Leave that window alone.
Shutters should fit the window. Remember to hang the shutters correctly. If they were/are working, the closed shutter should retard the water from going through to the window. A quirk I have, seeing them installed wrong.
Black would look nice I think.

Personally, I think you should skip the shutters. They look funny on houses where they weren't ever meant to be. I don't know when shutters became a decorative (rather than functional) element, but I agree with the first poster that they should fit the window and look wrong when not installed properly -- proper installation allows them to function and not overlap when open.

If you want a little touch of black around the windows, maybe paint the outside window casing black?

I think black would be nice, too. And yes, I agree with nothinlikeadame: the shutters should fit the window. I also read a design piece that said double windows should not have shutters on them--because even if your shutters aren't functional, they should give the illusion that they are.

Definitely forget the shutters for the window near the meter.

eiw is right, no shutters on a ranch house.

I've always disliked decorative shutters also (we tore the plastic ones off the last house we lived in.) If you need to keep the weather out, look into upgrading the storm windows.
If you want to add some decoration or color to the exterior, perhaps look into window boxes.
I would personally consider creating your own decorative elements instead of trying to recreate a specifically non-functioning functional architectural element.

I too have a 1960s ranch brick house with white window casings. Our plan is to paint the white in a dark grey - but for yours I could also see a dark green or black. Rather than shutters (which don't really fit with the style of the house and subsequently pose too many sizing problems) I would consider adding some vertical landscaping features in front of the larger sections of brick. A small tree, large bush, or even a trellis.

No shutters! It will clutter up the look of the house, and it would look funny not to balance out the right window (since there's an electrical box there). You have modern windows, which wouldn't match the traditional look of shutters. And I don't know how many houses like this ranch that have black or green shutters. I would instead play up your landscape in this area (with visual layering to give it visual interest). Maybe add in some seating, and if possible, play up your front door area. This is what people are most attracted to.

Architecturally speaking shutters are just not right for this era of home. There are so many other ways to add interest.

The house next door is a brick ranch with shutters painted blue, which the owner had redone so as not to look like a "clown house." Shutters have no function except to require painting. Spend the money on a beautiful tree instead.

NO is my vote on the shutters, too

I agree with some window boxes and some vertical bushes or trees.

We just took the shutters off our 60's ranch - they were black (flimsy plastic) and we are so happy to have them gone.

No shutters. I would suggest to hang bamboo roll up window shades on the inside of all your windows it would make your windows look better from the outside view. Very economical. It would really give that little garden a zen feel.

No shutters...It looks cheesy and innappropriate on a 60's ranch....eeeewwww!

Thank you everybody for their advice! I kind of like the idea of painting the outside window casing black......but what kind of paint should I use? just regular exterior paint or specialty paint for vinyl/metal?
I also like the idea of window boxes....but what about winter? should I take them down then?

No shutters. Tall skinny evergreens (eg arbor vitae) between the windows, and in front of the utility boxes, is something to consider.

Another vote here for NO shutters. There is no way to make them look right with sash windows, especially with three different sizes arranged as yours are.

Large, plain windowboxes could up the interest near those windows, if you are so inclined.

So could an espaliered planting or climbing vine up the wall (cottage ranch), a pop of color on the front door (classic ranch), or very sculptural evergreens (modern ranch.)

Good luck, and hope you will post an after photo. :)

Since this is a purely visual issue, the entire front facade is at play.

Since no pics of the whole front facade, I enter 1 abstention.

No shutters! I also have a red brick 1956 ranch, and the entire neighborhood is the same- not a shutter in sight. I feel like shutters would look very odd and stick out as an unneeded add-on.

Shutters would not work. Painting the white framing around the windows a softer color would help. No traditional window boxes either--though there might be a spot on those limestone sills for small weighted planters for seasonal color or some window plant box with a twist. Add vertical elements to the landscaping and add evergreens (taxus). Consider river rock instead of mulch.

If you paint use Krylon or similar paint designed to adhere to vinyl. When we painted ours, we scuffed up the surface a bit, but after painting it still looked smooth.

This is a Ranch House - Not a Colonial.
Leave the shutters off.

Avoid the shutters. I think the trellis idea is great. You might be able to paint the windows if they are vinyl, but most likely it would be a losing proposition to do it. If you your soffits & gutters are aluminum is might be possible to paint them, and tone down the white a bit. Paint will not readily adhere to vinyl, not a good idea to do so. The bamboo blinds are a great idea as well.

It looks like a nice solid house which needs some bigger landscaping (see P. Allen Smith for good ideas) for jazzing it up and livening up the interest factor there.

Another vote for no shutters. Why would you add them? Mash-ups can be interesting with interior design, e.g., a baroque chair at an acrylic desk. But I would not start monkeying with the architectural details of your home.

It would be nice to see the whole elevation on this side because I'm wondering if some kind of lattice screen would work in front of that right window. It would conceal your services and offer a place for vertical planting behind your existing landscaping.

We actually have a similar house -- that came with blue shutters. Pure pastiche, and something I couldn't wait to rip off!

What we have been slowly doing is replacing the white vinyl sliders (sliding windows) with beautiful wood awning windows (they are a single pane of glass, and you push them out from the bottom in order to open). The change in windows has made a huge difference on our facade, as has changing the roof -- the house looks much more handsome and solid now. Still a few windows to go though...

Boo, shutters bad.

Count me in for no shutters. I'm not sure if it's in the budget, but those vinyl windows are not doing the house any favor. I think quality wood or steel (paintable) replacement windows could totally transform the look of the house for the better and would be in keeping with the original style of the house.

And I agree with more variety in the landscaping. Consider taller perrenials like hydrangea and butterfly bushes to give added dimension.

Wow, a lot of by-the-rules players here ("not colonial = no shutters"), which always surprises me on AT.

A single-panel (as opposed to two-panel, or louvered) shutter would be totally fine on this kind of house. But again, the entire front facade is at play.

Also, shutters need not be an all-or-nothing deal. You can do some windows on both sides, some windows on one side, some on another, and leave some un-shuttered. There are no rules.

And for the record, I find windowboxes on a ranch to be just as much an anomaly as the shutters many of you are so opposed to.

Ok. it seems like NO shutters is the way I should lean towards (my husband is probably glad!! ;-)
Thank you all so very much for the suggestions. I will look into tall plants, testing paint on outside casing (probably in one of the windows that face the back of the house). For those who were wondering the layout of the house: the garage is next to the window on the right and my front door is around the corner from my left window.

No shutters and no window boxes -- too fussy and cluttered for your classic ranch home.

These ranch style homes can be tricky. People tend to want to "gussy them up" because they are so simple. But their charm is in their simplicity. And that simplicity lends itself to some lovely traditional and/or modern design elements.

The key to a successful exterior here is to think in terms of a few large strokes, rather than lots of small fussy details. For example:

---The landscape should provide most of your ornamentation; focus on it. I realize your plantings are new, but the design isn't working (sorry). The grass is boring and adds no interest. The shrubs are boringly uniform and randomly placed. It doesn't look natural, and those elevated spidery plants already look unattractive and overgrown.

You want an edited design of well-chosen plantings, placed to complement the house. Focus on color and texture rather than flowers. Use plants to soften the facade, but do so in a way that works with the house. A lush English garden doesn't make sense with a ranch home. But a Japanese-inspired rock garden with junipers and textural plantings would be lovely. I'm thinking of a simpler version of this:

http://www.sunset.com/garden/earth-friendly/lose-the-lawn-low-water-landscaping-00400000041830/page9.html

You get the idea. Lots of texture, variation, interest. There is just one large planter -- the landscape provides all the visual interest you need.

---If you still feel you need a little jewelry, try some simple Neutra stainless steel house numbers. as a subtle contrast to the traditional architecture.

If you feel the need for ornamentation, scratch that itch - but with practicality.

How about galvanized metal shed roof awnings to keep the sun out of those windows? They would work with your grey shingle roof, and if you use 4x4s for the brackets mounted to the brick it would beef up the fenestration.

Cheap and functional - just like me!

Since this is the back of the house, I wouldn't have even worried about shutters here.

My opposition to shutters has nothing to do with whether the home is colonial or not. If it isn't functional, don't put it on your house.

Arrol Gellner is especially concerned (fanatical is, perhaps, a tad too extreme a word) about sticking with delicate windows for Ranches. He compares putting heavy or ornamented windows on a Ranch to putting aluminum on a Victorian.

http://articles.latimes.com/2005/aug/21/realestate/re-gellner21
http://djcoregon.com/news/2010/02/26/beware-the-upgraded-home/
More Gellner: http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/real_estate/arrol_gellner/Arrol_Gellner_Architext.html