You've done great things with that house, I love the changes.

Are you sure you want to do awnings? They make the house awfully dark inside. I bought an old victorian and removing the awnings ( metal ) was one of the first and best changes I made.

If you are going with them, black would be my color choice.

i like turquoise, turquoise flower boxes would be nice too

prettyphysicslady & momcat2000

Thanks for your opinions! I'm still undecided. The black is really classic, but the turquoise awnings could be really funky. I have to make a decision in the next few days. I'll come back and post which ones I end up buying.

I vote black or terra-cotta.
This is really just a subjective opinion.

I like the black, I think stripes or pattens fight with the brick facade (too many lines). IMHO.

I hate awnings.

It's so grandma 1950's.

I'm sorry, but they look cheesy, commercial and dated to me. What you've done with the house so far is terrific, getting rid of the 'green boulders', opening it up, man, why muck it up with those things?

Plus, they make the room look darker, the window look smaller, and you can't open and shut them like a nice set of classy plantation shutters.

I'm in the "no awnings" camp. No history with them, just looking at the pics and telling you which one looks the best to me. Although making a room look darker would be a darned good reason not to do it, in my opinion.

getting rid of the bushes = very nice.
I liked the shutters better ON

and I think the awnings are nice, ONLY if you keep the metal steak on them to make them look cool

The black is the nicest, because it gives the greatest contrast, MOST of the others just blend in, so there is very little "change".
i vote for the shutters back, in black first then black awning second.

Thanks for the additional opinions. You have all given me a lot to think about. Especially with regard to darkening the house. Our house gets a LOT of light. The way it faces allows the most light to get in. In fact both windows that would have awnings, are office windows. My husband and I both have our desks up against those windows looking out. To be honest, the light can be a bit much. Even with the blinds up, sometimes I have to drape a blanket over the window because its too bright.

To avoid darkening the room too much, I was planning to have the awning sit above the window. This would lengthen the window. Normally they would sit inside the window frame and block the top half of the window. I also don't want the awning to have sides on it, which will hopefully let in a bit more light. They will also be retractable, so we'll have the option of just having the valance showing to avoid blocking the sunlight.

Here are two pictures to show what I was thinking of. Only the awning would be much shorter, by about half, and sit higher up above the window.

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As far as awnings looking "grandma," I see your point. If they aren't done right, they definitely look dated. When they are done well, they can look really classic and charming. We live in a historic district and many of the shops uptown have awnings (similar to the shop in the picture above). I'm hoping ours will have a similar effect. I will do a little more thinking before putting down a deposit though.

Nice work on your house. I love the ivy. Solid color awnings (black, green, or dark red) with or without piping would be best for your house, because the front facade already has a lot going on (brick pattern, shingle pattern, ivy) and any pattern would make it too busy. There's a special advantage to awnings on windows that face south or west, especially in warm climates (we may all be living in warm climates soon): They will significantly reduce the cost of cooling your house in warm weather (as will large deciduous trees). And I think they look great!

i LOVE the black awning with white trim. If you wouldn't mind me asking where did you find that awning. I am actually looking for one and I love it! Thanks :)

I think the black awnings look very appropriate with the style of your home. If those windows face west or south you will enjoy the shade and cooling that they provide. I had similar ones on west facing br and lr windows of a bungalow and they allowed me to keep the view and let light in--because without them, I would have had to keep the window coverings closed because of the heat and glare spring, summer and fall (I retracted them in the winter when the sun was welcome). If the windows are north facing, I would not want any more shading and would reconsider shutters.

I like the shutter idea. Ivy is a dangerous proposition as it's proven to be detrimental to your brick mortar.