Sorry, Lizzy, I would not take any of those steps! The house will look naked without shutters, the white looks bright enough (although I guess refreshing paint is never a bad idea), and vines up the columns will look odd.

You could replace the shutters with better ones -- operable shutters held back with "shutter dogs" always look better than the pasted-on variety. Shutters should be sized so they would actually cover the window if closed, even if you never plan to close them. Possibly you could find a more "zingy" color for the front door, although I'd stop short of very bright tones. Paint the shutters a dark color -- very dark green would be great -- while keeping the other trim and columns white.

I think the main thing this house needs is better landscaping. If you like modern design you've probably never picked up Southern Living magazine -- but it would be a great resource for this house. Ignore the chintz interiors and go straight to the gardening pages. You will find many houses of this type accented with more or less formal landscapes; lots of ideas to adapt to this house.

paint the shutters, paint the front door, add some flowers then see how you feel. don't do anything that would trash the place like growing vines on their house!

I Agree with keeping the shutters, but painting them a dark, bold colour. I was thinking a red tone you might find in the bricks and then paint the door an opposite of that, like a deep blue. Landscaping is a must! I see the ground is dry and you have pines: looks like a western Nevada/East CA yard to me! Dryer climates that get snow are always interesting. Spruce up the walkway, add some flowers along it's edge! You like pops of colour so find some bright pants that work in your zone and add those to the dead looking area. You could even create a seating area out there too!!

Keep the shutters, but paint them. If it were me I would paint them a mid to dark stone color in a glossy paint finish. Paint the front door a bright color. Landscaping and a table and chairs in the yard that are painted to coordinate with the doors and the brick. I would avoid vines for now as they can damage the surface underneath.

Yeah, I agree with Angelinethebaker. Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot of minor fixes you can do to make this not look like a 60s colonial. Removing the shutters will be a bad idea. I do like the suggestion to replace the shutters with functional ones. If you do that though, only make them cover the actual window, not the trim below it. Shutters extended that low are a sure sign of the 60s. Same goes for the squat window proportions and the low-slope roof. But white trim, black shutters, and a red front door will brighten it up. Also, better landscaping, planters on the porch, and new light fixtures will help immensely.

Who says colonial has to be the boring American variety of "British Colonial"? Colonial has a history of being very colorful around the globe.

You can get rid of the shutters as long as you have a wide trim around your door and windows. Otherwise it does look naked.

I would suggest keeping the shutters but painting them black then paint the door something bright, maybe yellow? And definitely landscape. Two large potted plants flanking the door would add some interest to the front porch.

Colorful Colonial Here: Pardon the Link

http://www.google.de/search?q=ireland+colorful+colonial+architecture&rlz=1I7ADFA_enUS473&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=de&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=_CjaT_X4IrH24QTC_uzcBg&biw=791&bih=774&sei=ACnaT6qNDPDS4QSd57mvAw

if you don't want to live in a conservative colonial house, don't live in a conservative colonial house. Fresh coat of paint on the shutters and door will work wonders, I'd personally try a dark color. Note most stonework is best left unpainted, the paint actually deteriorates it faster, so if you have unpainted stonework leave it that way, and don't grow vines over any of it. Personally I think you should start with a garden, the house looks good as is, it's the barren open dirt space in front that needs some sprucing up.

What you call stuffy, I call glorious. I live in a stucco box.

All you need is landscaping. Your house looks like it's in a desert.

Window boxes filled with flowers will make a huge difference in the curb appeal.

Have you considered painting the brick? If you want a huge change that would be the way to go. I'd suggest white/off-white because the facade is so colonial you don't want the house to look confused by choosing too bold of a color. Paint would freshen up the facade a lot. Replace the shutters on the main level with ones that fit the windows, that way the panel below the window pops in an attractive way. Shutter dogs were a great suggestion! Paint the shutters and door a bright color (maybe the same color in different hues) or keep it safe with painting them black. Definitely use landscaping for additional color.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28352717@N02/4007946057/

Maybe something like that - but keep the shutters. The house will look naked without them.

You may also consider a huge hanging light fixture for the front porch, centered above the door. I'm not sure how extensive you'd like for this project to be and that would make your costs go up significantly. But you would expect for there to be a feature window above the front door and there isn't. A great light fixture would help distract from that.

If you take the shutters off, those windows will look super tiny!

Landscaping, not an exterior rehab, is what's going to make the biggest difference.

I don't mind the house and I think it has pretty clean lines. It's just lacking curb appeal.
I like black or navy blue shutters + doors with cream trim on a brick house. Sort of like this house: http://ellidavis.com/images/toronto/neighbourhood-guide/Bedford-Park-brick-house.jpg
Agree with @angelinethebaker, shutters need to be big enough so they could cover the windows - yours are too small which is why the don't look right.
Grass doesn't seem to do well in your front yard ;-) I would replace that with something drought tolerant.
I would build a nice big sweeping walkway with big flower beds - I'm thinking old fashioned roses if they grow in your area (and if they are not too conservative for you).

What CarmenJo said. It's extreme, but it would definitely be striking.

Otherwise, just try to do some landscaping that thinks vertically - trees and tall plants that can compete with the scale of the porch. That style was mean to be an imitation of Mount Vernon's porch. I like it as well as anything when it's a well tended house someone loves.

You aren't going to be able to change the style of the home, so embrace and beautify it! Right now it's a particularly bad version of colonial; but colonial can look charming when done well. Here's what I'd do:

-- Black functional shutters
-- Freshen the white paint
-- Gorgeous interior curtains with crisp, rich white lining; ideally, they should all have the same silhouette from the exterior. Your curtains can have a big impact on the view from the exterior.
-- Landscaping! Flowers! Benches!

I would keep the shutters, paint the door, and landscape the heck out of it. Get some scale and color. That is the big glaring thing missing to me. Also maybe put a few nice chairs out there. Make it a destination.

I would do a ton of planting, some painting and redo the roof!

Thanks, everyone! This is exactly the kind of help I need. Landscaping is definitely a next step I'm eager to start. (Though I find it hilarious that people guessed we're in the desert; more like Southeast. Ha!)

And I hear you, we'll definitely keep/replace the shutters with wider, shorter, darker...

Thanks so much.

I agree 100% with Donaldn. Though very traditional, the house is fine as is, but the grounds are calling out for attention. I'd put your money and effort into landscaping.

I like the idea of painting the brick too (white) and dark functional shutters. A lush green lawn and some roses or wisteria would do wonders. Plus a hanging light fixture in front and a new roof (slate or cedar?). Of course, this is all expensive. But if that's not an object...

Your landscaping is the weak link. You can freshen the house all you want, but without better landscaping it will still be lacking. The pines remind me of my home town of Richmond, Va., which has a lot of homes like this. If your climate is like Richmond's, then your new best friend is liriope (monkey grass), which seems to do well in a piney area, isn't as prone to drying out as a lawn is, and needs little to no maintenance. You could plant large pools of liriope to green the place up, or use it to define borders of your driveway and walkway to get a more formal, fresh look.

Painting the brick would probably satisfy your desire for pizazz and color, but don't do it -- once you paint, you have to keep dealing with the paint, whereas your current raw brick is largely maintenance free. It sounds like you're not that interested in lots of upkeep.

I agree with everyone's advice on the shutters. AngelineTheBaker nailed it with comprehensive, perfect advice in the very first comment.

Why ruin a classic colonial? Jeeze...you're lucky to start out with perfect. I've gone through three fixers in my life.

The Novogratzes did a whole episode of their show on their colonial-ish house in Great Barrington. Here's their take on going bold. Scroll to the end for a picture of the whole house. It's not my style, but it might provide some inspiration, especially for dealing with porch columns using outdoor drapery.

I have the same color brick. I took off the shutters temporarily because they were breaking apart and the burgundy color seemed to clash. I think black shutters against the white trim is going to look great. Still not sure about the door. Right now it's a dark wood color. I've considered a royal blue.

I'm in Jacksonville, Florida and crepe myrtles do well here.

I wouldn't paint brick but I would consider staining the brick that way you can keep the brick texture.

I agree with everyone else about the vines. They are actually very destructive. I've seen them pull bricks loose from walls over time.

I would get some huge nice-looking pots (perhaps blue porcelain) by the door and grow something in them. Trees, flowers or whatever works with your climate. Maybe paint the front door a really bold colour of your choice - dark blue, green, or purple?

"if you don't want to live in a conservative colonial house, don't live in a conservative colonial house."?!
Oh yes, just move instead of trying to come up with ways to work with what you've got. Great suggestion.

Frankly, I'd paint the brick. It's not like this is a 1700s colonial...This is a big house, so I think you could get away with a color like darker grey...I absolutely agree with the suggestion of getting real, functional shutters. That will make a WORLD of difference and give this house some historical character instead of just looking like a wannabe colonial. If you paint the house a grey, I'd go with a colonial-era color for the shutters--they used primary colors pretty frequently--red, blue, yellow. Wouldn't grey with yellow shutters and a black door look pretty? Or grey with black shutters and a yellow door? You get the idea. Also...is it possible to remove the columns? They're sort of distracting. You might able to get rid of them and brace the roofline with some very simple brackets (see http://www.stpaulrealestateblog.com/2007/01/colonial_style.html).

I meant to say a lighter grey...not a dark grey...

I think removing the shutters will look good. I took down the shutters on our 1980s colonial and I love the look. The windows do not look tiny... if anything, they look bigger.

I'd remove the shutters, paint the columns a color that will make them blend in and kind of disappear and then landscape the yard. Paint the front door a fun color, too.

The two easiest fixes are probably to fix the lower shutters so that they're the right size for the window and then add some big, overflowing window baskets. Don't do anything that will try to climb, but you want to have some overhang on all of the baskets to help fill out all of that brick. I'd also go with CarmenJo about the hanging light fixture, and everyone who suggested that a bright door color would probably not work with the brick. It also looks like you have light fixtures next to the door that can be punched up/played with, and formal topiary in pots always looks awesome with this type of home.

As far as landscaping is concerned, I would start by carving out a section of yard to be a patio/seating area and then get to work reseeding the yard. With all those pine trees it could be a bitch, but it's probably cheaper than trying to fill it in with acid-loving plants all at once. That being said, if you're not big on needing to USE your front yard you could have a lot of fun with creating a garden of varying heights, and there are probably some native ground covers that would love those pine trees. That also gives you the chance to punch up the exterior with color, since you can add brightly colored plants to any landscape.

Definitely paint the brick, replace the shutters with operable size appropriate ones and paint them the same color as the door!

I'd hire a designer to create a modern colour scheme for the exterior - doing the trim in layered shades of, say, grey will make the house look more sophisticated.

My only other suggestion would be to take a cue from the White House and hang a big, stylish pendant lamp from the ceiling above the front door. It will add zing to the entry and help break up the oversized space.

I'd leave the house alone and do some landscaping. RIght now, the house looks awkward because it's sitting in a desert (but not a desert climate). Once you get some green in there and give the plants time to get established, look at the whole & reevaluate. Perhaps the building will look better to you when it's sitting in an attractively planted yard. If not, it will be your time to think about changes to the look of the house itself.

I agree with Thorndale - paint the brick grey and the woodwork and door charcoal.
I think brightly coloured doors look fabulous on European terrace houses but might look a bit "meh" here as there is too much other stuff going on.

work on the garden to add color before operating on the home. part of the reason the home looks so bland is the garden or lack thereof. visions will be more forthcoming once liven the place up a bit. m

I am in the same boat with a brick mid-century colonial revival. I have already added window boxes and planters on the porch, and painted my trim white. That helped quite a bit and was a pretty cheap fix. On my list of things to do is to paint my shutters and front door a deep graphite. I am looking for some numbers and outdoor lights that go with the house but are still contemporary - still on the hunt for those. I would like a new walkway too and better landscaping. I would not paint the brick - too much upkeep and you will probably turn off future homebuyers.