So the temps spiked to the high 90's this week. No painting happening right now! Thanks all. Annie, I was thinking of that very idea when I backed out of the driveway this week. Blue door with black shutters. I will have to look up those 2 colors specifically and see. Fun2bhere: I think that would look nice, but yellow is not one of my top colors...I'm not sure I could do it. Alittleapple: The house is a very light gray in reality, so I don't know that I could do a light shutter color. Could I? Pensivern: Hmm...I'll have to think about that one. I tend to be a "blend into the background type of girl", and my house reflects that. Thanks again all! I do appreciate the input!

Because your siding color is very subtle, using white trim is not going to give that crisp contrast that usually makes that look so appealing. Is your house facade generally in full sun like the picture? That makes a big difference, too as those subtle colors get washed out. I'd keep it a study in neutrals and go darker with the trim, pull in the gray from the roof and the siding beige and pick a greige color for all the trim, use a darker version of the same thing for the shutters and possibly the doors Or use a burst of color for the doors if you like color, but I'd keep it a deep color, nothing too bright or pastel. Hard to specify colors but I'd start with a few from the B/M Historical collection - look at Copely Grey, Sandy Hook Gray, Sag Harbor Gray, Fairview Taupe, even Providence Olive and Hampshire Gray. In bright sun like that you'll just have to experiment and see what undertones become the most prominent. The green undertones could totally disappear and you could be left with a really nice, rich neutral which gives a lot of depth. Something like Dinner Party Red could be beautiful.

Your front door color is supposed to be the accent color - different from your trim color and your shutter color. Can you remove those semi-circles or paint them the same color as the siding so they blend? I like your idea of a grass green front door including the sidelight. I would stay away from the very dark colors like black, brown or even the dark red you have now as it creates a dark hole look for your front entry which isn't inviting. Let me see what I can find that would work.

There is a large camp of no shutter people on Houzz. If they don't function or are not as large as they should be to function - get rid of them. I sometimes agree, and sometimes feel like the shutters add color and interest and are there purely for decorative reason, and this is perfectly okay. Your description of Victorian Inspired is also fine. It is not a Gothic (Think Haunted House) or Queen Anne Victorian, but it has the general shape and feel of a Victorian home, which is why you used the word "inspired." "Queen Anne homes are the quintessential Victorian home: They are asymmetrical, two or three (or more) stories tall, have steeply pitched roofs and large wrap-around porches. They are often adorned with differing wall textures and ornate trim—which gives them the “gingerbread” effect commonly associated with Victorian homes—that is typically painted in a variety of accent colors. Some Queen Anne homes also have octagonal towers (topped with a round pointed roof) and ornate bay windows—in short, nothing about these homes is subtle." Not all Victorians are the quintessential Victorian. Here is one that was featured in Architectural Digest. If all you want to do is change the color of the shutters, door and garage door and you found something that you think is beautiful a few blocks away, I would go knock on their door and ask what colors they used. My experience is that people are truly flattered when you knock on their door and ask something about their color choices or landscape choices. I have ended up in long conversations and even been given home and garden tours by doing this. I have gotten plant cuttings and been given samples of paint when the label was unreadable. I have never been turned away or scolded for admiring someone's home.