Color guru Shannon Kaye is back with more color advice for GN readers! Author, host and designer of "Fresh Coat" on the DIY network as well as many other fab projects, she's now accepting your color questions in the CertaPro Painter forums. The best Q&As will be featured right here on GN.

Dear Shannon Kaye,

This is the picture of our new house.  We love this house for its great bone and great interior space.  Its curb appeal is, however, another story. We don't know what to do next to bring the house to the next level.

1. There must be ways to accessorize to soften and accentuate the house. We wish the house would look “elegant, warm and inviting."  Some say our house has 'French flair.' Can you share with us how to highlight it? 

We are open to all suggestions to freshen and soften the look of our house. We need help with:

• Color choices for the shutters.  Should we still keep the shutters?  We had them removed from the 2nd floor windows when we had the new gutters installed.
• Color choices for the decorative vents on the roof.    
• Style of driveway - yes, we clearly need a new driveway.
• Décor details - anything to soften the look of the house — trellis, iron works, etc. 
• House number - what size (how many inches), style (stainless steel vs. wood). 
• We have front hedges that will cover the main door when looked at from the street.  Should we put the house number on the garage instead?

Thank you for reading our post.

P.S. We may consider painting the house in the future but it would be the last thing on our list at this stage.

Anna

Dear Anna,

Congrats on the new house. This French Chateau style home just needs a few details to bring it to life. Try these ideas below:

1. Keep the wood shutters below and add wrought iron "juliet balconies" to the TWO upper windows (not the center one — it would hide the decorative details above your door). Take photos (close up and further back) of the roof vent, front door, house, and iron detail above the door with you when you choose the balconettes. This will help you focus on a style that complements these details.

2.  Paint or stain the coins (large corner brick details), roof vents, the arched dormer detail and brick window apron below each window in an ashy cream color like Sherwin Williams 7516 Kestrel White (to resemble the stone commonly used for these details). Ask your CertaPro Franchisee about the best medium for this project.

3. Replace the wrought iron handrails with cement balustrades in a light color (similar to the Kestrel White tone) running them down the step with a curve detail and finial.

4. Replace the asphalt driveway with rustic stone/cement materials.

5. House numbers could be clean and modern (iron painted the same color as your front door, which I love!) or black numbers to the right of the door in large but delicate style.

Here some inspiration photos to work with!

Coins and window details are often cream, gray, or white. You may even consider painting the main brick in this gorgeous ochre color!

Simple balustrade handrails will add strength and dimension to your front door.

Look for rustic driveway materials like this:

Simple Juliet balconies will add lots of character.

Sincerely,

Shannon Kaye

Hi Shannon Kaye,

Thanks so much for the inspiring photos and advice. They are very lovely. We can't wait to have our house transformed.

Anna