The beauty of trees (including the many lovely varieties of Japanese maple, which are excellent choices) comes largely from their natural growth form. Although you can prune selectively to remove dead wood or awkwardly directed limbs, you want to prune at the base of the limb, not mid-branch. Pruning to keep them artificially small will really destroy their beauty. You'll end up with stubby fat limbs and a not-graceful shape. Bloodgood maples grow to 20 feet wide and 20 feet high (or taller). Unfortunately this makes them a very poor choice for planting right next to the foundation and under an overhang. If a landscaper suggested them as choices for these spots I would respectfully suggest that you consider finding another landscaper. However, they are wonderful trees and would be great additions to your yard. I could envision both of them staggered over toward the left, pulled quite far forward, with shrubs creating a soft bed beneath them with a variety of textures. Layers of plants in various heights can provide a great deal of interest (and fun places for adorable little kiddos to explore). Perhaps you could move the tree that's on the left directly forward about 12-15 feet, and move the other one to its left, closer to the street. I would not move them both directly forward from their current positions unless you plan to install a center walkway to the front door. By the way, I really like your pretty house, particularly the tall dark-trimmed windows. But your little one is just too cute for words! As for the door and light, I'd go with the darker orange, siding the same color as trim, and the second light fixture. This post was edited by lazydaisynot on Fri, Apr 25, 14 at 23:30

Thank you for the replies everyone. No we can't change the window order and we actually did consult a designer before I ordered the windows. I asked her opinion on the white windows and she was fine with it knowing I wanted a classic traditional, timeless look. I actually never considered my house to be a MCM. I have an original photo somewhere taken by an appraiser when it was built. I considered it more of a California Rancher with a little Cinderella Rancher thrown in. It has had shutters since it was built, the only difference is that they have been updated over the years getting rid of the chipped edge look. The window with the diamond leaded glass was replaced and the rounded facia boards which extended past the roof by about 4 feet were cut back. I mentioned we are open to getting rid of the shutters we're just wondering how to add more interest or color if we did. It is such a long house, I don't want it to look boring.. A MCM look would not fit in in this old country-like neighborhood. It would stand out. We do have an Eichler neighborhood nearby where that would fit right in. Thanks again.

Whatever you decide to go with make certain they look believable size-wise as even non-functional shutters should look like they conceivably could cover the windows.

In defense of those who suggest "saving" I think it depends on the context. Some people don't realize the expense of what they want done. For example, painting cabinets or refacing cabinets is not inexpensive. On the television shows, the hosts make it appear as if it is as simple as slapping a coat of paint on drywall. So perhaps it makes no sense to spend a significant amount of money to "spruce up" when one could hold out and get a better result for not significantly more. I am not quite sure if it is quite the same thing but there are posts from people with kitchens in good shape but which aren't perhaps au courant and I personally wouldn't spend a lot of money to make purely cosmetic fixes when the functionality is lacking. Of course everything is context. When I moved into my condo, it was harvest gold formica counters with some kind of greenish brown "wood" doors. The cabinets were solid - the old fashioned kind that are constructed on site but to call them builder grade in terms of appearance would be kind. The ceiling had three fluorescent tubes with the plastic inserts that are fitted into metal grids. Having a limited budget at that time, I did have the cabinets painted (off site and since they were essential planks of wood the cost wasn't that bad) and replaced the harvest gold formica with formica a bit more to my taste and replaced the sink. These minor cosmetic changes which were fine - and there the kitchen stayed and I produced many great meals in it. I could have made some minor changes along the way but they would have brought about a cascade of additional fixes that would have been needed. For example, the stove was a Caloric with a second oven above it. To replace the stove not only meant that I would have to deal with new cabinets and other repairs, but some idiot had built the adjacent wood floor so that it "trapped" the stove. To remove the stove would mean dealing with the wood floor which needed to be changed anyway. And so on. It would have been throwing good money after bad because every minor fix produced another. Changing the lighting would be impossible without significant remodeling. The kitchen truly deteriorated until it was no longer functional OR aesthetic but the time just wasn't ripe for a major remodel - which was what it needed. And then the stars aligned and the time was right 🙏🏻 😇