This is stunning…I searched under MA traditional exteriors. I remember this house from a visit to my friend in Newburyport.

A commitment…but love the green door with the blue..

thank you for posting these pictures - interesting... as I noted some of these pictures myself on Houzz searching for ideas - looks like I am on the same page with you guys

Beautiful house. Luv it. Color. I will have to think on it.

Love the white with maybe black or dark grey shutters and trim

Absolutely gorgeous! I vote white with black shutters and bright glossy door!

Your question may seem simple, but the answer is not necessarily simple....The house is beautiful and truly a classic 4-corner Farm-House style. The question I would ask myself first is what kind of climate you have. Typically this home-style is found in the Midwest or East Coast. With that as my guiding light, I would acknowledge that the crisp white of a snowfall can make even the brightest white look dingy. For that reason, I would recommend a rich creamy white with really dark black-green shutters. The trim I would do a really white-white, which will always look bright against the cream siding. I would also do the window trim in the same white. The front door can be the same black-green in a super -gloss.

Beautiful interior. House soft yellow, trim warm white (Ben Moore seashell is nice) medium to dark gray shutters, take out the bushes, put in some pink minature knock out rose bushes.

Oh and door dark gray gloss.

I'm not sure how to word this but here's the question I would ask, MAYBE, OR NOT. If you paint it a color YOU want before they approve it, is there any time line prior to that, that can come back to bite you and make you change it? Or should you ask them first anyway so then you are "in the good"? Since you are asking for suggestions, it sounds like you have not set your heart on any particular one so certainly looking at the appropriate historic colors would be agreeable to you. I liked @chrisinky comments. ( if you paint the porch ceiling sky blue, hornets and wasps do not nest and spiders don't build their webs under your porch if it is the right shade of blue.) This looks like South Carolina though. Are your neighbors in this historic designation also? I would not want my house color to be the same as my neighbors, so that would have a bearing on my decision, if It was my house ( hey, a girl can dream!!! right?) There are benefits and headaches associated with being in a historic home so I'd be looking at all the benefits I could find! Looks like some azaleas (red ruffles in the front) would a natural here along with some camellias, magnolias and rhododendron, peonies and bulbs flowering in the spring. Don't forget the birdbaths. Whenever life gives you the opportunity, plant a dogwood and hang the American flag.

That's neat about the blue ceiling!

Yes, porch ceiling sky blue is a great thing..I used to have one.

Great comments everyone - Thank you. The house is in Charlotte (close to downtown) and in historic district but not all houses around are historic. I was wondering if the climate has anything to do with choice of off-white color . I will inquire first with the preservation people if i need their approval as they will likely agree on the white/black exterior (one of my options anyway but yellow or gray were also my strong options) . This way I am covered. Did not think about blue ceiling on the porch - good idea

Outstandingly beautiful !! An off white, with trim in 3 shades of the same green as accents. WOW!!

http://www.sherwin-williams.com/home-builders/color/education/sw-article-pro-thewhysbehind.html

I agree with the Color People above. I can't see the green too well, but I would go with a creamy white on the siding, an off white and green are just yummy together. Beautiful home btw.

Wanted to say I a very happy, relieved, if fact some one like you bought this beautiful home and is appreciating the craft and skill that went in to making them. To think this house has stood the test of time and still loved by many.
That said, if I am ever in Charlotte, my I come see your home?
Have you found the corner stone with the date?

Is that Charlotte, NC?? Gorgeous home! love it. Think about the classic colors and enjoy living in such an unbelievable house!

What about these colors?

NO. Not for that period. However, they are very pretty on the house shown.

Stunning home, I'm jealous. That circular driveway would look great done in cobblestones and larger pole lantern, new canvas awning once house color is determined.

I know that area. I was born in Charlotte Presbyterian Hospital. It has really been a booming area. That and Raleigh/Durham area. My sister and I have an old family home about 45 mins east of Charlotte, past Matthews and Monroe.
The above site in my prior note is one I found today about "blue porch ceilings". Oddly, I had almost forgotten my grandparents using the word "haint" in the "have not" or "hasn't" meaning. They would say "She haint done a thing today!" My grandfather's dialect was a sing-song, almost Irish sounding. They had MANY regional words and sayings. Haint also means "ghost". An old Christian culture in the NW belived that ghosts could not travel over water so they also would paint their window sills blue to look like water.

Have you considered the palest of pinks for your base (with the creamy white and grey/charcoal/ black shutters) ?

Just took a few more shots of the house today to show the front better - the front door is stained mahogany (appears original, maybe isn't) - was thinking to just re-stain the door but like some of you suggested maybe I should just repaint it - the side awning is gone and so is the railing on the front stairs (was not original, and looked bad). The stairs I wanted to redo in brick - apparently not so easy... but will look into it more

apparently pictures did not attach - operator's error :-) Thank you, by the way, for all of your great comments - so many good ideas...

@bilety I don't see them!

I LOVE a pale, pale creamy yellow with black or charcoal grey shutters...(judy) :-)

What a gorgeous home... We have nothing like it here... I would paint it white - what can I say I'm a neutral girl. I would select a grey from the roof for the shutters as I've never liked federation green and a dark gloss grey for the door.

This is too much, I know but muuuch paler than that. You would be classic and historic but not the usual. Your foliage will pop with s pale pink or at least a pale yellow. I love white but when every house is the same and just as you would expect, well...it's boringly (?) beautiful. Seriously think pale, soft, sweet pink...you've got the right roof and you can do creamy white on columns...

...these house are HUGE & BEAUTFIUL! I wish!!

I would get rid of the awning and if you don't go black on the shutters do essex green...get rid of the railing on the front stairs...it looks like a club going up the middle! You are lucky to have the house it has great curb appeal! cement drive way is not very classic!

one more thing..the 3rd flr windows- the muttons are wrong...need to be more true to true divided...you can order grills that will make them look amazing!

Remove first floor shutters.

The white/dark color is classic, as is the exterior detailing. Pale creamy yellow and black or dark green was popular.

I haven't a clue what grows well in your area but, I would do something about the "meatball" pruned shrubbery - remove some of them and replace with flowering perennials and less dense evergreens. A more natural look that lets you see more of the porch would look good.

A small flowering tree or two - dogwood or saucer magnolia - at the ends of the porch would soften the look.

Please hold off on doing anything other than essential repair on the outside until preliminary approval for historic designation is obtained. If you are going for state tax credits, this almost always needs to be done BEFORE work commences. Above all, don't install artificial siding or replacement windows, which is an automatic disqualifier, at least it is where I live.

Interior changes will be reviewed as well for the designation, although generally not eligible for tax credits except for certain mechanical and structural upgrades. Flooring, plaster repair, paint, etc.. is not eligible for tax credits. They may frown on knocking down too many walls or adding false "period" details without documentation. Additions and modernization is allowed, but should be hidden from street view if possible.

Essentially, designation is reserved for buildings of outstanding architectural and or historic merit (such as if someone significant to your community lived there, or something important to your community happened there). Priority is given to architectural integrity and original materials--even the color of the roof shingles may be regulated. It looks like the left side of the porch was enclosed some time ago, as was part of the wrap-around on the right. These may be really old changes, so could be historic in their own right, and the sun room may be original. They will also want to know if you plan on altering any outbuildings on the site.

In other, words you need to submit really detailed plans along with documentation of the history of the house and old and current photos or blueprints, if they are available. Ask the previous owners and the original family that built the house. Your local historical society can help, and the library might have Sanborn Maps and city directories and other resources that might help. Newspaper and geneology A title search at the courthouse will establish the chain of ownership, and local records might have past building permits on file, although probably only for the past 20-40 years or so. Many people hire an architectural historian to help complete the forms, or at least do parts that require specialized knowledge, such as the architectural description.

To add to the confusion, there are several types of historic designation--there is local designation, which you may already have if it is a contributing structure in a locally-designated historic district, which means you will have to go through design review for any major changes to the façade, possibly for other changes (local regulations vary). State designation generally follows national guidelines, but is required for tax credits for residential property (federal tax credits only covers commercial property).

It gets pretty complicated, so please consult the historic preservation department of the City of Charlotte's Planning Department for guidance. Here are some links that can be useful.

Local
http://www.cmhpf.org/ (they have a number of house histories online--indexed by name of original builder or owner)
http://historiccharlotte.org/

City
The city does not regulate paint color, but it does regulate hardscape and fences and tree removal. Repairs and minor changes can be approved by the Planning Department without design review, even if property is in a historic district.

FAQ and contacts: http://ww.charmeck.org/Planning/HDC/commonQuestions.pdf
Districts: http://charmeck.org/city/charlotte/planning/HistoricDistricts/Pages/home.aspx
Policies and Guidelines (good guide even if not in a district)
http://ww.charmeck.org/Planning/HDC/PolicyDesignGuidelines.pdf

State Historic Preservation Office--source for listing on state/national register, tax credits
http://www.hpo.ncdcr.gov/presorgs.htm
http://www.hpo.ncdcr.gov/bibliog.htm (house may be included on historic inventory)
http://www.hpo.ncdcr.gov/tchome.htm (NOTE: can qualify for up to 30% tax credit for residential, but will expire at the end of 2014)

http://www.presnc.org/T/Preservation-Answers/
(state nonprofit--good reference materials, especially for windows http://www.presnc.org/Preservation-Answers/Historic-Windows-Resource-Page )

National
How to apply: http://www.nps.gov/nr/national_register_fundamentals.htm#start
Standards: http://www.nps.gov/tps/standards/rehabilitation.htm#Guidelines
Techniques--briefs and tech notes have a lot of good information for specific issues, such as masonry and windows and siding: http://www.nps.gov/tps/how-to-preserve.htm

Windows:
The windows look pretty good in the photos. Here are some excellent resources for window repair and tools using steam paint removal:

http://www.historichomeworks.com/hhw/reports/reports.htm
http://www.oldewindowrestorer.com/steamstripper.html

I hope this isn't overwhelming. Your house looks like it has been well cared for and retains most of its original features, so you are at a good starting point. Good luck!

Take a look at Traditional Hone magazine October 2013 issue, starting page 70' "True Colors-Colonial Willamsburg and Benjamin Moore Paints Introduce a Revolutionary Palatte". "...likely the most brilliant and historically correct...". Of course, your city historical commission RULES!

Love the house, inside and out. I like a painted front door to be a brighter color of the main inside decor color - an intro to what is next, the inside. Same thing with some of the flowers. Does the porch have a rail? So many have been removed and I think should be put back. What style of house? Is it a four square, Prairie style, or something else? Enjoy!!

And to your original question:

I would classify it as Colonial Revival /American Foursquare. Pale body color and dark shutters are characteristic of this style, plus have the advantage of being somewhat easier to maintain because fading is less of a problem than with darker colors. A warm "antique" white is more characteristic of this period than bright whites, which didn't come onto the scene until after WWI--and became nearly ubiquitous after WWII. Brightly painted doors of various colors are actually a modern trend--in 1912, shutter or body color or stained wood, perhaps a subdued tone, such as brick red, was more common. The sky or robins egg blue ceiling is a Southern tradition, and does add a bit of interest to a large porch. Greys and browns are typical for porch floors and steps. This looks like a concrete floor might have replaced an earlier wood one.

As others mentioned, landscaping and porch furniture can be simple ways to add more interest to the façade. But your house was designed to be subdued and dignified and restrained--in contrast to the flamboyant Queen Anne houses that were becoming out of style at this time. If you do add a hint of color, I would keep it subdued and maintain low contrast between the siding and the window casings.

Excellent article on turn of the century color trends and the shift from dark to light trim: Page 2 has a historic color palette from the period of your house.

http://oldhousecolors.com/2007/10/16/the-great-divide-%e2%80%93-what-happened-to-colours-in-1900/
Lots of other good info: http://oldhousecolors.com/
(Incidentally, the parent company is going out of business in 2 month and is clearing out its inventory: http://www.historicstyle.com/ -- I don't know how much longer this site is going to be active)

http://www.historichousecolors.com/early20.html has some interesting examples with a bit of color

Beautiful home. I love the huge porch. Sherwin Williams has a color palette for historic colors. I'd love to see more pics of the inside. What other colors are the homes in the neighborhood?

Wow - lots of great information! Will take me some time to process all this (especially historic designation related issues - thank you victorianbungalowrsnch) but I will look it all up

I'm just posting so I can find out what you decide :) I don't comment on paints because they're not in my talent group :) Pretty much fainted when I clicked on your post. Our house was painted the same way when we moved in, the green and white classic. Now it's been updated but I think yours looks great the way it is. Much much larger than ours though :)
We couldn't even think about paint until we insulated. (no insulation/big house/moneyoutoldoldwindows :)) The interior looks wonderful, i'm sure you will be very happy!

I would try black, white and yellow! No images to attach. But the colors are gorgeous together!

do you like these?

Lovely, sophisticated !!!

If you have a mahogany (or any good wood) door in decent shape, don't paint. Wood is beautiful and fits the period. I love the house and that you are keeping it historic. We painted my 1912 house greyed blue (quite dark) with warm white trim and love it. (I should say that we did not check it's historic accuracy at the time. Front door is wood with original (I think) beveled oval glass window and original hand-beveled oval cut glass window beside it. I'd say landscaping and work on the driveway is your best bet.

My dilemma now is what railing to put on the non-traditional deck to bring it back in line. May have to start another discussion.

Did you decide on the outside colors yet? I'm sorry if I missed it going thru comments. I assume the deck is in the back? Try posting the pics on this thread first (if you haven't already started a new thread). Those who have read thru all of this info already know your thinking about exterior colors & how you need to make it seem somewhat historical.

@chrisinky: I am not original poster (@bilety is). That's why I said I might have to start a new thread. And, yes, it is in the back.

Oh, sorry. I didn't notice you weren't the original poster. I guess you did need a new thread then. :)

What a great house! I like the idea of black shutters, and a red door. It's classic and so is your gorgeous house!

PLEASE don't paint the door. I don't have a preference for house colors for you, but if the door is in good shape, just sand it and re-seal it. No matter what colors you paint the house, a wood door is, imho, always a warm invite inside.