SFGate

claudiann The windows look closed up. Are those window boxes underneath ? If so they look shallow and skimpy. I would take everything off. I think your home would look fresher and newer. Same for the landscaping . A blank slate would help you decide what to do next. I like the brick color. I think black shutters would look nice on the smaller windows. Your house looks tall from the ground to the windows. Landscaping would make a difference.

The Virtual Designer- Kitchens & Bathrooms Hello- I've taken it upon myself to make you up an ideasbook and I've made comments here and there. Contact me if you have any problems view it. In the meantime, I've done a bit of scribbling over your photo.

onthefence If you can live without the awnings, I say make them go away. They don't really seem to flatter your charming house at all.

I'm bad with paint colors - and not much of a gardener either - but I really feel you need some plants in front. Something really green (not some of the shrubs that are gray-green). IMO what is most flattering to red brick is green foliage and flowers. Check with a local nursery for recommendations on what will grow well in your area. It's been our experience that the smaller nurseries are sometimes almost like hobbiests and will happily talk about what is successful locally.

lkeis914 @claudiann - we actually just added those window boxes this past summer. When they are full (spring and summer) they look a lot better. I definitely agree with you that our windows are all closed up...we can't even get our inside plants to bloom because they get very little sunlight!! I would LOVE to get rid of the awnings, but we would need to replace all the windows. I'm wondering if there is a way to make them look better without ditching them just yet. Thoughts? Thanks for the honest feedback.

@thenvirtualdesigner - wow! How generous! Thank you so much! How do I view the ideabook? I'm having trouble finding it.

@onthefence- thanks for the landscaping tips! I love the idea of more green foliage as opposed to the gray/green boxwoods (I hate those things!). We have a great little nursery in town...I'll call them up to see if they'll draw up a plan for us.

Anyone else have an idea of paint colors? Darker awnings and lighter trim? Grays? Or Browns? A pop of color that's not too much? Im so lost! Thanks in advance!

The Virtual Designer- Kitchens & Bathrooms Hi- if you go searching for me on houzz you'll find my little world hidden away with all my ideasbooks. Hope you find it. Message me again if you can't.
Overnight I had another think about your house and if you really didn't want to spend too much money right now, here's what I'd do:- Paint the awnings a colour somewhere between your overall brick color and the color of your roof. To achieve this, you can go to a hardware and buy two paint sample pots, one a similar brick colour and the second a similar color to the roof. While you are there, grab a large sheet of thin MDF board (that's what we call it in Australia, you might call it something else, sort of a cross between cardboard and particle board) and about 1/4 of an inch thick. Start painting on the board by mixing the 2 colors together bit by bit in differering strengths. Go crazy so that you have lots of color patches to choose from until you find a colour that your happy with. Then go back and get another sample pot of the new color that you've created and try to paint both your awnings as well as the planters and perhaps the shutters. Stand back and see if you like it. I am a colorist myself and I carry on with this sort of foolish behaviour all the time. Sounds crazy but it works.