That is an ignorant rule, IMO. Some one who is on the board who needs to take a course on architecture. Gingerbread houses typically are not white. Google some images on Martha's Vineyard.

Here is one out of maybe 50 photos which is white.

According to This Old House, "In the mid-1800s, when Italianate and Second Empire houses started dotting America, paint colors were muted and earthy owing to their natural pigments. Reds and browns, for instance, were derived from ferric oxides. By the 1880s, when the exuberant Queen Anne style became popular, synthetic pigments allowed for vivid blues, greens, purples, and yellows; also common were multihue schemes that celebrated the style’s diverse architectural details, such as turned porch spindles and fish-scale shingles under the eaves." So, you can go wild and stay in period.

What I notice is that the white of your porch railing spindles doesn't match the warmer white of your brick. I think navy and white with a bit of red trim looks great. But, a bit of turquoise would bring a very different look to the same house.

You could also add a very strong color like red in very small doses.

North King St, Leesburg VA · More Info

This next one is yellow, but it has several shades of yellow, which subtly show the details

Artist's Victorian - Alameda, CA · More Info

What colors do you love?

I also noticed the very white on your railings, that does not match the creamy white of the house. That definitely needs changing. I like the idea of a bit of turquoise somewhere. It was quite common on gingerbread type houses. I like the idea of navy blue too.

We are hoping to change out the railings entirely as they were added by a previous owner to keep their dog from squeezing through. I’m not sure that would have been the original design of those spindles. I do actually love yellow and was leaning towards trying to incorporate it without it looking like a bright canary yellow. There are quite a few other cottages that went with navy blue. And a couple with pink on the trim pieces. I appreciate the input!

For the original design of the spindles, take long walks around your neighborhood, looking for similar houses. Many will have been replaced over the years and they may not all be the same, but you'll have an idea. Your neighbor's spindles look pretty similar to yours.

The neighbors cottage was actually rebuilt in the 90s. They are spindles with a little detail like you can buy at Lowe’s. Ours are just square blocks at this point.

Just getting porch details in sync with gingerbread style will do wonders since that is about all you see from the front. In addition to spindles you could do corner brackets on first floor to match the design of under the eaves on top. Next step - add a lush, over the top, cottage style flower garden! Have fun with it and do post "after" pics!

My husband insisted we leave the flower bed mostly empty until he is done fixing some things underneath the cottage. I will definitely be going for cottage style flowers after that!