Might we see a photo og the house? I like black houses with white trim, but not sure it would suit your house?

I think it can be very successful provided the trim is crisp white.

That looks nice!

I love black but I think a charcoal with a green undertone would work better. BM Kendall grey comes to mind.

@leemiller My neighbors house is green...so i'm trying not to match them.

Charcoal rather than black. White-white trim. Beware of undertones.

Please take all elements into consideration with your house color(s). The retaining wall, brick, and steps up all set the tone and right now if you were to paint your house black and not do anything with the other elements I think you will end up with a haunted house look.

I wouldn't suggest all over black for a Victorian home. Black is too Gothic for
the period. The Victorian Era was so named after Queen Victoria. The colors of
the period were more colorful, playful and feminine. If you need this to be
more striking, I would suggest hiring an architect to suggest some design
elements and colors. The vast majority of homes of this era were light
colored but had an abundance of design elements. If you really want something
more edgy though, here are a couple suggestions. Do paint the stairs and columns where they have been patched in at the street level. If you can't afford to fix them, at least even out the lines with matching paint.

You are definitely right on painting the stairs and retaining wall!!! That will make a huge difference. Thank you!!!!

https://www.houzz.com/photos/sellwood-library-house-craftsman-exterior-portland-phvw-vp~4987411

How about this? Benjamin Moore's Iron Mountain with black and white accents?

Well, first off that pic has been photoshopped. Look how light the wall appears even though it's in shade (look at the sun on the house to the left). Also--look at the color of the wall under the right eave. See how pitch black dark that is? That's how your walls will look on the first floor because of the big porch overhang.

Plus, your sample photo is a 1-story building; you own a hulking Victorian that looms 3 stories above the street. Apples and oranges.

You're so fortunate to have a wonderful canvas for your self-expression. Still, I'm not sure painting your 3 story house all black is edgy or artistic. I would disapprove that on grounds of being depressing and unflattering to the house. To show your creative cred, and have a better looking place to come home to, I'd suggest an authentic paint scheme in Victorian colors, such as are seen at http://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/color/find-and-explore-colors/paint-colors-by-collection/exterior-color-schemes/americas-heritage/ http://oldhousecolors.com/2007/10/16/the-great-divide-%E2%80%93-what-happened-to-colours-in-1900/

Or here: https://archive.org/stream/CatalogueAndPriceListOfTheManufacturesOfTheLoweBrothers/LowesPaintsc1910cm22p0001#page/n13/mode/2up where the "Bronze Green/Black/Light Maroon/French Olive" scheme would be stunning and sophisticated. Good luck!

i'm just going to say, if you plan to sit on the porch....there is a reason someone put up the awning; to make the porch deeper/shadier. don't rip them down before summer.

I find black depressing. I'd recommend considering a very dark, saturated color. Midnight blue is pretty classic, but you can do a dark green, an aubergine, Maroon, etc.

With the right colors, the awnings might not be bad. Do you sit on your porch? What's the light in the house? I like more light, but then, I live in a country where the winters are dreary; my husband is always trying to close the curtains during the long summer days while I sit in the sunny window.

If you like edgy/mod, I'd tend to go with an edgy color combination. It's hard to recommend one, since the shades matter tremendously. I've seen a fabulous teal and crimson, but if the tones were wrong, it would look like pathetic Christmas colors in June.

If you don't like edgy/mod, go traditional. You can never lose with navy blue and white.

What about SW Urbane Bronze? It's much less harsh than black, and it would still give you the desired effect.

https://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/color/find-and-explore-colors/paint-colors-by-family/SW7048-urbane-bronze/#/7048/?s=coordinatingColors&p=PS0

Echoing nnigrt......those awnings may be needed to make the porch livable if the house faces south or west. They can be sanded and painted too, just like the rest of the house. In the right color, they would become fairly unobtrusive.

For Victorians you need a 3 color palette to have it look right. Im all for edgy but it has to be in the correct neighborhood or it could end up an epic fail. I encourage the use of black with near black accents of deep current, darkest green, charcoal, etc. but it will still read black however. But you can't ignore the yard if you want a contemporary upgrade to your exterior. Invest at a minimum 10% of the home's value on exterior greenspace to amp up the entire package.

In case you didn't get enough suggestions: