Thank you! So much great feedback. Sadly, the paint job is a necessity rather than just aesthetics -- paint on the back side is failing pretty badly & peeling off in layers. (After reading up on the paint forum, I think it was just too many layers of latex on top of old oil paint without adequate prep.) Maybe we will keep it close to current color. I'm not sure what color it is, but I'll have to stop by the BM store and pick up a tab for Briarwood. I think those color visualizers are just a bit off, at least on our monitor -- Down Pour is a very smurf-y blue on my screen. Luckily, SW store is right down the street. Of the SW colors, we liked Mineral Deposit -- gray, but not quite so dark. Johnmari, my wife said exactly that about warm trim looking bad with cool gray field color. I just want to get away from the current ultrawhite, just tone down a bit but not too much. Shutters? I think we will someday, after we've finished the essentials. Of course, being picky, I don't want to just screw aluminum shutters that don't match window size on there, so might be a while given that real shutters & hardware are pricey. The suggestion about doing the sash black is good--that could look really sharp and make the windows pop a bit more until we can dress it up a bit more with shutters. Absolutely agreed on the landscaping solutions. Could be more varied and it would add a lot. THANK YOU for all your suggestions, such a helpful group & nice little corner of the internet.

Something homey and less showy, is nice for a front door when your brick is so rich in hue... I kinda like the Mushroom color, Morris Room Gray on the door and Urbane Bronze on the siding with white trim....or Timber Bark, or Monterrey Taupe on the Siding and Cobblestone on the door, with white trim...just get white, no divided light, windows. You have so little white in your brick and they would look nice matching the trim and accent the darker siding and door very very nicely(and white is not a premium pay more, color on windows). Don't get any divided light. Your windows will look so pretty with the darker siding and pretty brick. When you dress the inside of the windows, try to make sure all the shades, lining or drapes are a solid color either white or something similar to your front door or siding color tones if you do coordinate the door and siding, both of them in the same color family. That is, any one of those 3 colors, not all of those colors. LOL That will make your home exterior look very special. Keep us posted!!! Love your homes' exterior style! And given the shape of your windows, I like the style of the navy blue door above the best. You don't need to add more shapes to your home horizontally and the other door is pretty busy. You just need a bit more simple door style with your multi surface siding, brick and exterior walls that also are not flush. And not sure you need sidelights with the higher window. Maybe a 2 door entry would be stunning? OR put the door all the way to the right hinged and make the sidelight just one on the left of the door? or the reverse of that?? If you want to change the color of the brick, which is very pretty as it is, especially if the siding and windows and door are all refreshed, check into dyebrick.com or into limewashing brick, which can be used to lighten the brick as to give a glaze over it. You control how much lighter or glaze you want to apply to the brick. I have read it can cost as little as 30 dollars to do a medium size brick home. Dyebrick, is more permanent and either of these processes will resist mildew by leaving your brick porous and breathable, allowing moisture to evaporate easily. I have seen both done and the effects are very nice. It is not hard to do, but it is much nicer if your brick is in good shape and you have not had alot of mortar repair done to it, to enjoy it as it is when it is pretty and timeless as your brick is. You have various hues to accent and it looks nice.

Congratulations on your new home - how exciting! I would not paint the walls grey/blue/green due to the orange/yellow wood. Those colors would look nice in your home but may feel a little old-fashioned to you. In my opinion, grey has been overdone and it's time for something fresher. I would paint both the walls and the wood trim the same soft white to give it a more modern feel. The trim is not very substantial so just paint it out altogether. Bring in color with your furniture or art. When you eventually replace the flooring you can think about changing the trim too. Look at Benjamin Moore OC-117 Simply White, or perhaps OC-118 Snowfall White or OC-149 Decorator's White.

lol. I can barely see the house! can't see the driveway, the brick, and barely half the garage or front door. I'd say start w/some landscaping first. doesn't do any good to painti the house if no one can see it. The two large hedges would have to go for me. And you have them all off to the left foreground too. The large pine tree near the front door, needs a good pruning too. what you need to do, if you want some help, is stand further back so we can see the entire front yard w/the house. you can have shrubbery, but it should accent the home, not overtake it. then try to stand on a ladder or something to get a shot of the house w/o the hedge blocking the view. (stand in the middle of the grass to get this) then get a shot of the entire driveway and garage area. get one showing the front walkway w/the door and front windows finally, get a shot that shows what color the roof is because I have absolutely no idea I'm also in SoCal. what city is this? you can do dark. something like a charcoal or stormy blue stucco w/light trim will be fine I like the white and charcoal or black w/wood accents