Thank you! I like the brown colors you mentioned! Although, based on the houses around me, I love the idea of a muted blue! I started looking through pictures here and found several I added to my idea book. I have painted the door "Pumpkin Squash" by Valspar which is an orange leaning yellow. I wanted to paint the storm door too but was unsure if the paint would adhere properly since it is metal and (I guess) vinyl.

Hi brittalovely, Your home is adorable and has so very much potential I think with just what you have suggested with shutters and window boxes. I agree with PaintColorhelp to paint the screen door. Possibly the same as your front door for a little added pop. The color of the shutters could match your shade of the darker green trim already around the windows with the " Pumpkin Squash" on the window boxes. Just an idea. On my previous house, I used natural slate tiles over the cement on my front covered porch adhered by grey slate colored mortar and then sealed, all purchased at Home Depot. Not hard to do either. This would look nice with the green you have on the house and your slate colored roof. I like your idea of planting along the walk way. Next year, you could add some landscaping around the foundation of the house, with nice sweeping edges right from the sidewalk around your porch and continue around the front of your house, assorted shrubs and perennials, pots of annuals. Maybe expand a kidney shaped garden at the foot of the tree you planted on the lawn, nice edging, low growing shrubs and a few perennials, a rock, some mulch. Watch out! Opening new gardens can be contagious and you have loads of room. Looks like it could be a 5 year plan. Your house has a very cute cottage feel already and you could sure play this up with some added touches. Post pictures of your progress. Good luck and have fun! It looks charming already.

Britta, you can paint the door if it's primed first, with a primer suitable for metal and outdoor use. I'd wait to see what evolves with the rest of your scheme and make the screen door decision last. I have two schools of thought on screen doors vs. front doors - one says do them different colors to amp up the contrast. The other says, if the screen door covers almost all the door behind it, then maybe paint them the same color so you can "see" your chosen hue. Hope that makes sense. Feel free to email me pics if you want, as you get further along. And I'm not telling you to change your railings, but do keep in mind, you could alter their color if you felt it needed softening. Lots of times outdoors, I'll substitute a very dark brown or charcoal for black, to take off the harsh edge.

PCH definitely has the right earth tone to compliment that beautiful rock foundation in the artisan tan, yellow based earth tones.

If you want to try a big contrast with blue, it needs to be really steely gray blue. Look at http://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/color/find-and-explore-colors/paint-colors-by-family/SW6226-languid-blue/ with trim that is deep gray blue like http://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/color/find-and-explore-colors/paint-colors-by-family/SW7624-slate-tile/and then you could try this tone on the door
http://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/color/find-and-explore-colors/paint-colors-by-family/SW7705-wheat-penny/ Wheat penny would look great with your stone and house no matter what color you select. Besides artisan tan, in the natural tans for the body of the house I like http://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/color/find-and-explore-colors/paint-colors-by-family/SW6107-nomadic-desert/
nomadic desert - its undertones come right out of your stone foundation, but it is still a robust color and then its lightest tonal white http://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/color/find-and-explore-colors/paint-colors-by-family/SW6105-divine-white/ or a charcoal like thunder gray http://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/color/find-and-explore-colors/paint-colors-by-family/SW7645-thunder-gray/

Definitely paint the base trim on your siding that is just above the stone a dark tone - this should not be light and bright, it needs to "ground" the house. Thunder gray should be close enough to the stone to be one of the best options here, or if you go all browns, go look at the darkest shade for burlap.

I love all these ideas and suggested colors! Wow how to choose? :) We had planned on taking out the porch railings and replacing with square wood columns and wood railings then painting to match trim. Just haven't had the time yet so I painted them black to get away from the forest green for now! Wheat Penny is a beautiful color for the door! I feel like the screen door does need to be painted whatever the door is so I will wait until I have all my colors chosen before I tackle that. Thanks for the advice all! I will study some color combos and share what I decide on!