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Emily Hurley Love the house! I think shutters would add a lot of interest, actually. Here are a few examples I found.

judyg Wow! What an adorable house.

Match your grey roof and just paint the trim around the windows.

I like everything about the picture I am posting, including the patio. Could you do something like this?

As for your front door, whatever color you have going on in the room it swings into, coordinate. Or, a great black/pine green to go with the outside.

May I ask where you are?

Barbara Griffith Designs Definitely shutters on the 2 windows. Do you have any pictures of the front door and that side of the house?

aniluap2 I second shutters it will look even more charming. How about a grayish black I think BM has one . Would look more interesting than straight black. Or if you're a color person French blue shutters like the ones in the Jo McDonald photo that Emily Hurley sent would look interesting as well.

rosecottagehome Emily, Judy and Barbara, thanks so much for the vote of approval for shutters and the pictures. I am loving the light grey shutters and will go with that colour for sure. I am in Canada. The picture of the Dream Cottage was my inspiration for the profile of the front of my reno on my Rose CottageHome and it sat on Page 1 of my planning and design binder I prepared for my contractor. I can indeed do a small side sitting patio along with my colonial sun dial. I do not yet have a picture of the front door as it has not come yet to be installed and the plywood door is there for now. We have ordered a 3/4 oval leaded glass textured door with a full leaded glass working side lite beside. It will swing into a newly added small entrance way with vaulted ceiling which has one of those smaller windows and will have a antique black hall console with large antique black and gold gilded trimmed mirror and a seeded glass urn pendant light hanging. So I was thinking a black door. What do you think about a light grey cultured field stone on the eyebrow bump out area instead of the white siding. It was in the original plan, but not sure yet if I will have budget left to do this.
Thanks again for your replies and suggestions. I greatly appreciate your feedback, since I have designed this entire project myself, with a little help and inspiration from Houzz of course.

Interiors International, Inc. I really love this house. Where is it located?

rosecottagehome Thanks also aniluap2. French Blue is an interesting choice as well. Once all the lights are up and the bench up. I will need to decide if light grey on the shutters or a French Blue.....sounds delightful.

rosecottagehome It is on a lake in Ontario Canada. Thank you, I am flattered that Interiors International Inc really loves it! Wow. I designed it myself with ideas and pics from Houzz without an architect or designer ( no offence). Just me and my amazing contractor/builder/carpenter. All $$ had to go into the budget. I will post a pic of the lake side, not yet completely finished in the photo I have, but you can get the idea.

libradesigneye I'm going to suggest gray on the shutters and french blue for your front door - it is a cottage lake house and you can always change it to black later on - live a little with a bright happy entry cottage door!

rosecottagehome libradesigneye.........french blue on the front door with grey on the shutters. I like it! Thanks. I will be checking out paint chips soon.

Aja Mazin The house is exquisite.

decoenthusiaste The eyebrow window is charming on its own. I would draw the eye to it by adding shutters to the tiny windows. Use a real single shutter that could close over the window. Use one per window and mount them on the far sides so they swing away from the eyebrow and serve as pointers to it. Use nice shutter dogs to hold them back. I would put a lovely flower box full of red geraniums under the eyebrown window.Can you grow lavender there? That would make a wonderful filler for the front space. Paint it and the door French blue, and please post the results!

rosecottagehome What a beautiful idea decoenthusiaste for the front! I was thinking the traditional louvered shutters on both side of the smaller windows, but to have one real working shutter that could even close for the winter is more charming. I will need to google what " shutter dogs" are! LOL Love the idea of one planter box in french blue under the eyebrow window. The window faces north, so red impatience with trailing ivy and blue Lobelia will do nicely. thanks so much. I love your suggestions.

aniluap2 One shutter is a great idea with great hinges and dogs( they hold the shutter against the wall) and you may want to consider panel shutters with a cut-out on them like a fish or sailboat since it is a lake house. It may be too cutesy for you but just something to consider. A while ago Houzz did an article on shutter with cut-outs it may give you an idea if how they look.

judyg rosecottage has posted twice. Not fair to all respondents?
http://www.houzz.com/discussions/336587/Rose-Cottage-before-and-almost-after

rosecottagehome Sorry about this. I posted day ago on one and did not get any replies and found the post way back in the higher numbered pages and would not ever be seen. I really was hoping for feedback and suggestions as the project gets closer to completion, so thought I should try a different post. I am new at this on houzz and certainly did not mean to be unfair to any other posts. Please accept my apology.

Aja Mazin rosecottagehome,

Not to worry!

judyg is obviously a tattletale.

What an amazing transformation!

It must have required great love, lots of energy, and great taste!

decoenthusiaste rosecottagehome - Just a note; I would do solid, not louvered, shutters. I think if you're attempting a bit of French style, I would not do the cutouts. It was a good suggestion, but these should be pointers to the eyebrow and not call attention to themselves. Did you learn about shutter dogs? So glad you like my idea, and I think your plan for the window box is great! It appears you have some space between the house and the retaining wall for a sweet garden. That's where I was envisioning the lavender, or some other spiky purple plant - I love red and purple flowers together!

J L Thompson Design Group The Exterior Details will complete your charming cottage, below is a remodel I designed that may give you some ideas! Let me know how it turns out!

rosecottagehome Aja, decoenthusiaste and JL Thompson Design Group, thank you so much for your kind words, in spite of my unknowing error of posting twice, and your suggestions and lovely cottage pictures, which have my colours going on. That is the charm I am trying to capture in Rosecottage. I love the suggestion of lavender, relaxed and colourful, along with a window box stuffed full of red and green. I think my zone 5 can grow a perennial version, I will check into this when I start to landscape the place. The landscaping on your design is perfect! I was actually initially going to go with 2 dormers, but couldn't get past the eyebrow design which I find so unique. Thanks again for your feedback, much appreciated.

rosecottagehome decoenthusiaste I did indeed search houzz for shutter ideas and am now familiar with shutter dogs, and the one single shutter design, shutters with cut outs as you suggested. This project would have looked a whole lot different, had it not been for the great ideas shared on houzz! Thanks.

J L Thompson Design Group You are welcome! I am not sure what you are planning, but here is another angle of the landscaping showing the great waterfall.

rosecottagehome Absolutely lovely! Thanks for sharing your work.