apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I actually think a bright white would be nice, with black shutters/door.

Pale Yellow would be really cute and hamptons-y.
What a beautiful house!

White with happy yellow trim/shutters or pale yellow with white trim. Beautiful house.

get rid of all that white trim!
paint the door a bright poppy colour, as it's being lost in shadows.

I think it's lovely as is. But if you want a change maybe a pale blue gray with white trim.

That is a dreamy house-- I would go with a grayish blue, white trim....and paint the door in a deeper rich blue.

please, do NOT add shutters!

Buttercup yellow, white trim

nothing is happier

I agree. Yellow would be sooo happy, with white trim. And no shutters.

A warm light taupe with cream trim is anther lovely option. I think it would highlight the shingles and still create a little contrast. We used Pratt & Lambert paint for the clapboards on our house, and Duron semigloss for the trim. P&L trim paint was way too runny.

I like the existing Cream w/ White trim - but the door should be either bright red or dark green...
...but it's the the mansard roof that appears to need the most serious attention - I think I'd get the roof repaired with dark grey/green shingles before I embarked on painting anything.

Love the current colors. I'd do a fresh coat of what you already have except maybe go for a cream that is a little more cool in tone. A high gloss marine paint in white on the window trim would be pretty. Any bright color on the door woul be great.

Definately get some greenery going in the front. Some spring color would look beautiful under all of those beautiful windows. The right side of your house would loook great with some climbing roses. Let nature be your pallete.

My first thought before reading the other comments was white and yellow. :)

I'm with bepsf and Seaside -- a new coat of the existing colors would be grand.

And geez, I love your house! Can I have it? I'll be your best friend.

Because the shingled area is gray, I would paint it a medium gray, keep the white trim and "punch-up" the door with a brighter color of your choice.

The historical choice would be white, but I too think the current cream body with white trim is very attractive.

Although you do have a red door, it could be brighter, as everyone points out. Try a classic fire engine red in high gloss paint.

I don't see the roof damage that bepsf is referring to; it looks to me that the roof with a lower slope has a metal roof, which is appropriate.

What does concern me is what looks to be (hard to tell for sure in such a tiny image) a concrete (with pebbles) front stoop and porch columns. Rot was probably an issue with wood columns, but that pebbled concrete really destroys the front facade; wood columns and steps would be much better.

Sherwin-Williams "Dutch Tile Blue" (# SW0031 )is a beautiful mid-tone gray blue. Maybe Benjamin-Moore's "White Dove" for the trim and SW's Chinese Red (#SW0057) for the door. Oh, and definitely no shutters.

If you want to keep your door red, you should paint the house a color by Sherwin Williams called Pussywillow (which is a light gray), with white trim, and a Antique Red for the door.

I'm with the pale-yellow-and-white-trim group.

It was my first impression when I saw the photo of your beautiful home. Such a friendly house needs a friendly colour.

I would keep the body color close in tone to what is now or go all white or pale grey with white trim. Do not paint the trim a color and do not add fake shutters. It looks like the steep of the mansard is cedar shakes which could be bleached and/or stained to give you more or less contrast with the body of the house. I would probably go darker to give some contrast but they might look really nice as is if the house was all white.

Looks like the door is already red which is fine but I would really consider ripping off and rethinking the little entry portico. It looks cheap and does not match the style of the house. The steps should be replaced with granite slabs similar to what is at the sidewalk.

My house is pale yellow with white trim, so I am firmly with the yellow folks. And then paint the door a pretty blue (I plan on doing this one day myself).

I definitely agree with the pale yellow white trim, and like megsheff said... paint the door a bright poppy red :)

Another vote for pale butter with white trim. I'd recommend painting the door a handsome midnight or navy. This would be a lovely, rich combination but maintaining a traditional color scheme that lends well to such a house.

I am a huge fan of the color Lambert Green, sold by Jones-Blair Paint Company, which was created by Joe Lambert Jr. in the ’50s for his own home. It is a splendid color that ties the landscape to the house in the most remarkable way.

It is a gray-spruce green color that would look wonderful with your naturally-weathered shingle siding. For an accent color, you can use almost color. I happen to love black as an accent/trim color, and it would look crisp, elegant, and old-world on your windows. I hope you will find a computer software program that will let you upload your photo and try out different colors.

I am going to come in with an opposite opinion of most expressed so far. If you choose a light color like the butter yellow or light gray, than use a somewhat dark contrasting trim or vice versa. I have always really liked the victorian style of punching up the trim with high contrast paint colors. It would fit perfectly with your beautiful house and be somewhat more interesting than the modern sensibility of "pale paint and paler trim".

This is a fun example with yellow base, with medium green and dark red trims. http://www.historichousecolors.com/CostaVictorianColors.html

Thanks so much everyone, I appreciate it. It's interesting that many people had similar opinions. Although, we can see the idea behind many of the ideas, we feel we need a change and want a deeper color. Similar houses in town have gone with a greyish blue, we have not ruled that out yet. Intrigued by the lambert green that sunny blue mentioned, have not found it online yet.
Great idea for the front door to be brighter. The picture doesn't highlight it very much but the door is magenta right now. Red would be very nice.

Coophaus---Lambert Green was a copyrighted color for Jones-Blair, and I don't know if Jones-Blair makes house paint anymore. My bad. But if you go to a paint store that has been in business for a long time (more than 30 years), then maybe they will still have the paint code to mix the color for you. I bought this color to use a trim color in the mid-80s.

Here's a story link that might help you track down the color: http://www.peoplenewspapers.com/ME2/Audiences/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&AudID=F8FE2234107E4A88B820886953F77B32&tier=4&id=1654306107124973B47248862FA72F9A

Good Luck!