Expert: Nazim Nice - 5/28/2009

Question
Hi!  We own a very boxy, dark red brick home. It doesn't have a porch and is two story.  It has 4 windows up and 4 down with the front door in the center of the first floor.
The trim around the roof and windows is white with a dark grey roof.  We will soon replace the shutters, dome awning above the front door, and repaint the front door.  My question:  what colors would compliment the existing brick, trim, and roof? And would you match the shutters to the door and awning or have contrasting colors?  Thanks!

Answer
Hi Kris,

I'm not sure if you intended to attach a photo? If you did it didn't come through.  Go ahead and attach it and post your question again if you want specific advice but here are is some general info:

I generally do not like white trim with brick houses.  To me it just stands out too much. Too much contrast.  I would pick accent colors that are are different from your brick, but a similar tone.  By this I mean, if you brick has a lot of brown in it, then picking 'muddier' colors will likely work better.  

I would think you'd want to pick a trim color that possibly is the same as your gutters and roof fascia boards (provided you have these), then choose an accent color for the shutters that matches the awning.  And then maybe paint the door a different color as an accent.  Or you could reverse this and match the shutters to the door, and choose an accent color for the awning.  It's hard to say without seeing the house, but you definitely have some options. Be careful that it's not 'too much' for your house.  If your house is modest, and small, you may just want to match shutters, door and awning for a simple and classy look.  Or if you want different colors, keep them in the same family, like a darker shade for the awning of the door/shutter color.

Here is a link to an article on our website that has more info about choosing colors that you may find useful:
http://www.motion-space.com/exterior-house-colors.htm

Good luck and resend a photo if you want.

Nazim Nice
Principal / Architect
http://www.motion-space.com
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