Zombie post! Gals and guys, you need to look at the dates before you bring a thread back up. I recognized some of the photos and had a twilight zone moment before I looked at the date!

What color is the roof and can you post a picture? Cream is fairly neutral unless there is a lot of yellow in it. Anything from white to black. I wouldn't t care for black but a lot of people would love it. You could also use an almost black color for it to be less stark looking. Since you have a red cedar deck maybe a reddish brown or deep red tone that incorporates the coloring of that feature. The deck material is on the same side of the house as the shutters? They are visible together? I would suggest looking at lots of pictures online for "cream house" to better see what your own personal preferences are. This post was edited by snookums2 on Wed, Dec 18, 13 at 13:49

We painted our house a Porter Paint color called Sea Sand, with shutters painted a black called "wrought iron". The roof was estate gray. I absolutely loved it, but boy did I chew on it before having it done. We even bought a small can and painted some here and there, but it didn't do the final effect justice. Any landscaping you do, whether greenery or flowers, it all just POPS against the yellowish color (although is is not really yellow). That house now has more curb appeal than it ever did when it was white or gray. Every time I drive up I am so thankful for my choice, because it did what I wanted it to do. A happy color! There is also a color called Umber Shadow (old Porter Paint color) that is the perfect color to paint concrete porch floors. It is the color of wet concrete. I love the idea of painting the porch ceiling a watery blue/green! Have fun with your house! It can really drive you nuts though!

I think the black/deep charcoal suggestion is a terrific one. I had thought that myself. I also agree with making the small sections of siding dark too. The house lacks contrast. As suggested on the other thread, go to the Sherwin Williams website and find the color visualizer. Upload a picture of the house and play around with the deeper colors. Be sure and post the results-I'd love to see them!