May I suggest you visit the Benjamin Moore website and sort for historic colors? White is classic, but if you are ready for a change, how much of one?

The red brick steps and gray roof - sort of blue gray give us some things to consider. . .
http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/for-your-home/color-gallery#&ce_vm=2&ce_col=HC

Maybe brewster gray (really a classic wedgewood tone) with a glossy black door . . if it matters to you, wider shutters would be more period appropriate but a fresh coat of black would be super with the brewster tone .. . http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/brewstergray With creamy off white trim - monterey white?

medium grey siding with crisp white trim and red door.

Color selection is very personal and can effect you every day in a good way...what kind of feel are you looking for?
...a smile?
...serenity?
...period correctness?
...balance and order?
Deciding this could be your first step...otherwise you can review pics of house colors on Houzz and get an idea what you like

One idea..keep the white siding; replace the shutters with larger shutters and paint them high gloss Forest green or C2 Blue Beard; both of those colors will get along with the roof color fine.

There are some fantastic color ideas in this thread. So we won't weigh-in there. However, as many have suggested, if you choose to keep shutters they should be larger to appear as if they are functional. Here's an article on choosing shutters that may help:

http://doorstoreandwindows.com/choose-right-exterior-window-shutters-home/

Artist/birdofwood.com - did you remove shutters? or did you not have shutters on the home?

does anyone know of a program where I can virtually try on the paint before I buy?

That's my problem, I have fears!!!

Behr has a program that lets you test colors. So does James Hardie and I liked it better because I was able to choose a house style very similar to my own and "see" it before I made a plank selection. I can't imagine why you couldn't use it to simply test colors- though the selection is limited. I was very worried that the colors would not go together as imagined, but he combination I chose looks very much as I hoped and I'm pleased.

Beautiful home. The current color isn't doing it any favors. I might be tempted to do a very light yellow. I would definitely re-do the shutters. And some landscaping would go a long way. It will be beautiful no matter what you do. Just stick with softer shades.

I like the white.
It is classic.
But maybe wider green shutters like Shearer Painting suggested.
I love the LaGrange Tn color scheme of white house, green roof, green shutters.

My grandparents lived in old house in Skaneateles New York. That house was yellow since the beginning of time.

Replacing the wrongly sized, "fake" shutters will transform the house right off the bat. I suggest seeing to this first as it will eat into your budget. If funding is an issue, consider that the existing white background provides flexible base on which to make changes as your budget allows. Continue the work you are doing now to decide your colour pallette and introduce the first change with your shutters. Then, build-up the pallette as funds are available. The only selection that would not work well in this case is a palette that requires white shutters. If you go that route, I recommend tackling the whole job at once so that your contrasts work well. Great house!

Consider also the roof color, driveway/walkway tones, and if you have fencing when thinking of a house color. What else do you wish to or not wish to change when you view the whole property from afar?

Gorgeous house!!

I would go with the pros... replace the narrow shutters first, it will transform the whole look of your home, making your other decisions for outside esthetics that much easier!

Btw, and since the above answers are enough, I don't think that's a Colonial. It looks more like the rear vernacular Victorian Farmhouse style came first and then a Four Square was added to the front (possibly the reverse). The Four Square would have had a porch on it which has since been removed. To investigate whether or not this happened on could check the framing where the front and rear connect (maybe in the attic or in the basement).

I suggest going through photos on-line to find houses similar to yours and see what you are drawn to. Shutters are a big expense if you don't like them, for example. If you are ready for a color change, I wouldn't put money into shutters first unless they are something you really like the look of and are willing to maintain. You can see if you like lighter colored houses or darker. Once you have a few you really like it will help you narrow down your color and style options. At that point, using an online program or hiring a designer to help finalize colors might make the most sense for your budget and piece of mind.

I have always been partial to tan and black for a colonial or dark gray and start white or black with deep orange or turquoise door.

In the 1890s, the trim colors were typically darker than the body of the house; light trim became fashionable after the turn of the century. See http://oldhousecolors.com/2007/10/16/the-great-divide-%E2%80%93-what-happened-to-colours-in-1900/ for more info

I like to see grays and blues on houses with a gray roof. I think a light gray would look nice with the roof but don't go too close to the same color or you will lose the contrast between roofing and siding. I could see using a dark blue for trim and possibly a cranberry color for an accent.

The first decision is whether you want to go darker body, lighter trim or trim work darker than the body. That is a matter of personal preference but remember that darker colors may fade noticeably when used as a body color, When used as a trim or accent color, fading isn't nearly as noticeable.

Any thought to screening the HVAC units on the side of the house?

I love pearl gray, black shutters and a deep red door. Paint white and make the front door pop with a bright apple red or remove shutters and paint a battleship gray. Paint a dark taupe, with dark brown, burgandy or deep sage green door and cream trim & black or no shutters. Paint. Indigo blue with a red or yellow door and whitish trim and no shutters or yellow with black or navy shutters and a bright blue door. In other words, paint it any color you love, but make the front door pop, whether it is yellow, red or black. If the siding is painted dark remove the shutters.

Definitely darker body and lighter trim for me. I didn't even think about the shutters. As far as the a/c units, yes there are a million things that need to be done, but we are trying to accomplish things with a larger impact first. You see this home sat empty for about 6 years and was an eyesore to the community. This home was once on the Christmas tour of homes in our town and although it will probably never be that majestic again, we want to bring it back to a great house.

I'm willing to bet we see it on a future Christmas tour!

I have to agree that with a previous comment that the back, gabled, part of your home is probably older than 1890. My guess is that part of the house dates from the 1850 to1870's. The pediment is closed, which is typical to later Greek Revival, but the attic windows are double and narrow, a feature of Italianate homes.
A popular color scheme for homes during the late 1800's and early 1900 was Sandstone. The body of the house was painted a light golden brown, usually with black or very dark, savannah, green shutters and doors. Later homes would add white on windows, rooflines, and architectural features such as columns.
A final recommendation would be to either remove the screen doors on the front of your home or replace them with something less obtrusive.
Good Luck!

I had the same dilemma years ago with our house . After stripping the many layers of old paint down to the surface we found the original colour was a mustard yellow with lovely olive green trim.
We painted the house slowly in similar colors . P&L yellow tulip, olive shadow and avocado trim. The ginger bread was beautifully highlighted. My inspiration was from a book re the painted Ladies of San Francisco.

Your local town hall or historical society may have pictures to give you a feel for your house, the neighborhood, etc. If that's a dead end, go back and research the original owners (or the first few) you may find picture of your house online or elsewhere. If the house is that old, then the color palette is fairly limited. You do have a few add-ons and the addition on the back, so you have some flexibility. Quick and easy: the shutters are terrible, what is the siding? And the windows are clearly replacements, generally two over two or 6 over one would look better. Depending on the manufacturer you may be able to get inserts, but researching what was there would help.

The storm doors, remove them. The front doors could be a great focal point. Also our dear friends at restoration hardware make sexy pendant lights that would make the entry pop. More prominent house numbers, the oval doesn't really make a statement. And everyone was right, shutters. Green is a nice idea, however your roof does not afford that option. If the siding is aluminum I would recommend residing with something more traditional: James Hardy is nice. And the landscaping, it's fairly non-existent. Remove the overgrown shrubs and make some proper beds. And possibly a lamppost on the pathway or near the street.

Keep us updated

I'm ready to take some abuse here, but can't help myself with this suggestion. If you're ready to step out of the box, Sherwin Williams has a beautiful shade of gray/ purple, Purple Finch, in the old Color Answers deck. Gorgeous color that reads gray-ish, with a definitely purple leaning, it's a muted color. Yes, larger shutters, gloss black, and a lichen green front door. Add a few chartreuse plantings near the foundation. Replace the large shrub on the left, with a hydrangea tree, planted a few feet further from the foundation. The tea stained blossoms will enhance the look.

Maybe you can getaway with just painting the windows and door. Unless of course the house is in need of a new paint job. This house is similar to yours.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2cDNyfNahRY/UE-OtqMfygI/AAAAAAAAAF0/06JWxppZhSQ/s1600/red+door.JPG

If you want to go dark this one is nice. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y9k65cExyXs/Ttk8v_F1xiI/AAAAAAAADkE/ZyrLDzrgNec/s1600/CapeBretonHouses-2.jpg

Beautiful home! What I'd suggest is look up the color pallet true to that era. I saw a recent "This Old House" featuring a pro who knew about historic color pallets for homes, check out that particular show to start.

I think going crazy with exterior color is a mistake, one you might regret for years and years. Often, old houses require special treatment, so get a good painter who has experience with this sort of work. Interview several, get references and check out their work on an old house, ask residents if they are happy with this painter.

barn red white trim and shutters

I like it the way it is! Just think, white and black are the perfect non-clashing backdrop for all of your seasonal decorations, whether spring colors, patriotic hues, harvest shades or for Christmas.

We used Benjamin Moore Snow White (or something snow) for the exterior of our 1898 shingle style (for the trim). It's a great white for the period. Agree with everyone else that the fake shutters gotta go. Better nothing than those, but proper ones (even if not really working) best. Good luck.

Larger shutters for sure! How about a Yellow, with white trim and black shutters and door.

I am probably not much of an authority on this but I would go with a navy blue and maybe white shutters? The navy blue is called Hale Navy. Maybe a red door? Hope this helps!

We went to the Benjamin Moore website, plugged in a photo and played around with different colours, then took a screen shot of each to help us decide. We were going to go with a heritage green (the house had been white for 125 years). We bought a quart of paint and painted a few clapboards on the back of the house. We both thought it too boring and then ended up with this. That first bright blue sky day took my breath away. It happened again after the trees turned yellow. It's not for everybody, but if you're a wimsical sort, have fun with colour and stay away from boring beige.

We are doing this might be and option to consider... this is a designers home in Colorado I think...Remey ... anyway we decided to nix our shutters and add trim. Updates the look and colors are nice. I understand staying historical... but sometimes it's just nice to go opposite what's expected.

whatknot what is the name of the house color you choose from Ben Moore?

We moved into a rather bland white colonial in 2003. Our siding began to peel which was a perfect time to change out the color. Since I grew up in New England and we moved to Minnesota (the state of neverending winters) I really wanted to bring a taste of NE to the midwest with a color that would brighten the winter doldrums. We were not changing the trim or the roof color and I liked the photos I saw of yellow colonials. I added the muntins to the front windows only. We put in a brick walkway, but chose a non-colonial style door and added a retractable screen.

Here is the before photo, I meant to attach.

Simple Elements Design: We actually purchased locally so it's not Benjamin Moore. It is Beauti-Tone from Home Hardware in Canada. The colour is 'Golden Topaz'.

I would suggest staying far away from bright white, or blues - as they are not historically accurate colors. If you're in the New England area and a member of Historic New England they offer help with historic paint colors. If you're in a local historic district you might want to verify whether or not you need approval to paint. Painting with historically appropriate colors, while it sounds boring and limiting, actually can make a house stand out FAR better than other paint schemes or something "bright and cheery." The multiple paint colors or super bright colors don't always belong or reflect the architectural elements and charm of a house as much. Show your house even more love and try something historic! You have a BEAUTIFUL historic home :)

I will be considering this when I make my decision. I like the mustardy-type historic colors. TY, Linda

I certainly have a lot to think about. I never thought I would like the house without the shutters, but now I recognize that the shutters aren't the correct size anyway. We are in a coastal town that has 4 seasons, so I would like to stay with something that may be a little more low maintenance. I am partial to gray's but love the idea of yellow. Hubby hates yellow. I also agree, the screen door has to go, but I need a screen door. Wonder how we could accomodate that? I never thought of the house being something other than Colonial, but I think it has been added on many times.

You didn't ask, but since you are going to all of this trouble, please add handrail/guard rail to the side door. It's a matter of safety codes. Do you ever use that door?

I would venture to say your house is not Colonial, but Victorian. Lovely.
I think that some exterior architectural things have been removed and replaced and not in keeping with the style of your home...like your covered front door.

Something like this:

We invite you to view our Exterior Color Projects here on Houzz and our website, where you can actually purchase the exterior color designs in Benjamin Moore Paint. In addition to creating the best palette, where the colors get placed architecturally is also a lot of the magic of a beautiful exterior. The photos shared here all have at least four different paint colors, with subtle shifts to make the most of the architectural placement and color relationships. Let us know if we can help with your exterior!

@catlady999 - this is an old photo. We have removed the large overgrown bushes out front and there is a handrail there. However, no one ever uses that door. We are hoping to add a wrap-around porch where that door may be put to good use at one time or another.

I would keep the trim, freeze board, fascia & soffitt a cream. Paint the body of the house a sage green & keep the shutters black. Check the current issue of This Old House

The house has so much character of its own - adding gingerbread would only take away and look frivolous on the house. The home is similar to an American Foursquare, which is a take on a mixture of styles, including Colonial Revival style. Although I'd say, as you don't appear to have really large eaves (think 3 ft plus) you're looking more at a Colonial Revival style with a hip roof. You can see some evidence of this in Virginia & Lee McAlester's "A Field Guide to American Houses." Great reference on architectural styles.

The Queen Anne's and Victorians didn't typically have a hip roof - most have a front facing or cross gable roof. The pediment over the front entry also tends toward the Colonial Revival style. Take advantage of the natural beauty of the structure, don't get too busy with too many different colors. One for the door, another for the time and one for the body. Plus lighter, brighter colors (such as white, light blues, light grays and some yellows) can make a house look like it has vinyl or aluminum siding on it. If you do have an artificial siding product, you can make it look more natural by choosing a color that is more of an earth tone versus something bright and not able to be produced at the turn of the century.