White House Black Door

Some of you may remember this post from January when I shared a photo of a house that could be my dream home.  I love historical-looking Georgian style homes - especially those painted white with black shutters.

Of course the house we did buy has none of the structural qualities found in Georgian architecture, but
one of the first items on the list of renovations was to have the exterior painted white and to replace the shutters.

Here is the before again...the stucco was painted a taupy-gray color with white trim and black vinyl shutters.

We decided to paint all of the stucco white including the trim around the windows.  

I love the crisp white compared to the gray that was there before.

We also decided to replace the shutters with pine instead of vinyl. They will require more maintenance, but I am in love with the new shutters.  I think they complement the house very well.  I am a fan of louvered shutters.  It took me about 5 conversations with the builder before he finally relented.  He wanted to custom build board and batten shutters for this house since it does have a more "European look" - his words, not mine.  I stood firm though, and I am thrilled with the outcome.

We also just added this "Little Gem" Magnolia tree to the front. It is our first addition to the yard. The couple who originally built this house added so much landscaping.  I am not sure that I will be able to maintain everything, but it is really wonderful to have mature trees and shrubbery.

Here is one more photo of the front exterior. Again, I love the new white with the black front door and black shutters!