Spend your money on fixing up the interior before you worry about the outside.

The only thing I would do is paint the siding a tannish color WHEN everything on the inside is done. When we bought our house 21 years ago our first project was to repaint the outside as it was baby blue. It took us 8 years to get around to doing as we had so many other things on the inside that needed doing including remodeling the kitchen.

or do something small to give you incentive inside!!
an apple green front door and new light fixtures (go bronze and use orb to freshen the post) would make you smile . . back with long term suggestions

Long term, play up the cottage charm this sweet rambler has .. . echo the siding to a tone closer to the brick . . test bm huntington beige
and i would take the shutters, fascia and railing/trim towards a soft tan / reads like a warm white outdoors in the sun .. .like bm manchester tan

Thanks for these ideas! I love the Templeton Gray color. Would that work for the front door?

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Yes, absolutely you could go blue green now on the front door - templeton is a fabulous tone for a front door. Good luck with your lovely new space!

The front needs some pops of color in the landscaping. Do you have a green thumb and able to add some flowering shrubs or perennials- anything to add some interest or contrast?

Okay....so if I wanted the door to be BW Templeton Gray, and I can't paint the (vinyl) siding right now, what color would be good for the shutters/fascia? Libradesigneye, you had suggested a light tan color? I am having trouble envisioning how that would look! Really, I just want it to be somewhat less "drab"--there is so much brown!

In my future, I envision more like plank siding with stone rather than brick, and only at under-window height. But that's a loooooong time down the road I'm sure.....

I'd keep the brown as the front (nice rustic board shutters) balance the bronze top of the bay window. I'd take off the shutters from the front windows altogether, but possibly paint the window trim (outside) brown, to highlight and contrast them. Then you will just have brown front door trim and sidelight which will bring a little brown back from the front.

Here's why - the brick has a lovely tan / warm white element that you will eventually get to highlight when you change siding tone (and vinyl can be painted, sw has a new formulation that chemically bonds). Until then, the chocolate is crisp against the white and the best neutral you have that works. You will lose most of the "brown" when you paint the front door - the fascia can't be changed until the siding shifts.

Paint all the fascia and soffit trim white and the shutters and front door green. Add window boxes below the two front windows. Lose the shutters on the big window in the porch. Shutters should be big enough to cover the window, and these are quite obviously not big enough. Remove the post lantern in front.