Gutters and downspouts are utilities, not design items. You certainly don't want a brown vertical where you have downspouts. You want the closest match to your siding. Your inspo pic has a lot of roof going to gutters with no visible downspouts. I'm not sure that really practical in most parts of the US. The downspouts might have been photoshopped out or perhaps the gutters overflow when it pours. Your more horizontal house probably needs the downspouts where they are, which is not where you want to highlight an element.

I think you need a warmer white with the warm roof. I'd go with Westhighland White, it's a closer match to your inspo pic. Losing the shutters is a good idea.

I'll note you have a lot of asphalt, which is never beautiful and two chairs in front of some. I'd extend the garden bed to the end of the garage. If a main door is hidden by that garden, I'd move some of the shrubs. If you put some pavers in so you have a pretty patio and moved some of the shrubs hiding the door to the corners, you'd have a nice place to sit and have upgraded your curb appeal. If you need the overflow parking, replace with grass through pavers

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Thank you Sigrid! very good thoughts! funny, my interior walls are all westhighland white! Do you have an opinion on a shingle? I’m reading that weathered wood is a more warm shingle with red tones and driftwood is cooler with greys and bit of green.

I'd go with CertainTeed regardless of the color you choose. Better shingle all around.

you've got a lovely setting.

The weathered wood shingles sound nice, I would warm up the color with a hint of green and forget replacing the shutters, the window style isn't right for shutters.

One way to upgrade your curb appeal, which is not cheap, is to replace asphalt with pavers. It changes the look completely. We replaced asphalt with pavers when we improved/remodeled the house we owned in CA. Also did pavers when we built in FL. Unless you are in the northeast or another cold/snowy climate, pavers will last a long time. Another benefit of pavers is that if you ever need to repair any utilities under the driveway or have heaving due to tree roots, the pavers can be lifted up to fix the issues and then relaid.

Chispa, yes! I would love to do that but it’s not in the budget right now. We have a HUGE circle driveway! Can’t imagine how much it would be!

Thank you, Lyn! I’m glad everyone seems to agree on getting rid of the shutters! And thanks for the color idea!

Your house will never look like your inspo picture. It is an entirely different style of house. I agree with above, about the bronze gutters, etc, if you are painting the house a white color. The ones you have right now, blend in and are barely visible, which is how you want your gutters and downspouts to look. I would prefer a charcoal colored roof, with the white you want, rather than the colors you are considering. Losing the shutters is your choice, but, I would remove them carefully, because you may decide to put them back on, if the house looks too plain without them. I would redo, or at least add to your landscaping. Looks like you may have a front circle drive. It could use a good coat of sealer. Best thing to do, is to not try to make it look like what it isnt, and honor what it really is, and thats a very nice looking ranch house.

Cat_ky, thank you for the ideas! yes, I mainly like the color scheme of that house, so thats what I’m going for, although not sure if we should spring for the copper. It seems like white color gutters/downspouts are the most popular opinion! I think I’m now agreeing! Now wondering if i should have the trim and windows a different color, even if ever so slight, to break it up

I would get rid of those shutters for good. As they could never meet in the middle and protect your wide windows from wind and weather, they serve no purpose. They just sit there yelling "I'm fake" to all who pass by.

I do agree with cat_ky that it's a very nice house, and I, too, think it's better (as well as easier!) to embrace it for what it is.

Thank you Amy! I do love my house as a sprawling ranch, just wanting to pick the best colors because its a lot of money for a roof and painting! Agree on the shutters completely!! I’m kind of leaning toward keeping a grey roof and alabaster or similar paint and similar color gutters and downspouts!

Housegal, yes, sadly we really do need to repaint. Lots of peeling paint and areas the previous painters did not cut in. I will say the comments on a cute front patio have me thinking of a future project!

What a lovely home. Do you need a new roof? I don't know that the shingles you have chosen are all that much different than what you currently have. Here are your requested changes minus the down spouts. Sorry my program changed the pilasters.. This is the Certain Tweed roof.

On the other hand, fake-looking shutters were common on houses like this in the 20th century on traditional vaguely colonial-revival houses, and nobody had any expectations that they were actually functional like on a 19th century house. They were viewed as a way to add some color, and although the house looks nice without them, too, I think it's a little stark without them.

In the vocabulary of midcentury houses, the fake shutter is actually historically accurate, as is a modern picture window in an otherwise colonial-detailed house. There was no such thing as a Georgian or Colonial Ranch until the 1930s or 1940s, but now it's a historic style, with all it's "inaccurate" details.

Rough illustration, but could you get by with less parking?

Waiting for a photo of your kitchen that you want to show us because you love it.

Your house is nothing like the inspo pic so forget that. THe shutters need to go and downsputs and gutters should be as invisible as possible. The kitchen is nice and IMO suits the house alreay no need to copy the colors from the kitchen at all. The landscaping is in need of a huge revamp and losing some of thta driveway would be a huge plus.

I took the inspo pic to be a color scheme, since the OP asked about colors, not renovations. I really like it. White is overdone, but that warm white with a warm-brown roof is much less common than white with a charcoal roof. There is zero need to match the color of the asphalt. An asphalt driveway is a utility, not a design element to be coordinated with.

SigridSigurd, yes, I am wanting to pick paint and roof and gutter/downspout colors primarily at the moment. You explained my conundrum perfectly. Do I want to switch to a more brown tone roof and creamy white paint? I am drawn to that idea because it is more different than most homes I am seeing updated lately. Plus I love the cozy warm tones. The construction ideas are fun to think about for the future though! A front patio would be lovely!

Rho, the kitchen is the 4th photo! I hope it is showing up for you!

Palimpset, that is so interesting! Thank you for the history lesson, truly. I will keep the shutters just in case, although they are vinyl and not nice so I am guessing not original to the house. I would probably be better off having new ones made, but everything is expensive and we are renovating as we go little by little!

Such a charming house! I love a simple home with fabulous, lush landscaping - I'd think about getting a professional plan done for the front and then you can install over time

Design Interior South, yes we need a new roof. We have an insurance replacement due to hail. Thank you for the photo! I have been playing with photoshop and ChatGpt but I can’t get the roof to look right.

La_la girl, Thank you! I would love some lush landscaping as well! We have had the hardest time in the front bed because it is so shady. Pretty much shade all day. We have a new company now who is supposed to be working on getting us some ideas. Fingers crossed!

palimpsest, I had no idea that patently fake shutters were a common feature in "mid-century modest"* homes. Thanks for broadening my education!

I found a couple of links from MCM enthusiasts, with pictures to illustrate their differing POV.

https://makeitmidcentury.com/lets-talk-shutters/

https://midmod-midwest.com/shutters/

* That's not a typo. I got that term from Retro Renovation.

Would definitely give the landscaping some attention. YES to removing those shutters.

I *love* the color combo on your inspiration pic and think it would translate beautifully to your lovely sprawling ranch. The asphalt is plenty of grey for the front of your home, absolutely no need for the roof match the driveway.

I agree that holding on to the shutters is a good idea. They do add some visual interest to the home that I think is worthwhile. I wouldn't play with adding in a third trim color though.

Your kitchen is stunning. When you know you love living with a certain combo of colors, why not tranlate that into other areas of your home, be they inside or outside?

And yes, you have a ton of driveway. It is what it is. Wouldn't we all love to day dream up an extra hundred thousand for landscaping and pavers? It is truely not needed.

Thank you, Kendrah! Yes, if only we could dream up money for updates! I’m glad you like the color combo of my inspo house. I just need to figure out the shingle color to make it happen. I am feeling tempted to keep it grey out of fear of not getting it right. We can’t simply redo it if I don’t like it!

I've been reading through your thread for the last couple of days. I agree with most others that the shutters aren't right for your windows. You have lovely, bold trim on your windows and the shutters don't do anything to enhance that.

Do you have samples of both shingles? How do they read to you, in your light? If you're looking for a creamy white, I painted my trim in SW Alpaca, reduced to 75%. It's a true off white that doesn't give any obvious undertones on my east facing house. It may look like a dark color on the swatches, but it doesn't read dark in the bright, outside light.

Katinparadise, thank you for commenting! I do have both shingle samples and they look almost identical to me. From what I read online, OC driftwood is a cooler grey brown with hints of green and CT weathered wood is a warmer grey brown with hints of red. My house faces a hair west of north.

I like the inspiration photo - a lot!

White downspouts will melt into the background. Unless you go with ($$$) copper, I would make all those necessary features the same color as the house.

Medium gray roof shingles are the easiest and best (IMO) because they will look good when it’s time for a new paint job and you paint the body of the house something else. Grey shingles are versatile .

The 4th photo shows a kitchen with stairs off to our right going to a basement.

More cream and wood toned roof inspo:

A grey roof looks super sad to me by comparision.

Rho, yes, that is my kitchen! We have a small basement under the living space adjacent to the kitchen.

Kendrah, I love those photos! That is exactly the look I have been chasing! Now the question is how do I make it happen?! I think the CT weathered wood might have a warmer hue than OC driftwood so maybe that would be better.

Ok I have been playing with photoshop and chatgtp on my phone. Here is a brown tone roof vs grey roof on my house

RedRyder, thank you! I have decided to definitely keep the gutters/downspouts white! I agree a grey roof would be easier and seems safer to me, but the warmer brown is just pulling at my heartstrings!

The brown tone roof will be lovely with warm white paint. I'd go for it!

The brown shingles in the photos at the top are lovely too. Keep the white more creamy than “stark” and those roof tiles will look fabulous.

Simplynatural, thank you, I really think it would look great. I am just back to my original problem of figuring out the shingle and paint colors to achieve this look.

alabaster paint

copper accents on weather vane and lanterns

brown shingles

I don't think the above color is a true representation of what SW Alabaster or similar choices like Ben Moore Whte Dove or SW Greek Villa look like. They are not as yellow in day light. I think your outcome will be more similar to this

annnndddd because I am here LOL here is your gutters and down spouts copper as well

You could ask the roofing company if they've installed any roofs in those colors that you could drive by. A small shingle example makes it tough to picture the full roof-it's such a massive portion of your house. When I did my roof, I went with the cooler brown/gray because I didn't want any hints of red. It definitely still reads warm because the blue gray in the shingles is so much less prominent than the brown.

Design Interior South, thank you for the photos!! I like the look with white or copper gutters. I guess I will go with white because I know the copper color won’t be bright for long. Actually I found a linen color gutter that matches well with alabaster. Love the garden too!

Katinparadise, I have driven by so many houses its not funny! I drove by CT weathered wood today and it looked sad. I then drove by OC driftwood and it looked calm. I might have made up my mind. I am just so scared of commitment! It sounds like you have a similar color to driftwood. I’m glad it still reads warm.

Well it sounds as though you've seen all you need to see. It is a big commitment for sure. I did my roof in 2021 and I've been happy with it since. I'm sure you will too once it's done.

More grass; no shutters; paint the window trims a color.

As for your idea of a weathered wood shingle roof (which is lovely), but your inspiration photo has the real deal. I don't see that look on your ranch.

Ever considered a metal roof?