I Painted My Door Black. Got Paint From True Value... Black Jack... It's The Pottery Barn Black.. But don't like your shutters...they should go all the way to the ground, paint them black also...

The door colour should not match the other trim. I think the confusion in your case is that you are planning to paint the "panel" next to the door. A better way to think of it is that the "panel" is actually just the second side of a double door.

paint the panel next to the door and the trim around the door, but not the shutters. with the dark red brick it'll look too dark. i like the white shutters

The window looks great, I would take the shutters off... they just seemed tact on to the exterior...I like the idea of keeping the windows white, maybe just a new coat to freshen them up. The door gosh, the color options could be endless, have some fun with it!

Definitely paint the shutters black. The trim and panel around the window leave white. I agree with the idea of getting shutters that go to the bottom of the panel.

Lose the shutters, keep the trim crisp white. IMO...

Black paint on front doors generally is a bad idea, because the paint absorbs the heat from the sun and it does weird things to the paint. My parents had a black door for 20+ years, and every time after they painted it (using expensive, exterior-quality paint), it would start to look weird and gray after 2 summers. My dad finally got sick of it and painted the door red. Depending on how much direct sunlight your door gets, this may not be as much of an issue for you... But it is something to think about.

As far as the shutters go, the shutters you have aren't really proportional to the windows. I think it makes the facade look more dated; if the brick is in good position behind the shutters, I would recommend removing the shutters (and maybe powerwashing the brick) to freshen up the look. The white window trim looks good and should stay, since it is consistent with the upstairs windows.

I'd paint your shutters a dark color, not necessarily black. Could be dark charcoal, dark blue-gray - depends on your brick color. I consider the piece around and under the window, as well as next to the front door to be trim (like the second floor trim). Should all be the same color, but I don't like the white. If it were mine, I'd paint all that the color of the mortar (no, all mortar isn't the same). And then I'd paint the front door a fantastic color - not black, but one that makes the house stand out and looks great with the brick and trim.

I agree with Norahl- the shutters should come off instead of being painted.
Since they're placed a few inches away from the window they look entirely too obviously decorative and not functional. I think it makes the facade look dated. With the black on the door and panel I think you'll have a fairly modern and sleek look and the fake shutters will look out of place.
As for the trim around and under the windows- I'd say leave them white or paint them another color but not black - and if you plan on leaving the windows on the second floor white you should leave the first floor alone too.
I think the black door will look great though!

Do you have to keep the shutters? They are very small in proportion to the windows, and so my inclination would be to get rid of them. If you want to have shutters, get a pair (it is only the one, isn't it?) that is sized so that they look like they could cover the window, whether or not they are actually functional.

If they are the only pair of shutters on your house though, and you want to retain them as-is, do not paint them black, as they will stick out too much. (which is another reason I wouldn't paint them black -- they would draw attention to themselves and their inadequate size).

Because of the large surface area, it wouldn't work to paint the under window panel black. Currently, it looks bluish-white. I'd paint it a beautiful white with a touch of cream (but not full cream and not as yellow as an ivory).

Ditch the shutters, keep the white trim and paint the door some sort of color -- hunter green? red? navy? not sure it matters what color, I think any color would go a long way.

I love the idea of another accent color that works with the brick and the black. How do you feel about sapphire blue?

Unless you are planning to get out the ladder and paint the 2nd floor shutters black as well, I would leave them all white.

Paint your door black and live with it for a couple months. If it really bugs you that the first floor window doesn't match, then paint that, but I think it will look odd to have the first floor different colors than the second.

I love your black and chrome idea. Do this in stages. First, do all the door area work you mentioned. Then live with it for a week and see how you like it with the white shudders. Then take the shudders off of a window for a week and see how you like that. Then if you wish, paint one set black and see how you like that. I would leave the panel under the window white.

Only paint the door black...also, consider removing the shutters altogether or replacing with full height and wider shutters.
My 2 cents...

If you look to the right it looks like there is a unit right next door with the same facade, minus shutters on the ground level. So... get rid of them. I'm not sure painting the white around the windows is allowed, but if it is I wouldn't paint that black too, but cream.

Leave the panel under the window white. Lose the shutters entirely.

I would only paint the shutters black if you get real full length functioning shutters otherwise get rid of them.

---Remove the shutters. They are the wrong size and detract from the appearance.
---Paint the door a deep blue-grey. You want something that is dark and reads “almost” black. It will have more depth and be a bit softer than black.
---Paint all windows (innermost casements only) a steely blue-grey. Choose a color that works with the door color, but is lighter. Something from the mid-tone range.
---Paint the rest of the window trim cream (the thin trim surrounding the casements, and the larger wood area below the window). Cream is softer than stark white, and will blend nicely with the blues and browns. All windows (1st and 2nd floor) should be the same. Paint your gutters cream, also.

Before you start… what is going on with the front door? It looks odd. Like it used to be a double door but one side was closed off. And the trim is broken… is it in good condition? The pseudo-Victorian etched glass is REALLY off. I’m not a fan of the door at all, so if there is anything going on now would be the time to replace it with a Colonial style more suitable to your house.

Another vote for losing the shutters! I've never understood shutters as non-functioning ornamentation. I think if you're going to have them, they should be useable and cover the entire windo when closed.

The door will look great black.

One more suggestion: if you want black, go for an "almost black": really, really dark charcoal, green, navy or aubergine. It will be more interesting and take a bit of the edge off.

One more for lose the shutters. And another for not painting the door black...

Power wash the brick

Take off the shutters totally. They really don't go with the window or the house. It would make things really easy too!

Non-functional shutters should come down.

Another vote for losing the shutters - too small and too far away from the window.

You can leave the shutters white (though it would look best to ditch them entirely). You could also paint them an exciting color.

If you decide to powerwash the brick, be very careful - too much pressure can cause a whole host of problems...

I would echo others and suggest the shutters be removed. The panels under your windows are very interesting and it would be great if you made them pop with some color. I would suggest painting those panels a navy/grey color and leave the trim white. Also, I strongly urge you to forgo painting the door black. Perhaps a orange-red tone or a teal-blue. I love your house! I want it to pop!

What arroyo said.