i think a medium gray with white trim and shutters would look excellent! post after pics!

Boy, I would hate to have dictated to me what color my house is, but I guess that is normal for a lot of suburban neighborhoods. Are you also restricted on the trim? I like your idea on the gray - I would go a darker gray (anthracite) with white trim in that case.

gray could be nice, perhaps a dove grey with crisp white trim, black shutters and then perhaps a deep red or green for the front door, something to make it pop just a bit. Alternately, a white house always looks fresh, perhaps with black or green shutters and a door to complement.

I really like this combo:
light grey house, deep charcoal shutters, white trim....deep red/burgundy door.
found this similar combo:
http://www.michellecarano.com/images/colonial.jpg
also kind of like a puddy color...or puddy to the green side
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vPxARbM0n1M/R9Sj196zdkI/AAAAAAAAANc/r1dDC5Y7Ty4/s1600-h/Paint Colors.jpg
http://z.about.com/d/architecture/1/0/o/i/capecod-sandwich-nh-jc-9090092.jpg

Try this: Valspar, you can pick a house photo and try different color combos.

Nice house...

oops, sorry, here is the link for Valspar to try paint online
http://www.valspar.com/

urgh. who got to make *that* decision? I'd say go as dark as you're allowed or as light as you're allowed and then make your shutters black and your window sills white. I'd hate to be in that kind of neighbourhood. At least I get to look at this everyday:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/flyer_901/3195726089/

I would look into Ralph Lauren's Urban Loft collection of colors. For the body, I'd go with color Grey Stone (RL Number - UL14). Shutters would be Stonewall (RL Number: UL17). Trim would be Cream Stone (RL Number: UL54). Finally, the door would be Lancaster Blue (RL Number: UL 34). These grey-blue combo would fit wit your charcoal roof and the red-green interiors.

The first thing I thought of was a dark dusky midnight blue. Then I read that you are under the "deeds, convents and restrictions" rules that many Stepford "beige" suburbs adhere to. YAWNSVILLE. Well, at least the public schools are probably "good."

And what the hey-hey does "earth tones" mean anyway? Isn't bright orange clay technically an earth tone? And aren't daffodils earthy? They do come up from the earth. Just sayin'.

Rant aside, with the black shudders a light gray or light gray-blue (seagull blue) would work. But geez. YAWNSVILLE.

I think a slate blue with cream shutters would look lovely. Flower boxes with red flowers or painting the front door in a deep red would help bring warmth. Good luck choosing!

Well whatever you do I think you should paint the chimney the same dark color as your shutters. It will help break up the monotone look of the house to have a strong vertical element.

I think you should do either light grey house, black trim and shutters, red door; or dark grey house, white trim, dark grey shutters, red door.

The very dark green on your shutters would make a nice body color for the house. (I assume that's already a "sanctioned" color?) Black shutters, white trim. And paint the garage door same color as the siding. Stone or brick veneer on that chimney would be nice. I would do whatever I could to help it stand out within the imposed limits.

please pick something that's either bright and happy or have lots of coloured pots and flowers. really pretty house but it just needs to shine.

I think a darker color gray on the first floor with a lighter gray on top would help ground it and break up the monolithic look of all one color. Black or deep green shutters; and the garage door definitely needs to be something other than white--you could tie it in with the shutter color. A brighter rust or red on front door would help make your entry less obscure, plus red is a good feng shui color.

Have you been to any paint websites that have paint tools for seeing how different color schemes would look on your house? I think Benjamin Moore has one. They take a little time to configure, but it would really help you play around with different looks and find a scheme you like.

I think that a deep olive green with white trim would look nice...a departure from beige & gray, but still an earth tone. The white trim would make it look crisp, especially against your yard.

Beyond paint, I think your home would benefit from some rounder, more free-form landscaping, particularly a walkway (not straight) from the street to your front door. Less linear landscaping, in addition to your paint change, would update your home. A new walkway would clearly define the formal entrance, particularly since you live on a corner.

Clad the chimney in stone, rake and edge the lawn, and repaint the exact same colors you have.

Except the garage door. Paint that to match your shutters.

And paint the white edging around that arch to match the wall color, or a touch darker.

If you're looking for a change, make it in the shutters. I'd go black(er)-green or a DARK warm gray.

Redo the driveway in a stone (or stone finish) to mirror the new stone chimney.

Drive around your neighborhood or others you like and start noticing which house colors you really like. Take some photos and pin them up on a wall next to a photo of your own house, and over a few weeks, decide which 2 or 3 you like the best. Then imagine those few colors with fall landscaping, winter snow, etc. and decide based on whether you'll like the color no matter what it's contrasted with.

Jeez. She didn't ask if we were all too cool to live in the suburbs. She just asked for paint advice.

Other than the garage door, I like it the way it is.

But I have painted my last three homes the same interior color. Some of us just don't like change.

I lived in a subdivision of monster contemporaries, and they all had to be the same beige color, (these were 7-10 thousand square foot houses. One of a different color would have been visible from space.) All the houses were lined up along three man made lakes that looked the same, and the streets were all named a version of Lock Ness, St. Rd. Ave, Lane, etc. I had nightmares I would get lost in there and never find 'my' house. At least we were renting.

Loch Ness, sorry.

Team Decor--that sounds like a nightmare. Seriously.

I'd do the darkest gray you can--almost black--and paint the shutters a dark, dark green. Maybe the window trim too. The garage door and chimney should be the dark color too. Of course, your HOA may not permit this...

Your house is really pretty, by the way. I love the position of the porch by the front door. Most architects would have put it on the corner or in the back. I would love to see what it looks like inside!

My vote goes for a light grey house with black shutters, bright white trim and a bright, shiny red door.

I also like the idea of a white house with dark green shutters and maybe a black door, but I don't know whether white qualifies as an "earth tone." White would also get dirty very quickly and require a lot of power washing :)

instead of gray, I think a dark, deep blue with white trim would look classic. then you could use a dark maroon color for the shutters and the front door.

I really like rchance's suggestion of slate blue with cream shutters. Though if you want to go dark, I remember seeing a beautiful home that had dark gray/charcoal walls with lovely olive [not pea] green shutters. I can't remember the door color but I think it was just a slightly lighter gray. Loving all the light you must get in that first room btw--I assume its the living room. Can't wait to see the after pics!

I think a lot depends on if you're a "cool color" person or a "warm color" person. I'm definitely the latter, and envisioned the house a lovely warm chocolate brown. Can you get funky with the trim and shutters? Say, some white edding with pops of blue and orange?

I have a little cottage-y house, nothing spectacular, but we painted the exterior a warm beige, but with sea blue shutters, white and brown trim. The little girl is all gussied up. : )

My parent's painted their house light grey with black shutters, white trim, and a deep eggplant purple door - it looked great. Not sure if a purple door would be allowed though.

This is an idea stolen from Dwell.com. They renovated a modest house with a front facing garage and front door. They painted the house and trim all one color, a tan, as it was not a standout. But they constructed the HUGE garage door, like this one, out of beautiful planks of wide beautifully stained dark wood, and used the same wood for the front door. It was quite impressive. Just a thought.

I vote for a high contrast option - white house w/ black shutters. Very classic but also kinda modern. I love a classic black front door with bright chrome hardware. I would then suggest very simple clean landscaping. All green with one punch of white or colorful flowers.

Your house is perfect for multitone painting. I would paint the first 1st & 2nd level same color just diferent values. Darker than you have for the 1st and lighter than you have for the 2nd. Repaint the trim white, and select a fun color for shutters and front door.

http://www.jameshardie.com/homeowner/colorplus-integrity.shtml

THANK YOU to everyone who posted! I'm grateful beyond words for your suggestions. I'm looking into all of them and will post the results, again, thank you.

Hi I would paint everything white except for shutters fireplace and front door. The shutters in 2 shades lighter then the roofs charcoal gray color, the fireplace in 1 shade lighter then the shutter color. So to start find the color swatch that is closest to the roof color, go up 2 shades from there to get the shutter color and then go a shade lighter from there for the fireplace. If the color swatch has 3 colors on it like Behr's does,It should not be a problem getting a good match. I do recommend their premium plus paint with primer and nano-guard in it.That will tie the house together and bring the fireplace in so it's not sticking out like a sore thumb, it will help it reside into the roof line. The tree that is directly in front of the front door ( orange) should be moved to another area as well as the trees on either side of the fireplace, the low bushes in the front are making the house appear messy I'd move those too. Low plantings leading up to your front door would give the house better movement and place more focus on the front door where it needs to be. I'm not sure what direction your door faces, but it seems to look dark where it is at, I would try to bring as much light to that area as possible it is more welcoming. I would paint the door 1 shade darker, then the white on the siding. The house is stunning and painting it gray will do nothing for it, I would bring out it's substantial size with white, giving it so much class and grace.A Colonial modern or not always looks beautiful in white. Whites can have different pigments so you need to be careful not to get a white with magenta or blue, best to go with a pure white that has umber or black for a white that is dreamy and can reflect sun rays without turning a funky color on you. Ask the paint mixer for the pigments that will be in the paint, they can tell you. Whatever you pick have fun, it's a big one so make sure it's something you will have no problem refreshing in 3 to 5 years.I think the suns rays are so strong these days they actaully start fading paint sooner. Not sure where you are, but this color combo will be beautiful in snow, as well as keep the cooling bills down in the summer.