Here is a small example. Small because it isn't house. I like the idea, gives some interesting texture.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{!gwi}}

Here's another -- can't say I like it very much.

Here is a link that might be useful: white shutters / white house

I love that look. Here's a near-by house, a favorite of mine. The house siding looks cream in the photo, but it's really white.

This may be a pale yellow with white shutters, I can't tell for sure. But close enough to white on white:
{{!gwi}}
Interesting how the shutters are on every other window & still looks right.

And here's a combination of different whites:

Me too Bronwynsmom! I think it has to do with my location though.

I can drive around and find some houses that are tone on tone for you this week. I know I've passed a few. I can think of one off the top of my head right now a few streets over.

I really like the tone on tone look on exteriors.

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

I am not sure how white on white would look in a new house though. Seems to work on older ones.

THANK YOU!!! Thanks for finding some pictures for me! I am really curious how it would look on our home, our shutters haven't been painted in 11 years and I am ready for a change. I guess the easiest way to see if I will like the look on our home is just to remove them at first (they need to be taken down to paint anyways) so I'll be able to see if I miss the contrast. I LOVE the last set of pics that boopadaboo posted, sadly, my house does not look like those beauties LOL!!!

There used to be a white house w/ white shutters in my neighborhood. Unfortunately, the new owners repainted the house (beige, just like all the other houses), so I can't post a picture. But even though our houses aren't classicly proportioned with beautiful trim and shadow lines, the white/white house still looked nice.

As Bronwynsmom said, the key is to have shutters of the right size, attached atop the window molding in the traditional way. And perhaps use a different sheen for the paint (not sure). This adds depth to the house, unlike the fake shutters that flank the window trim & are screwed into the siding.

So if you're thinking of redoing your shutters, you might want to look into getting nicer shutters, if you've got the flat, bland vinyl ones at the present.

After reading so many of her posts, I have great respect for Bronwynsmom's opinions; which is why it is so humiliating to acknowledge that the painted wood shutters on our house are neither functional nor the correct size (two pair flank very wide divided light picture windows). The shutters looked right to me from the first time we saw the house, and I've always found the street view to be one of the most appealing things about it. It never occurred to me that they are incorrect; nor am I about to remove them. But I'll need to come to grips with this newfound knowledge!

Oh, dear.
I feared I would stir up something.

Lazydaisynot, if your house looks appealing to you, don't listen to me.

Yes, I do have buckets of opinions, and am always happy to fling them around like birdseed at a wedding...but design is in the end about increasing the sum of happiness in the world.

Love,

Sister Petunia Pointafinger

Hah! No, it's illuminating to learn these basic truths. Illuminating and humbling. Keep pointing those fingers, sister.

Surprisingly enough, our shutters are (near) the proper scale to the windows. I would love to get some beautiful custom made shutters, but honestly, it's not worth the expense to me in this generic, cookie-cutter builders neighborhood. Maybe in my "real" house, the one on acreage, on the lake....

bronwynsmom...no controversy at all. And the pic "awm" shared is a great tutorial on correct installation. Actually the hardware is not that expensive and I love shutter dogs. The locks are new to me, they would be a nice addition.

Ahh, shutters. 90% of the ones I see are "wrong". When they became purely decorative (builders cutting corners no doubt) they lost all the lovely hardware details. Then, probably trying to squeeze too many windows in one place, they made the shutters too small to cover the windows (since they could never be moved anyway, what's the diff?).

Now that they are merely a vestige, I am not so sure they are really "wrong". It's kind of like window muntins. If you make the panes bigger then they could have back when muntins served a purpose, the window is "wrong". But now that muntins are done purely for decoration, they are a nod to the past but not copies. IMHO, decorative shutters are fine, they are just another choice.

Anyway, I would love to see real, functional shutters, maybe a semigloss white on flat white, with lovely black cast iron hardware. I would go one step further and use solid shutters on the bottom, and louvered on the top (this was done to enhance ventilation when closed without sacrificing privacy as much since you are one floor up). That would be a real tribute to shutters!

Beware, though, of high winds. We had functional shutters on all of the windows on our old house. From time to time one would blow off in a high wind and either hang funny or crash to the ground and demolish.

Dixiedo, I can't stop thinking about white shutters on a white house! It is something that I have never seen before (and I love to be unique..if it works) and now you have my interest piqued. We need to replace our roof and we were considering a colored metal roof. I could put the color on the roof then do white on white. Oh, my!

Please, if anyone has anymore photos please post and Dixiedo if you try this I would love to see photos.

Sorry, I don't see the point of white-on-white ... they would just disappear to my eye, then why bother?

At first I thought it was a ridiculous idea to have white shutters on a white house, but in looking at the pics posted, I think the depth (thickness) of the shutters makes a big difference - adds texture and dimension. I like it.