on. You'd probably take them down anyway to paint them. Just give it some time to decide.

i like the no shutters. Your house is beautiful. I don't know what you did for the roof but I like it in the same color (or a bit darker) as the front door stone.

DC Reno, the stone with a gray color wash would look in real life exactly like the picture. Limewash or white wash has been done since the beginning of time on stone and brick exteriors so this is not a new idea, you are just doing a color instead of white (still not new). There are several techniques for a color wash though. All are easy and cheap. If you use the 1/2 water 1/2 exterior paint technique you just have to put on a clear coat on after . A quart of good quality exterior paint with a quart of water would probably be plenty. One person brushes it on and the other wipes it off evenly to a point where a bit of the natural stone shows through. Then seal. There are a few ways to do it though (more than I have listed here) like using a diluted stain and some just add a tic of color pigment right into the clear coat and brush it on. Done.

Frankly, the stones in the front, although they don't really go with the brick, give the house a cheerful and lively look. The gray staining makes the house look rather sad. The red door in the pictures looks great; that I would definitely do, also taking down the shutters, the railing and, of course, fixing up the landscape, which you're already planning to do.

I agree with Ingrid!!

I do like the stone the way it is. Maybe you could take the shutters down "for painting," not get around to the painting for a month and see how your husband likes the house.

I, too, love the stone the way it is and agree that it makes it look a little sad when greyed out. Taking the shutters down and then living with them off, while you decide on a color or whether to rehang is a great idea and a way to get used to a new look. No harm done if you decide to hang them again.

Some have mentioned taking out the railings. I'm not sure about that. The stoop is designed to have a railing, and I think it works with the vestibule. Perhaps they could be painted to match the deep brown of the windows. But if you take them down, would you replace them with something else?

Yikes, sad is not good! I'll try another. That's what is great about this site, so many working together. I'll be back in a minute.

I don't know how you could remove the railings without leaving holes in the concrete. Plus, the railings are on those raised edges, which might look strange if the railings were removed. I think it would look like something was there and then removed. I think I'd leave them there. Your house is beautiful.

This one is now my fav. If you all don't like this one would you like one like this but with the original stone? How do you like the lighter shade under windows to brighten it up? Do you like shutters on bottom or nothing at all? # 3

Some of you mentioned the railing so I took it out to see what it would look like. Any other suggestions? . #4

When I look at the house with the shutters, I am focused on the windows. With them off, I see the whole house. I agree to try with them off and see what you think. The landscape changes should make a big difference too.

The more I look the more I think I like house number 4 in the above if one were to keep the natural stone. Although the bottom shutter color changed in the transfer I like how a gray shutter with slight blue undertone brings together the gray-ish roof and the gray tones in the stone entry. I also like the little brick band under window painted one of the creamy colors in the entry stone to liven it up a tic and make some relation to rest.. (Edited to add: is the roof a gray tone in real life or is it showing that color on my monitor?

You can grow clematis or morning glory vine on the railings.

And wrap lights on it for Halloween and winter.

Is morning glory vine not invasive in DC? Here in California it is a total nuisance.

I like that grey justerilynn! Thank you for creating all those options. The roof is grey in real life :)

I have decided to keep the railings. They are original to the house and I think I like them!

Glad you like it DC Reno! I think the railings look fine as well. I did take them off in the last pictures as I was trying out a few things others had mentioned. I also kept shutters just on the bottom to make your husband happy but personally really like it. I looked at zillions of homes your style and it is common not to have any shutters Or shutters on just some windows. For clarification are you liking house #3 or #4?

Number 4! But I would do either shutters on all windows or none. I really like that grey :)