Awww I hope you keep the blue gazing ball - every garden benefits I think from at least one whimsical or kitschy piece! I like the red of the brick - it looks like a true brick red at least on my monitor. You might try scraping some paint on the siding to see what the original color was - just FYI, not that you want to use the same color. I was looking at these in the paint store other day - & thought there was something sweetly vintage and evocative of the 50s about them- maybe one of the beigy ones would tie red brick and stoney taupe together a little better: https://www.ppgvoiceofcolor.com/collections/frank-lloyd-wright/1955-taliesin-color-palette Actually what is that stoney looking piece - is it real? Is repeated elsewhere on the house? What color is the roof? If its blue (kinda looks like it?) and not changing then that would have to be considered somehow - whether that means changing/colorwashing the taupey stone parts to get it more harmonious wtih blue-gray, I dunno.

Whatever you do, DO NOT Paint the copper gutters and downspouts. They are an architectural feature. There are spit opinions on painting brick. If it's an ugly color, paint it. My personal experience was painted brick was the easiest, most durable house covering. It was 25 years before we had to paint our house a second time. We washed the house every year and the paint was incredibly durable. Trim paint is another issue entirely. It took constant upkeep. If the house is stucco, use an elastomeric paint. It's much thicker than regular house paint and designed to expand and contract with the stucco. You can tint it, just like regular paint. Let Lori guide you on color.

thank you for the thoughts - very much appreciate it!... I'm glad i'm not the only one who thinks brown would look odd... the color on the house right now is a very, very light cream - - i think the picture is representing the color wrong right now, as it definitely doesn't have a pink hue... i'd say its a standard tan, with an even lighter, off-white trim color... my wife is insistent about not going all-white, with fear of how dirty it can and/or will get. however, the several comments about white do help make me feel better that i'm not the only one who doesn't think a dark color will work, and a light tan/cream will be the right choice. ultimately, i foresee us landing on something like the below photo, but hopefully with a little less yellow. it might be the common choice, but its tried and true and looks great, imho. https://cdn.jhmrad.com/wp-content/uploads/mediterranean-house-color-schemes-exterior-keboconstruction_152212.jpg

Your house is a raised ranch masquerading as a southern plantation home. I would beef up the columns, paint them ( do a sheen finish) and the clapboard white (B.M. has an exterior paint called Soft Gloss). Paint the two shutters to the right of the front door black. Don't paint the front entry and storm black...too much like the shutters. Doors are abutting the brick, so do them in white as well. Shutters are an architectural item, not a decoration, so you want to use them appropriately. The only two windows that can. have shutters are the two singles to the right of the front door. Don't put them on the more modern style windows. They call attention to them. If the house were mine, I would paint everything white and that includes the brick, and the double front door brown. Like this with a light blue porch ceiling and definitely railings between the columns to soften the front with a real porch effect.