I agree.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><md>Do you plan on painting the outside lights the same color as your door I think that small fix would compliment all the faciel. Don’t know if you have a gate in front but that house definitely deserves one

I would remove the bottom window grids, and just keep the top

Do you mean the grills in the windows? They are inside the glass - can't remove. Thanks for the photo though.

The outside lights are black, so they will be the same colour as the door, once it is painted.

Do you think the Dragon's Breath for shutters and black for the door would work? I like the greeny kind of colour that the plants bring in the spring which is why I liked the Dragon's Breath (kind of green, brown and grey). Or do you think a different colour is better? Thank you so much! :)

shutters! around here almost all houses have them and hardly any follow the ”houzz rule” about width- we all know the shutters are decor only and not functional!

IMO the house looks better without shutters and IMO all homes need a walkway to the front door from the road and that would add a lot to your house The planters should be much larger and in black filled with colorful seasonal plantings and the lights in black for sure.The landscaping in front needs a good trim and cleanup too.

Looks like the shutters were there at some point. Unless you’re going to do real ones, don’t do them at all. Focus on the plantings instead.

I’d paint the door first, then re-evaluate the question. The trim on your house is substantial and it’s possible the shutters will just make the front look overcrowded. You’re house is quite pretty. The front landscaping needs to be cut back, May different plantings.

Would you do a black door and Dragon's Breath shutters or vice versa? Or would you do the same colour for both? Thanks:)

Maybe someone can photoshop a black door before you paint it, but I think it would look dramatic and classic.

I think I'll paint the door black then decide on shutters:) Thank you!

Have you given any thought to painting the wide band of white with a similar color to the bricks?

We had actually done that originally. Since it was stucco, it looked out of place. It also was not at the same level as the brick. We added trim work to make it level/flush and kept it the original colour - and it seems to look much better. Thank you though:)

I really like the Georgian style of your house. I think a black front door would look good. Keep the stucco white.

You could do a dark blue (almost navy) or a hunter green for the shutters.

So keep the colour on the shutters, not the door? Keep the door black. Thanks:)

Houssaon’s photo shows your house with a black door and with all the dramatic trim around it, I think it adds elegance to your house. I’m still not sure about shutters....

Very classic, formal home which deserves appropriate symmetrical foundation plantings. Change the landscaping, paint the door and fretwork, then decide about the shutters.

The landscaping is only a year old....what needs to be changed or what would you recommend?

http://images.traditionalhome.mdpcdn.com/sites/traditionalhome.com/files/slide/101478345_w.jpg

A selection of no more than 3 /4 plants, example; boxwood, hydrangea, hosta, rose bush. Starting at left edge of left window...proceeding to right edge of right window...nothing higher than bottom of window. The "classic arrangement" is very stately and manicured. What you have now is a Mullet hairdo atop a Chanel couture suit.

So I need help. Would you keep anything that I already have and add to it? There's a lot in the photo you sent, but I like it - it's simple and has layers.

I have a porch that was overpowered by the landscaping. So I went to a local nursery and paid the landscape designer to come up with a plan that wouldn’t have anything grow too high. (Most of what she suggested were dwarf varieties, so start researching those. ) They are lower maintenance (which was a priority for me) but really pretty. It’s worth talking to a professional. She came to visit and spent over an hour talking to me and sketching ideas. Two weeks later we met to discuss her plan, made some slight changes and started some of the planting this year. (I ripped out everything that was there.). This spring it looked ten times better because you could finally see my porch!

Sorry, none of your current plantings are suitable. Your comment "simple and has layers" tells me you instinctively recognize what works with your home's style. Budget has to be considered; if possible add a center walk as Patricia suggested and deepen the plant beds. After deciding on the scope of work (just replacing plants or a demo) find a local plant nursery and pay them to do on-site measurements. It will take several years for everything to "fill in" but, you will enhance your curb appeal ten-fold.

We went around today to the local greenhouses. Not too many hedge options for our climate (Northwestern Ontario). Boxwood is not recommended, not is cedar as it browns and the deer eat it. The main recommendation is cotoneaster hedge or a caragana hedge. Thoughts on this one?

I liked the yew, but we can't find many and it is borderline 3-4 zone (we need a 3 zone). Another option is an aspen currant hedge, which I also can't find.

The recommendations of the landscaper are to just do the one hedge, nothing behind it. What do you think? Would you keep any of the shrubs behind? Or add something to them? We thought of keeping the hydrangea, then adding two more to each side (like a second row behind the hedge) but not sure as it will block the window. What do you think?

Thanks again.

I am going to vote no on shutters.

RedRyder and chiflipper, you've made more work for me! lol:)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_botanical_gardens_in_Canada

Scroll down to Ontario section, be specific on your location, write a nice letter (I need plants to replicate this "look") and enclose the photo I posted, request help in locating plant vendors. Autumn is a great time to do this as they aren't "working" outside during the winter.

please comment on my thread

Check out this discussion on Houzz - https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5835425/need-opinion-on-exterior-windows-trim-and-shutters