This is the picture of our new house.  We love this house for its great bone and great interior space.  Its curb appeal is, however, another story.

The house used to be covered with ivy (and looked very
charming.)   But then we removed all of
ivy and found that, behind the ivy, it shows this short, boxy, blah, and
rather tiring looks.   We started off to freshen the house by choose "white" for our trimworks (new windows/gutters/ and soffit).  We thought
white would go relatively well with any accent colors (again - we "guess").    The house looks cleaner and sharper but still misses its
charm.   And we don't know what to do next to bring the house to the
next level?  There must be details which we can
accessorized to soften & accentuate the house.

As for
our preference, we wish the house looks “elegant, warm, and inviting”.   Some said our house have the french flair. Can you share with us how to highlight it? 

We
are open to all suggestions to freshen & soften the look of our house.

1. color
   choices on shutter.  Should we
   still keep the shutters?  We had them removed from the 2nd floor windows when we had the new gutters installed.
2. color choices for the decorative vents on the roof.   
3. Style of driveway - yes, we clearly need a new driveway.
4. décor details - anything to soften the look of the house?  trellis/ iron works/etc?
5. House number - what size (how many inches) /style (stainless stell vs wood) should it be?  We have front hedge which will cover the main door when looking from the street.  Should we put the house number on the garage instead?

Thank you for reading our post.

PS> We may consider painting the house in the future but it
would be the
last thing on our list at this stage.

We have a 1923 Dutch Colonial Revival in North Carolina that is ready for a fresh paint job.  We are considering a lighter gray/blue or a taupe for the body and keeping the white trim but would love to hear your other suggestions. 

 Thanks,

Jeff

I just moved to a new apt. and I need help choosing paint colors.  First is my bedroom:  I'm aiming for an elegant sophisticated ambiance and was thinking along the lines of a grayish purple or a toffee brown to complement my black lacquer oriental furniture.  Accessories are pale teal, brown, black and fuschia pillows.  I plan on hanging alot of black- framed brightly colored photos. Would the purple/gray color make the room appear smaller? it's only 10.5 x12.

The living room is the other room I need help with:  It's a large 13' x 15' room w. one large wall of triple windows, and the only other walls left are 2 facing each other which now house the TV and the couch on the opposite wall.  I plan on continuing the oriental theme in this room as well but w/ lighter beige settees and only have the theme in the artwork.  I was thinking of a shade of neutral brwon or pale terracotta.  My existing furniture is burled walnut coffee table and mahogany wall unit shelving, which I will be keeping in the room.

Both rooms get a lot of eastern light all day.  Any suggestions re: color would be greatly appreciated, there are just too many shades out there to choose from!

Thanks,
Tara

 Added:  We had to pick out a shingle color and went with the weatherwood as it looked the most forgiving and most earthly for the area.