would love to see that antique door. New landscaping would be very good indeed, as would a bit wider, raised panel shutters. You might want to get some landscape drawings BEFORE you paint. I might not paint at all. Rather like the brick, black and white, it's classic, and matches the design of this lovely house.

Traditionally shutters closed to protect the windows during a storm. Today shutters are fixed and often the wrong size. Your shutters should be half the width of your windows.

We have a brick home and love it. Do not paint the brick or you'll be stuck painting it again and again. Natural brick is practically carefree. When we bought our home, it had black shutters. After a while I wanted color so painted them a gray-blue. I quickly tired of that but still wanted color so I tried a burgundy. Now I know I should have stayed with black. It's classic and such a clean look. Of course not all brick would call for black. You have to go with the color of your roof and the colors in your brick to make a perfect choice.

Landscaping: If you like a formal look, trim the shrubbery from one end to the other using a level. That means the ones growing on the lower end of the slope will be taller but the eye will see a clean line across the front of your house. You have a lot of shade so you could fill in around the shrubs with hostas. They come in a huge variety of sizes and colors and they multiply like crazy! Very easy to grow. Also. Lenten roses are easy to grow in the shade and stay green in the winter so you could plant those behind the shrubs because the hostas will die back in the winter. Actually, it would be helpful to know where your home is located (zone) so we can give you real planting advice. Azaleas give a lot of bang for the buck. They keep their leaves and have vibrant colored flowers -- some bloom twice a year (Encore). Mix in some ferns. Mine are perennials and beautiful year around. Try the fishtail, the Japanese painted, and the cinnamon ferns for a start. You want variety in textures and colors. Do not remove the shrubs you already have. As long as they are healthy, leave them alone. It would be very expensive to replace them with another plant in that size.

In your sunnier location, put in some iris, daylilies, daffodils, heuchera, Japanese bottlebrush, agapanthus, cone flowers, and black-eyed susan.

Allium, too.

Thank you for all the responses so far! I'll get a picture of the door this week. We live in Raleigh, NC if that helps.

Zone 7b. I live in Athens, GA zone 7. I thought your home/yard looked too lush not to be in the south. ;-)

I'd for sure would consult a landscaper/maintenance company regarding the shrubbery. I'm not a fan of shearing shrubs into squares or balls, so maybe letting them come back naturally and doing a little hand pruning would fix that, rather than starting anew. A few newish plantings in the gaps, or in front of the older shrubs in an expanded bed might spiff things up.

The brick/black/white scheme is lovely. Wouldn't change it at all. One thing you might consider is a custom chimney cap. Since you've got the curved iron detail at the front, it does draw your eye up, and something kind of special on that chimney might be a great add.

I too agree that the colours you have are perfect for the house. It all looks very classic and smart.
Some more lower scale planting to fill out the beds will make a big difference to soften the garden and frame the house.
I would add some classic planter boxes at each side of the front steps to make more of the entrance. These could be seasonally planted or have a classic ball shape box or similar plant. If you make these your feature, the rest of the garden could be much lower maintenance.

I suggest banding the fascia in SW Urbane Bronze with a dentil molding. Also painting the shutters the same color. This will add a bit of dressing to the design.

Remove the bushes from the immediate entry and following the line of the curve of the entry with a brick curved area that encircles it about 4 feet wide. You will need to raise the left portion of the grade to accomplish this. Additionally, a small wall (about 1-2 foot high) with recessed lighting. I would add a curved bench(s) on the left side the same color as the shutters and a planter.

I can't discern what the current walkway is comprised of but I would continue with the brick in keeping with the southern elegance.

Landscaping has been covered to perfection by the previous posters.

Add red plants, change shutters, maybe plant door red( always pop on doors)

Typo
Paint

I love SW Urbane Bronze! I did not know about this color until now and I think it's perfect, thank you! The walkway is brick.

The landscaping advice is all much appreciated. We need help big time in this department!

I like your home just the way it is! Maybe trim the bushes below the windows and widen the shutters. Painting the brick can cause all kinds of problems.

I would not change your house but focus on the landscaping instead. I would like to see wider front beds. The best thing to do is to contact a landscape architect in your area and make sure you see their portfolio. General ideas can be given here but to really come up with a good design factors such as sun exposure, type of soil and drainage are needed. Your house is beautiful with an old, outdated and unimaginative planting it will be stunning in the hands of a professional. Your brick is beautiful and will be the perfect backdrop.

The College of Design, NC State Univ., is a great place to start for fresh ideas. Incorporate a couple of students who are looking for experience and part-time work to access your landscape and draw up a plan.

There are so many gardens to draw inspiration from right there in Raleigh! Here's a list of places to take the children for a stroll. Be sure to take your camera.


http://www.visitraleigh.com/things-to-do/recreation/gardens/

What a great idea to tap into the College of Design @ NC State! Raleigh is so full of beautiful places, we love living here.

Paint the shutters black and trim the color of the mortar (maybe a cream color) don't paint the brick you will regret it if you plan on living there a long time. Landscaping would give it a lot newer look. Good luck! Pretty house love the curve and columns

tia_ns My son graduated from UGA with a degree in landscape architecture. As if that wasn't enough, then he got his masters in architecture at TX A&M. We are very fortunate to have such a talented member of our family. He "sees" every detail!