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What other colors are in the neighborhood? I'd try to stay close to them (at least to some extent) - you'll bring down property values if you go too bold. Sage green and a mellow yellow maybe? Whatever you do, leave the front door - it's beautiful.

Hi we are in melbourne too and have a somewhat similar style house, we painted it Dulux self destruct, with surfmist (white) trimming and the plynths we painted Dulux domino. We are pretty happy with the results, but the best thing is that with a white trim and a galvanised roof you can later change the primary house colour to whatever you want. Next time it needs painting we are planning to go with a grey.

this may not be what you want to hear, however i kind of love the color as is. maybe just a fresh coat in the same color?

anyway, good luck!!

How about a light cinnamon color? I think you'll be happier with a warmer tone to compliment the bricks and timber deck. And I second the suggestion of leaving the front door color the same.

Gorgeous place. Having lived in Australia for 20yrs, they are a little conservative - me thinks mid to light grey, white trim and red gloss enamel door. It looks fresh, bold, yet understated elegance. It's quirky meets orthodox. As an interior designer, I have a propensity to always go with a charcoal/black finish, yet I love the red door. It's something we do all too well here in NZ :) Hope that this helps.

Joanne

PLEASE DON'T CHANGE THE COLOR, OR THE YARD, I LIKE IT JUST AS IS. I WOULD PAINT THE FRONT DOOR A NICE BRIGHT COLOR THOUGH. SOMETHINGS ARE BETTER LEFT AS IS.

How about a turquoise front door? Maybe a cinnamon color for the house as Annegret suggested. Or a stone gray.

There's so much beige--the gravel, the sidewalk, and right now the house. If you want to stay neutral, I'd at least go to a brighter white. For some reason I think this house needs a glossy royal blue door. Not sure I can say where to go beyond that.

You might look at pictures of houses in Key West, Florida--I'm sure you could find them through a Google search. Some are maybe more colorful than you'd want but you might get some good ideas.

I like annegret's idea of a light cinnamon color, or a sunwashed terracotta. Also like the idea of a turquoise door. White trim around door and windows. Should set off your planned rose garden nicely. Not sure what to do with the fence though, a white fence may be too much white and distract from your white roses.

We have a lot of similar weatherboard homes in Canberra. I with the posts that suggest not changing the door. If you want to maximize potential future profit on selling your house then don't go too bright. Consider a colour such as a "disappearing" aubergine – it will make the green in your garden really pop. For a big impact, consider changing the awning so that it matches the corrugated iron and angle of the verandah roof – it would be inexpensive and make it harmonious.

Perhaps go to www.allhomes.com.au to see what colours similar houses have been painted (especially in O'Connor, ACT).
Good luck!

I think a 'charcoal/dark grey' for the main colour, dulux has some beautiful greys, and white for the trims and details (like above the porch). A stained deck along with the colours of the plants will standout beautifully and look really vibrant.

I'd also go traditional picket with the fence. Since you're in Australia you'll know about the Better Homes and Garden tv show and a couple of weeks ago they had a great story on 'no nail' picket fences you can pick up from Bunnings, it should be in current issue of the magazine as well.

I too like the idea of greys and whites, although I'd go for light shades. The only risk is that your house ends up looking like a giant iPod.

That aside, if you're planning a garden of white and yellow roses the grey/white colour scheme might look washed out. I'd suggest a pale blue for the weatherboards with white and cream trim. It'll look fresh and cool, yet not out of character with the traditional feel for which you seem to be aiming.

Lovely home. Congratulations! I am in Sydney and chose Dulux Self Destruct for my weatherboard house and white for the trims just like dazantz. I recommend it!

Bring down the neighborhood property values? Does anybody still buy into that? (other than the initial comment) When you walk up to your new home, MP, what color(s) do YOU feel? It's YOURS to come home to each day. What color is your dream home? My opinion: nothing so precious should be beige! I'd go "traditional" with a mid-range blue and b/w trim. I'd really showcase that front window with shutters and a lovely interior treatment, lace and yellow fabric with roses to compliment your impending garden, and splurge on making that front seating area as inviting as possible. This house is a little jewel!

I'd do a light creamy yellow with white trim and a bold accent door: either red or blue. I would go with a rich cranberry if I were doing red or a robin's egg or Wedgewood with blue, I think navy might be too severe for your house.

Gray-blue or gray would a more subtle choice for the door if the red or blue are too bold.

If that not bold *enough*, though, I'd do an orange door. That takes guts but on a small charming house like yours it could pop without overwhelming. But that's unorthodox.

I'd do a slate blue/grey kind of color (but definetly in the blue range, not the grey range). Love the front door!

Hi Melbourne Paula, Adelaide Jayne here. I would recommend steering away from the boring heritage colours and trying something fresh like an evergreen garden with 'mop' trees and roses as you thought, and a paint colour scheme of charcoal or black accents and white walls. A mass planting of wild iris would look brilliant too, as they flower for most of the year and have proven to be very resilient in the recent drought and heat wave. Good luck!

Thanks so much, everyone. I'm thrilled to see so many other Aussies following!
Kimmiller, thanks for the Houz suggestion- it's so comprehensive.

We like the door, too. It's a dark glossy red in person and another coat would make it perfect.

Dazantz and ishandchi, self-destruct looks like a great grey online. I'll have to get a paint swatch and check it out. The advantage with grey is that we'd keep the red door. Blandwagon, will heed the warning against the Giant IPod look. That did give me a laugh!

Poppet72, no deal on the fence. Noni could have convinced me but that nice Johanna has no gravitas. But I'm drawn to charcoal. Again we could keep the red door and it would highlight the green in the (future) garden.
Cheers, everyone.

I would keep the front door and the house body colors and paint the trim something bold.

Ummm...if you bring down the property values, I think you will have a ton of unhappy neighbors - especially if one wants to sell their home. So unless the OP wants to be the most hated person in on the block, she ought to go neutral. Who knows when she might need a favor.

As long as it wouldn't adversely affect the neighborhood, I would consider a shade of turqouise. It's bold but it compliments natural greens from your garden and I think it will also go with your front door. Maybe trim in a similar color as the door..?

The fence is fabulous as-is; hope you don't change it for a picket fence.

As for colour, I'd be tempted to look through local historical palettes; I think what needs to come out more is the beautiful frieze detailing on top of the porch roof.

Beautiful house!

I love dark gray, but I don't know if it would work with that roof - perhaps a lighter gray for the house. Also, remember that a dark color will require more coats and more paint than a lighter color.

The lovely fence could go dark dark gray, but I wouldn't want to be the one who had to paint it.

Lately, I've seen people make trim disappear by painting the same color as the siding. I like those top details and wonder if you could carry the color of your fence over to your window, door, etc.

I would do a greyish green or blue with the same buttercream colored trim and keep that door red with some other red accents.

I am curious--is there any evidence, in Australia, the U.S. or anywhere else, that having one colorful house on a block (provided it's tasteful and well-kept) actually reduces property values? It comes up a lot and people seem to believe it.

Related to that question, is there anything people can do right now to improve property values? Judging by all the foreclosure news and statistics on declining home prices I'm guessing the answer is "no."

Gorgeous house! I love it!

I agree it needs a bit of color, but I'm not good at suggesting specific colors. It's a great house, I highly doubt you are going to bring down property values by adding a nice tasteful color.

Our house is a light blue-grey with a brick-red door, white trim, and lots of greenery with yellow flowers. It was luck of the draw--painted that way when we bought it, and I'm really happy with it. Would recommend.

P.S. I'd spray paint the fence white, too.

Very, very dark grey with white trim and a bright red front door. For god's sake get rid of those lumpy over-sized green things in the yard, they are way out of scale and disguise the inherent beauty of this cute little bungalow. I would also take that eve off of the front window, it's so sad looking. Such a cute little place, best of luck!

I'd go sage green (or a shade or two darker) with aubergine and hunter green trim.

I also like the color as-is. Maybe you could paint it a bit darker and paint the roof as your neighbors did, in a light-blue-gray-ish color. I would paint the trim the same colors as the roof. Cute house, good luck!

Something to consider: your climate. Darker colors absorb heat, lighter colors reflect it. The orientation of your house affects the color also. The color you pick will look different on the north than on the south. If you pick a yellow for one of your colors remember to consider the shades of yellow in your garden. Yellows can conflict rather a lot. Weighing in on the affecting the neighborhood discussion: be bold if you like. Life needs seasoning or it's too bland. Just mho. Good luck. It's a very attractive house.

I like a light sage green for the siding, a darker sage green for some of the accent details, and a contrasting color (saw lilac, once -- stunning! or maybe your red...) for the front door. I'd also beef up those porch columns. They seem a bit spindly for t he visual weight they support. Then it wil be perfect! ;^)

Hi, I'm in Melbourne, Aust too, and absolutely love this style of house as well.

I don't know if you're only planning on changing the colours, or if you're looking at doing anything else, but I would tackle the gable first. It's adds to the "too much " look. You could put those forest-green V-shaped things there (I don't know the lingo, hope you know what I mean) or have them vertical. A pearly white is nice if they're perfectly vertical. You could have magpies, the choices are endless - but that's what I would do first.

Next I would NOT go for a picket fence like another poster suggested. It's a nice idea but only compliments your house if you have iron lacing along the bullnose (like your neighbour) but because you don't, the Federation fence you have is the proper match.

Keep the door, like everyone else has said. It's unanimous. You could always put a window to the side(s) or top if you want to do anything, but it's not absolutely necessary.

Now, the rest of the colours... a grey (both light and dark) would be very nice with stark white trims. The other traditional colour-palette for houses of this style are cream, dark red and forest green. I’m no good at saying where these should go though, so I’ll just leave you with that.

The last point I want to make, which is probably more long term when the funds are there, is I would get the front window-brow (which you should KEEP – to whoever said to get rid of it: practicality over-rules appearance in my book – Aust can get hot), the bullnose and the main roof all the same colour. They look a bit mis-matched at the moment.

Sorry, I didn’t expect this post to be so long – just decorating the gable will give your house so much more character :)

Sorry it didn't post quite right. It should have read: I don't know if you're only planning on changing the colours, or if you're looking at doing anything else, but I would tackle the gable first. It's adds to the "too much [insert colour here]" look.

In texas, they would paint it lemon yellow, with white trim and white door. In Washington DC, white with black trim and red door. In Hawai'i, jungle green with white trim and keep the door. In New Orleans, they would never paint it again, but there would be a lovely hanging garden on the porch and fountain in the front yard surrounded by wrought iron benches and chairs. If there is a classic color scheme you like in Australia, you might try that one first. However you paint it, it's a lovely house.