You definitely need some color, personally whites, creams and anything in the brown family is drab. Try a matte mossy green, or light olive tone. The lighter greens go well with your trim, add color, and a welcoming feel.

Well you've been busy! It looks so much better with the bushes gone and the shutters off at the door. I think you can solve the imbalance with landscaping and making the front door more of a focal point with the right color and a tall pot between it and the window. You could also add some large address numbers in black to the left of the door.

Keep the shakes! They lend your house character and texture and are fitting for the style. I think it would be bland without them. However, that doesn't necessarily mean you need to keep them stained. Paint is always an option. White is always a classic choice and never goes out of style, whether you keep the shingles stained or not. Greys have been around for some time now and may begin to look dated sooner than you'd like. One idea that I have been loving a LOT is to go darker. Just an idea! Best of luck!

We painted some samples on the house and now we are leaning towards Sherwin Williams Backdrop on the body of the house. We like that it looks a little grayer than Warm Stone. We feel like we have to go with something at least that dark because the house is surrounded by trees that drop a ton of stuff on it, and we have the Georgia red clay to deal with, too. Now we are struggling with deciding what colors the garage doors, fascia and gutters should be. Should we use the window trim color (Morris Room Grey) or use the body color (Backdrop)? We have plans to replace the garage door and roof eventually, but we need to figure out what looks best for now until we can do that. All advice is welcome!