Exterior Accent Color - feedback received!

Thanks for all of the feedback via FB, this blog, email, text and phone regarding "Exterior Accent Color"  (ADVICE WELCOME - Exterior Accent Color)  Votes were cast for ivory, orange, red, teal, purple, burgundy, purple, gray/grey (-ay from the US voters, -ey from the UK voices), blue in several hues, and emerald green.  All of these suggestions would have looked terrific from the curb.

My wallet deemed Chris K. an honoree for "don't change the color".  My heart and eyes say "change this ASAP."

I should have added a few extra notes for your consideration:

• The trim needs to be painted
• I hate this shade of 90's green (sorry, Chris K.) - which was previously also found inside the home
• The brick at the back of the house is painted white (which I don't want to change now), as is the "under canopy" for the upstairs balcony (which needs to be painted)
• The home's windows frames are white - and can't be changed
• Those of you following this blog know that I'm on year five re:obsession with gray
• The garage (in full view of the home) is a hideous shade of brown

All of the above are factors in my decision, but were not necessarily well disclosed so to to inform your input!

Some sound advice was also received:

• "Let the exterior mirror what one should expect inside"
• "The back yard is like a powder room - it can be fun and colorful - and should make you HAPPY"
• "Don't paint the door to the garage white - it will be a mess very quickly"
• "Paint before you landscape
• "Everyone loves window boxes - do this NOW" - "cheap and Happy!"
• "If you paint the garage, paint the ugly cinder blocks it sits upon"

I easily discounted a suggestion for gnomes.

Folks seem to be torn regarding the painting of the front door - most seem to think this should remain stained.  I'm up in the air on this one, so will likely leave as is.

With this in mind - I'll be doing the following this Spring (should Spring ever come):

• Painting the house trim a blue-gray
• Painting the bit of the sided-garage that faces the back yard the same blue-gray.  (I'm not passionate about painting the rest of the sided garage that faces an alley.)
• Adding window boxes to the front of the house to match the trim
• Adding a large window box below the window on the ugly garage (in white)
• And - surprise - under consideration is painting the door to the garage (visible only from the house/back yard) in a hot pink or bright yellow.  Whichever accent color is chosen for the door will be mimicked  in the floral choices.  Feel free to add your two cents, below.  

Point of inspiration (thanks again, Houzz.com):

Current garage/house shots (taken before the Vortex):

An older picture - the steps have been demo'd and re-poured so to run parallel to the garage.  The uneven old patio (under the white umbrella) was torn up to make way for future paver-walk way and grass.    A simple wrought iron railing has been ordered for the steps - so long, off-center pipe banister.  

Taken in the heart of construction - and appreciate this looks slightly Appalachian-abandoned at the moment

I'll have a later post on the back yard in general - the talented Corrie from Chicago Xteriors is helping to plan this space in a budget-friendly manner, Jeff from Lightology has already helped me sort the lighting fixtures and Rolando the electrician on the whole house project is working on the motion-detectors and exterior lighting placement.  

A forthcoming quote on painting will determine if the trim/garage painting is a near term or long term project.