Curb Appeal

I was looking at Friday's post, where the shot of my home from before we took possession of it, is front an centre.  And I was thinking about how it is going to look next spring.  Right before we got the keys, I wrote to Canadian design superstar, Michael Penney, and asked him what he thought.  Michael loves older homes, especially ones with quirky design and architectural details like mine.  These are the paint colours he recommended:

Farrow & Ball - Pavilion Grey

Farrow & Ball - White Tie

I decided to do a little photoshopping to see how Michael's ideas would look.

Before

After

   The medium  gray-brown tone would go over the cedar shake shingles.  I have really hemmed and hawed this one.  I love the weathered grey look of cedar shake shingles when they have aged naturally.   Unfortunately, the previous owners put a sealant on the shake, turning it a dark brown colour.  I just don't think it looks so great with the brick.  I think that lightening up the shingles would be really nice.  

And the warm white for the trim is perfect.  Maybe a dark charcoal door?

   Also on our huge to-do list for the spring is the front garden.  There is an enormous maple tree on the front lawn that provides perfect partial shade to the house.  We have been working to create a landscape plan for this area that includes rounding out the walkway to soften it, removing the overgrown cedars, putting window boxes up under the bay windows, and planting a ton of perennial shrubs.  I am thinking about enlisting a pro landscape designer to help me with the overall design of this area.  I love gardening but would require something low maintenance and simple. 

 And white.  I really only dig white flowers (pun intended).  Especially hydrangeas.

What do you think?  Do you have any suggestions for paint colours?  Do you think the paint colour for the shingles should be a little 'grey-er' to tie in with the driveway?

xo Meg