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rinqreation Could you please post a larger photo?

I do like to say in advance two surfaces in the same color will not look the same. It'd be wise to pick two colors/shades.

decoenthusiaste Your photo is not enlarging. Please read the FAQ here to see that you're posting something we can all see. Thanks.

ase280 Hi are you able to see the photo of my house now? Any cool suggestions? I really love my house, but just not the color scheme and the metal posts.

handymam Just my opinion, but I like the brick to stay as brick...
I think that the large evergreen is too large and should be removed. It is blocking too much of your house. I like the tree on the left side of the yard, but the one on the right side is cutting your house off. Not sure what is going on behind the Christmas tree. Looks a little crowded with plants. I would then plant the same things on each side of the sidewalk down at the bottom of the stairs. It looks a bit unbalanced now.

It the second story of the house sided? Vinyl? Metal?

Not sure Robins egg blue is going to work. It may be too light. But is blue a color youlike? there is always a shade of every color that would work.

Engrav's Decorating I think landscaping would really help your curb appeal. Do you have any houses to the right or left of your house? Wondering what color they are as they have an affect on what you do.

Engrav's Decorating Creams and whites would look very nice with your red brick. I posted a picture of a home with red brick. You must be able to see it though so the overgrown front yard needs an update.

mysisterssecret We owned a home exactly like this. We attached furring strips to the brick and added 3" cedar planks all the way from top to bottom, painted it deep burnt red, it turned out to look like a salt block house and was gorgeous! Any color you paint it, it is still going to look dated... cover the brick, make it all uniform.

Mary Poulos Interior and Exterior Design still can not see a photo that is large enough to properly assess what you have

The Color People I feel the same as Mary above. But can tell you that if you are set on painting the brick it is easily done.
However doing your entire house in on color will make it lose its interest. I would encourage you to paint the upper body in a color closer in value and hue to the brick. If it is really different your house becomes a layer cake. Looking forward to seeing a better photo

calaeames Don't paint the brick.

effieh Leave the brick, it's a nice rosy color. Paint the top in a lighter, paler terra-cotta and maybe do the shutters in charcoal gray, same as the roof tiles. I agree with many other comments that pruning the evergreens will open up the space.

hunterkk White or gray. I like the brick. Landscaping and nice fencing

Kathleen Coleman I like the white paint for the houe especially with the blue.

Navy wife and mom you may want to look at some sights that have color schemes or palettes put together then you could go through them and find the ones that "speak" to you. their are also some really great palette picking websites, were you just put in the color value of the colors you want to use and it will show you complimenting colors. Remember you do not want all the same colors to be close together on the color wheel otherwise it will not have any visual interest and look bland or just off to the eye.
You also will want to take in to consideration were you live, for instance if you live somewhere like north west Oregon you might want to choose colors that are more in the mid hues instead of something bright. However, if you live somewhere say like southern Florida a brighter hue of the same color would work better due to it being brighter on most days their.
Those are just thought , and you might find helpful.

vallo Crystal Shelton can you tell me where to find the websites for picking colors? Thanks.

Cj Jones Whether outside or inside painting, please visit ecospaints.net for non-toxic, zero voc, and order free paint that goes further and is as durable as the traditional yet cancer causing paints.

Navy wife and mom Absolutely , here are some places to work with a color wheel the first is from color lovers it is a color palette software. http://www.colourlovers.com/copaso/ColorPaletteSoftware , this next one is a color palette generator, were you upload a picture you like and it generates a palette from it http://www.pictaculous.com/ , this next one is a color blender were you simply put the color values in and are able to see them as color swatches http://www.colorblender.com/ , this next one has everything from pre-done palettes to color pickers and blenders and working with the color wheel http://colorexplorer.com/ , on this next one you submit your own base color and it automatically generates matching colors for you http://www.colorsontheweb.com/colorwizard.asp , this next one is simple and easy to use for finding color palettes https://kuler.adobe.com/#themes/rating?time=30 , this next one you simply find pictures that inspire or make you feel good and they have the laid out color palette with it for you http://design-seeds.com/ , this site also has many beautiful premade color palletes with pictures to see what colors and combos inspire you http://sarahhearts.com/category/color-palettes/ . also if you just do a basic search for color palletes , color schemes you find many things to help you. you may also wish to read a little bit about color theory. Hope this helps.

bevballew I have the same style house and there are many in my community with this style. I kept the brick as is, untainted. I went with a taupe, a tad on a darker side, with shutters a number of shades darker, with a wood door stained close to a dark cherry. I have reclaimed brick. This style house has a number combos of colors. The look I think the worst is the upper part white with black shutters. No imagination and the house is blah. Taupes, beiges, are the best or even a certain gray may look good. Your house all white would not look good but if you go white, which is something I would possibly do if I dared to paint over the brick, you do it like a white washed where the dark color of the brick bleeds thru, almost like a cracked look. You need to have someone clean up the landscaping as it looks messy and overgrown. It looks like you have a gray roof so gray painted above might be very cool.

bluenan I love painted brick and think your idea to unify is spot on. Here is a non-white yet very soft and classic color scheme that would look great with a robin's egg blue door.

bluenan Here's another you might like.

bevballew Very similar to my colors and I have the same style house as ase280. I love it and neighbors tell me It is a warm inviting feel as they look at my house. My brick is not painted tho...I have reclaimed brick.

lepstein Assuming you keep the brick (which I, personally, like), you could go dark grey (not quite charcoal) with white or burgundy shutters and a burgundy or black door, or you could do deep dusty blue (a fair amount of black in the paint), white shutters and either your light blue or a navy door (I prefer the latter). New, more inviting landscaping needed...I can't see well enough to suggest something.

design89 Yes, painting the entire house one color as bluenan says is spot on!. My house is just like yours with exception of the porch. Take a look at Sherwin Williams "Palais White" (an ivory color) with white for the windows which is what it looks like now, semi-glass black shutters. If you want the blue door, try a darker color of the blue, especially if it introduces your color palette inside. The house will seem so much larger, traditional, and a little more stately, as noted in bluenan's photos. The lighter color on the house really updates it. Or change the door to a full lead-glass decorative door with matching sidelights for more light into the foyer. Good luck with your project.

sherryclune I have the exact same house! It used to be yellow with green shutters and red brick. I painted the siding sage green and the shutters black. I left the trim white. Currently, I kept the door the original wood color--kinda cherry. I'm thinking of painting it either black or a bright blue, somewhere between turquoise and royal. With white trim around the door. All my neighbors have told me how much better it looks. Good luck with your transformation!

Denise Veillette I would enhance the greens with a dark mustard seeds yellow .

judy_betancourt Don't do yellows...attracts stink bugs!.Trust me....

bevballew What are stink bugs? Never heard of them!

chelswie I like the idea of keeping the brick and the robin's egg blue!
I would paint the upper section light robins egg blue and the shutters a red that compliments the brick. You can use that same colour to pop the door too.

soffie2828 I think the brick looks great you should get the different color pallets and then get samples and paint small areas of the paint and see which one you like best. Once you paint the brick it's never quite as nice. I agree with the others you need to re landscape and show off your beautiful home give more curb appeal and then choose a color. I wouldn't put vinyl or metal siding once you do that it's another huge cost to redo. I would get the landscaping and then paint the upper part and fall in love with the outside of your house.

carradine We had the same colors on a very similar home that had dark green shutters. Everything looked choppy to me. I took a piece of siding to the paint store and they matched it perfectly! We painted the brick, painted the shutters black and the door a glossy china red. We have boxwoods that curve out from walkway to ends of house. Beds of pink and red roses pop out from behind. Orange, purple, blue flowers.... you name it looks great against yellow. We added window boxes for some depth and interest. Would post a pic if I knew how. We love it! we get many compliments. Do you like boulders? I bordered a bed with them as well. Do this, draw your house/yard in pencil and make 10 copies. Grab your colored pencils and color away! Good luck!

tobinman123 I think you said you want to unify the colors , in my experience thats not always the best idea . You have a beautiful home to do a wide veriety of things . When someone has two or more different surfaces , ( brick to stone ......or stone to wood ect.. ) that contrast works best if you keep using it . In other words i would think about other options for your brick for instance , re grouting the brick can drasticaly change it's apperance . color combination with paint above and grout to match can look uniique and awsome . Have fun .

turner3477 As many have mentioned, can't enlarge the photo? It's hard to make heads or tales of it, Picture to small to comment.

hunterkk I like the pics from Bluenan. - I do like his color choices... then add good landscaping.

bevballew I strongly recommend you go with the soft colors that blunan suggested. Anything else can be pretty but not as soothing. It is all about personal taste and I always go for simple on the exterior. I think it makes it less busy when accompanied by landscaping.

Susan Barndt http://www.behr.com/dsm-ext/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=192ff3843f267110VgnVCM1000006b0910acRCRD&vgnextfmt=default#vgnextoid=192ff3843f267110VgnVCM1000006b0910acRCRD;channel=INSPIRATION;view=4

Good luck with your project, I prefer not to see real brick painted, however, bluenan has posted some lovely ideas...just add a strong color for your front door!!!!

anumaura how about beige walls & sidings with red roof / window shutters treatment? with a front lawn divided into levels. with each level having different types of plant in one.
major issue is the landscaping

conniedial Sounds pretty..pics? Love color on older home remodels....

anumaura nearest are these: Case Design/Remodeling, Inc. (reddish shutters)...

Garage and Entry
Architecture Walk: Exterior Styles and Palettes
Lineberry Architectural Group
Enivronmentally Friendly

Goose Farm
Earthy Modern

Bud Dietrich, AIA ase280 - The photo is a little small but your house looks a bit like the before (which I've added here) of this one:


The brick was recolored and the siding restained. The front porch was reworked with new columns.
Good luck and hope you get to post finished pics.

wishingwell120 My house is very similar and I did exactly what you have planned. With my house, I felt like the brick dated the house and made it look disjointed. I have received tons of compliments. I replaced the skinny posts with classic columns, I painted the entire house the same taupe color and I added window boxes to my 2nd floor windows. It looks so much fresher and I never regretted painting the brick. It is pouring rain now but I will try to post a pic when the sun comes out. Paint the brick!!!!!

evcata PAINT THE BRICK. We did exactly what you are talking about doing, and we LOVE it! It looked choppy when it was two colors, now it looks like a clean, crisp colonial. We used a color close to Benj.Moore's Burlap, then Benj.Moore LInen semi-gloss on trim, and black semi-gloss on the shutters. GOOD LUCK!

J'Aimee Rogers Bud Dietrich,
That is gorgeous! I looked at the before and after pics in reverse order and was thinking "Why would anyone want to change that (first photo)?!!" LOL. I also like brick and would be reluctant to paint it. It is so maintenance free! But the updating that you did was fantastic!

Bud Dietrich, AIA @JAime Rogers - Thanks.

Mary Fyock I love brick in its natural color. I would go for a gray that works with your roof shingle color, lighter or darker. Then if your heart is set on a blue door, it would work. I agree with landscaping comments above, too much height, no balance. I've attached a house from online that is similar to yours.

hunterkk http://www.houzz.com/photos/users/hunterkk

bevballew Love the theme from Mary Fyock. I have seen that look in my neighborhood and it is cheerful and happy looking house!

Donna Forkum Why not put stone around the door (where the siding is) . I wish I could see the colors in the brick. That could help with colors for the siding, shutters and front door. A tan or taupe color would look good for what I can see, dark gray/black for shutters and a deep red door. Your round post should be color of siding color.

dmhouse Excellent demonstration by Bud Dietrich of how a tasteful selection of color for siding and trim can change conventional-blah to sophisticated. No need to make a drastic change like going monochrome. The photos from bluenan look good, too, but the difference is that those houses have much stronger architectural "bones" that can support the monochrome look. Not the case here.

llswink When we repainted our home in California, we chose a color from the used brick. The painter came out with a gazillion paint chips and we picked two complimentary colors from the coloration found on the surface of the bricks. We also scrapped the white, six light, farm door for an oak Craftsman style with three lights at the top. When it was completed it looked awesome!

I always think that painting brick is a mistake. However, cleaning up the view from the front and putting up columns to replace the metal poles is a perfect start!

J'Aimee Rogers Good idea, llswink! We chose our front door color (Gray/blue) from a color in the red brick and it looked good, too.

morehouselake Oh boy! You do NOT want to paint the brick unless you have it professionally prepared and painted. It will be an upkeep nightmare as it will flake and peel if the surface is not properly prepared. I love the reddish brick (very classic) and would like to see the upper part of the house a color of your choice (in a midtone), white trim around the windows, dark shutters, and the porch done is a creamy white to highlight it and make it more inviting. Then your darker/brighter front door will stand out.
Taking out the pine in the front yard would open it up as would smaller understory trees and shrubs with perennials to soften the structures. Maybe some hard structure in a flower bed in the front yard. All are welcoming and draw your eye to the house. Good luck!

curacaoblue I think it's one thing to paint brick inside a house but painting brick that will be exposed to the elements is not a good idea. I think if you pick a more neutral color and some landscaping that you enjoy you may find that the brick is a very nice accent.

bluenan Hi ase280,
You've had a running debate on the painting of your brick (I'm of the paint and unify camp), and was wondering what your thoughts are after the deluge of opinions. BTW, I live in St. Louis where we have cold winters and hot, humid summers and many of our most beautiful and stately homes as well as quaint, charming homes are painted brick.

lois63 Hi. First remove the overgrown landscaping. Also... please never paint over natural brick. Leave the brick and choose colors to compliment its natural beauty. Your house is not balanced center, your porch and eve moves to the right. Either landscape to the left more to balance or remodel to create a center/middle entry focal point. I actually like your current color scheme, classic for your architecture. Build on this with red accents in your landscaping... maybe add a couple cute awnings.

bluenan Replacing the black lamp post with a white post and copper or bronze lantern will be a nice touch at the front of the yard and relate to the white posts on your porch.

housegroupie Do not let the purists make the "never paint brick" decision for you. It's just an opinion, and I'm convinced, after researching the topic for MONTHS, that there are just as many who love painted brick as not. Decide for yourself.

That said, I live in St. Louis, MO - there are many painted (or whitewashed) brick homes here, in the nicest neighborhoods. They are charming and appealing - and sell well, I am told. I plan on painting my own small brick cottage in the spring - a yummy gray tone with an aubergine front door. (My house is caramel-colored brick and I've always hated it!)

Have it done by a pro - and spend the money to "sample" several colors before you choose.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/before-after-erins-painted-house-177005

housegroupie More terrific painted-brick homes! http://www.beneathmyheart.net/2011/06/more-painted-brick-homes-and-my-favorite/

dosmeows These are my before & after shots. The multi look always bugged my sense of aesthetics. I replaced the siding and took a spare piece to Home Depot where they matched the color. Personally, I prefer black shutters and a colorful door. Good luck.

Jason Laforme You need to address the landscape as well as the siding. Anything you do to the house will be lost by the view from the street and the unbalanced plantings. House can be neutral colors and the brick can be textured . Shutters should be your color and accent everything with gorgeous plants that have color and all season interest. Your house value will go up just by changing the plant scheme . Landscape done right will always return a 100-200 percent on your investment .

Mary Fyock If you look at profile, you see she has reposted a little clearer pic. There seems to be some landscaping on both sides of walk. You just can't see it for the overgrowth. Trim shrubs way down, and replacing Xmas tree, keeping balance and how much care a planting needs in mind.

ase280 I am so grateful for all of your suggestions. I didn't realize how badly overgrown I'd let the landscaping go, so I definitely plan to address it. I do love blunan ideas for soft color palate. I'm not starting my project until April, so I still have time to digest all the constructive criticism. Please keep sending me advise. I promise to post lots of before and after photos when I'm done. Thanks everyone!

ase280 PS I am definitely painting the brick and siding the same color. I'm leaning toward a very faint gray, white trim and perhaps a dark shutter (black) OR house "bluenan" suggested that is off-white with taupe color on the shutters, white trim. However, I want an off-beat color for front door - maybe deep regal purple or sky blue or turkoise color. Someone had suggested Halycon Green (as a robin's egg blue)... if anyone has great colorways to suggest to me for body of house, trim, shutters and front door, I'm all ears! Thanks everyone for taking an interest in my design dilemma.

bluenan I saw a great idea to test door colors. Take a color picture of your house, make a large print (at least 8x10), cut out the front door in the print and put paint samples behind the cutout. It beats holding a small sample up to a large door and squinting! I would recommend gloss paint for a door.

bluenan

Kathleen Coleman The door's are all beautiful.

Tres McKinney Design Since you desire a robins egg blue front door I am wondering if you like a more subdued palette.
I recommend white washing the brick, painting the upper portion of the house a light taupe all the trim and new pillars a creamy off white and the shutters a darker taupe. Houzz has some great images of white washed brick.

bevballew You always do a nice job blunan!

Louis Pardoe Start by adding extra wide concrete stairs & walkway, it will give your house the illusion of being bigger than it is.

atalay What color should I paint my walls? Getting sterling silver appliance and new granite and backsplash (in the brown and tan family color)

bevballew What colors are in rooms near it?

rinqreation atalay, you can make a seperate post with this question in the discussions main page