I was actually thinking of painting the shutters white, too, after I saw a picture of a green house with white shutters and it looked very nice. We also were going to close up the gable vents (the roof will have a ridge vent so we shouldn't need the gable vents, and bats like to hang from them and make a mess on the siding). I was thinking I could do some kind of accent siding in place of the gables, in some sort of color or even a stained wood type color (if the shutters were white).

The siding appears to be vinyl. It can be painted with a good 100% acrylic paint, even without a dedicated primer. It is extremely important that the chosen color be no darker than the original plastic. Plastic expands dramatically when heated. Darker colors will raise the temperature when the sun is beating on the siding. It can literally permanently destroy your siding !!!

What style is the house? Modern? Traditional? Transitional? What climate zone? Full sun? Shaded? I ask these questions because I can't suggest colors for siding without knowing more. When I purchased my 1939 fixer, it was painted yellow, and when the west/southwest sun was shining on the front, I couldn't look at it due to the brightness. I painted it a cool grey with navy shutters (and my shingles are a similar color as yours). Had my house been under shade trees, I would have used a different color. I'm in North Carolina, so I also took my overall climate and my neighborhood, the style and age of the house into consideration.

What era is this house? Im guessing recent (based on the multiple roof lines) but it has a rustic appeal that reminds me of early 1900s national park lodges. That era was all about taking color and inspiration from the natural landscape. Browns /earthy colors in general are a perfectly acceptable and by no means obsolete way to go..... esp when the style/ regional context of the house calls for it. Can you get closer to the brick + good light that shows true color? I think your thoughts re this are good - keep it simple by taking a color from the brick for the siding/gables and I agree that whitewashing would be a daunting, expensive and totally unnecessary task. I say this as someone who has suggested that for other situations- not this one though!