I would always prime, especially if you are going to use a dark color. Otherwise you might end up with 5 coats of paint. If you use a primer (ask that they tint it, you would only need a quart), you would probably paint 2 light coats of a dark color paint. Some paints claim one coat coverage, I guess I am too much of a perfectionist, I cant stand one streak or area that I can see a hint of the other color, I always need 2 coats. But dont cake on the paint, do 2 light coats. Invest in a Purdy brush so you dont get brush marks. Good luck.

Oly - Don't mind sharing at all... Its 3100 sq/ft, 4 br and 3.5 baths. The balcony area is off the bonus room and not the master. Here are some pictures from soon after we moved in so it looks a little bare but truth be told we are still trying to get the place properly decorated! Maggie - thank you very much... I was just trying to find out what company did the shutters so I could find the exact color but wasn't able to get that info. It was one of the color options from the shutter manufacturer so we didn't pick out the paint at home depot or whatever. I'll dig around some more and hopefully get the color name to you. We were looking for that french blue look and think we found just that so we were very pleased.

Thank you Door Depot and Rachel Lee for your comments. Quick background info: The front door was painted white and remained white for years. I changed the color last year when I painted it maroon. I wanted a change and thought the maroon was an okay choice. Apparently not... The front porch is an eyesore in part due to the underscaled steps and the columns and the woefully narrow walkway that leads to the porch. Due to its modest width it is not possible to use the porch space with furniture (other than the bench shown on the photo) so I use it spring thru the fall to place large planters and fill them with plants and flowering plants. Late fall the planters are moved into the garage so they are not subjected to freeze/thawing which would crack the containers. I welcome your input and your interest helping me remedy the challenges. If the consensus is that the door really must be white, then I will heed the houzz community advice and abandon the notion that a change of color would bring about a meaningful difference.

I think your brick is classic with black and white, as in P Banos' first example. Be sure to paint your downspouts to blend with the brick. ETA - Another thought...this is BM Tarrytown Green that can work nicely with certain brick.