Yes, take them down! Get nice interior shades or shutters.

If the homeowner wants to keep the shades, I suggest dark green with black edging. Light colored edging gets dirty in nothing flat.

This house has way too much charm and character to replace those tired awnings which look totally inconsistent with a Victorian. Light control must come from the interior.

Interior window treatments such as shades/shutters will not help with protection from the sun, heat, UV and glare. Many studies show that it is best to use exterior awnings to prevent the heat from penetrating the glass. See the link below for some of these studies: http://www.retractableawnings.com/3-university/195-energy-studies.html

I would recommend replacing the existing awnings with either one of the two RETRACTABLE models at the links below:
http://www.retractableawnings.com/side-arm-drop-arm-awnings/trieste.html
http://www.retractableawnings.com/canopy-awnings/trevi.html