We love houses with red brick. Even though the most recent trend has been to paint brick, recently we’ve seen a trend to keep red brick unpainted – and we couldn’t be happier about it!
But working with red brick and paint can get a little tricky, especially when you are working with whites. To make it easier, we’ve collected our favorite white paint colors for red brick homes.
Before we explore our picks for the best colors with red brick, let’s explore how to choose a brick house exterior color palette.
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How to Choose Paint Colors That Go With Red Brick
Many paint colors go with red brick, from black paint colors and deep blues to the warm white colors we’ll be featuring today.
If you want to use white paint with red brick, remember these tips when planning your palette.
- Pair colors and fixed surfaces together. We like to pair muted paint colors with muted surfaces. For (an extreme) example, I wouldn’t use fluorescent green paint with an earthy stone wall. So, if you have a warm, muted red brick exterior, you’ll want to use a soft, muted white paint color with it.
- If you have white window frames, keep the window trim white as well. If your windows are dark, you can use a darker window trim but it can be heavy. I’d consider using window trim the same color as the white siding.
- Paint colors look 4-5 times lighter and more colorful outside than inside. Consider the undertones when exploring white paint colors that complement red brick, and avoid whites that are too light and bright – they’ll look stark in the bright sun.
- Treat red brick and red stone the same way when picking white paint colors. They have the same muted red tones and typically work well with the same colors.
- Stay away from very bright whites because they can look stark next to warm brick. Some colors to avoid include: BM Decorator’s White, SW Extra White, BM Chantilly Lace, BM White Dove and BM Simply White. These are lovely colors for many spaces, but they’re too stark and fresh to pair with muted brick.
- You can use brown, black, or gray roofs with this type of palette, which is amazingly flexible.
What paint color looks best with red brick?
Many paint colors look good with exterior red brick, but it’s not always easy to find the right exterior color scheme.
A paint color that clashes with brick can suck the life out of it. The perfect paint color, on the other hand, can make a muted brick look spectacular.
There is nothing more classic than red brick, so we love recommending classic colors to pair with it. This is a simple way to update the exterior while also ensuring it will work for years to come. That said, if you have painted your brick, it can also look beautiful!
We’ve helped clients create some beautiful dark and moody red brick palettes over the years, but some of our favorite projects pair red brick with white paint colors.
Our Favorite White Paint Colors That Go With Red Brick
Let’s explore our favorite white color schemes with red brick without further ado.
Sherwin-Williams Natural Choice with Red Brick
Sherwin-Williams Natural Choice is a lovely soft and warm white paint color. It has an LRV of 73, keeping it light without looking too stark in place. The warm undertones help it pair beautifully with warm, red brick.
We used SW Natural Choice and SW Urbane Bronze trim for the client’s home, pictured below. While the front of their house is completely brick, the side and back of the home feature a mix of red brick and siding.
I love the look of dark trim with red brick – even when using white paint – and the Urbane Bronze was a perfect choice for this home. We used it along the roofline, the garage, and the front door.
However, on the areas of the home with SW Natural Choice siding, we kept the window trim white to blend in with the body color.
I love how these colors work together to make this unique home feel cohesive from front to back.
You can order Samplize samples for this palette by clicking on the links below:
Sherwin-Williams Shoji White with Red Brick
SW Shoji White is a warm white paint that is a very light taupe that looks creamy. Because of its warm undertones, it looks fabulous with red brick. With an LRV of 74, it has enough pigment to stay warm even in bright sun but is still muted enough to pair well with red brick.
We used Shoji White with red brick on the client’s home pictured below. This gorgeous home has a lot of unique architectural elements on the front, from multiple peaked rooflines to unique windows, garage doors, and more.
We knew we needed a color palette to help tie all these elements together to create a cohesive look. SW Shoji White is paired with SW Urbane Bronze for the fascia, soffits, window frames, front door, and garage door – and it complements the red brick beautifully.
You can order Samplize samples for this palette by clicking on the links below:
Sherwin-Williams Oyster White with Red Brick
SW Oyster White is a warm, muted, and very light greige paint color with green undertones. With an LRV of 72, it looks like a soft white outside and pairs wonderfully with red brick.
We used Oyster White siding with light blue shutters (painted with SW Uncertain Gray) and an SW Cyberspace front door for this client’s home in North Carolina. Even in the overcast light of the picture below, you can see how soft and beautiful Oyster White is – and much lighter than you would expect!
Paired with the red brick foundation, this unique palette looks coastal and timeless.
You can order Samplize samples for this palette by clicking on the links below:
Sherwin-Williams Neutral Ground with Red Brick
SW Neutral Ground is a darker, warm white that has green undertones similar to Oyster White, so it looks creamy without skewing yellow in the sunshine. With an LRV of 70 it’s a darker white than the other colors featured so far, but it still looks soft and lovely outdoors.
On the client’s home featured below, we paired SW Neutral Ground with this soft, warm, reddish brick. We used Neutral Ground for the siding, roofline and window trim and it kept the whole house feeling light and inviting.
You can order Samplize samples for this palette by clicking on the links below:
Sherwin-Williams Pearly White with Red Brick
SW Pearly White is a warm, muted white paint with green undertones. It’s really muted and lighter and brighter than you’d expect. With an LRV of 77, it’s the lightest color featured in this post so far, but it still has enough pigment to work well in bright sunshine.
On the client’s home featured below, we used SW Pearly White as the trim color, pairing it with the red brick exterior and SW Attitude Gray siding.
We even used the Pearly White trim around the home’s black windows. I love the way these came out. They help brighten up the whole palette and tie all of the colors together.
You can order Samplize samples for this palette by clicking on the links below:
- SW Pearly White trim, fascia, soffits
- SW Attitude Gray siding, garage door
- SW Tricorn Black front door
Sherwin-Williams White Duck with Red Brick
SW White Duck is one of the creamiest whites we’ve featured in this post. It is very warm, but still soft and muted. With an LRV of 74, it won’t risk getting washed out even in bright sunlight.
On a client’s Pacific-Northwest home pictured below, we used SW White Duck as the whole house color. It looks really warm and beautiful paired with the client’s brick exterior.
You can order Samplize samples for this palette by clicking on the links below:
Sherwin-Williams Greek Villa with Red Brick
SW Greek Villa is a warm, off-white paint color perfect to pair with red brick. With an LRV of 84, it’s the lightest white in this post. We love to use Greek Villa as an exterior body color when it’s paired with brick, but it also looks fabulous as a whole-house exterior body color. Otherwise, we use it as an exterior trim color with lighter body colors.
On the client’s Colorado home pictured below, we used a colorful combination of SW Greek Villa, SW Courtyard and SW Tricorn Black to transform this house.
With this type of palette, you don’t need a contrasting white trim color. This white-on-white combination for trim, fascia, soffits, and siding is a classic and timeless placement for paint colors. It also requires less labor than adding additional trim colors, and saves time and money.
You can order Samplize samples for this palette by clicking on the links below:
- SW Greek Villa siding, window trim, fascia, soffits, posts
- SW Courtyard front door and shutters
- SW Tricorn Black garage door
Sherwin-Williams Egret White with Red Brick
SW Egret White is darker than you’d expect (with an LRV of 70), but it looks soft and lovely outdoors. It’s a warm color that pairs well with red brick or red stone. And because it’s darker, it works well in high-altitude areas or places with very bright sun. Egret White has warm taupe undertones that give it warmth that looks amazing with red brick.
In the client’s Colorado home below, we used Egret White as the exterior trim color to pair with earthy red stone and SW Intellectual Gray siding. It helps tie together the lighter body color, red brick, and dark roof.
We also used Egret White on the trellis in the backyard, which keeps the whole space feeling light and bright and pairs well with the warm red stone patio.
We used SW Egret White trim with SW Intellectual Gray siding again on the red brick California home pictured below. The darker white trim color helps create a smooth transition between the red brick exterior and the home’s white vinyl windows.
You can order Samplize samples for this palette by clicking on the links below:
- SW Egret White (fascia, soffits, window trim, garage door trim, trellis)
- SW Intellectual Gray (siding, garage door)
Sherwin-Williams Alabaster with Red Brick
SW Alabaster is a warm, off-white paint color with muted yellow undertones and an LRV of 82. My preference is to use it on homes that are surrounded by trees and in the shade. The warm, yellow undertones will cut through the shade and brighten a shady spot.
If you’re using Alabaster as the foundation of an exterior white color scheme, it looks wonderful paired with dark accents.
For example, our web developer’s house has Sherwin-Williams Black Magic accents, which look beautiful with a warm white exterior and warm stone.
A similar color palette would look lovely with red brick as well.
You can order Samplize samples for this palette by clicking on the links below:
- SW Alabaster (fascia, soffits, painted brick, siding)
- SW Black Magic (garage door, gutters and downspouts)
Benjamin Moore Seapearl with Red Brick
BM Seapearl is also beautiful with red brick. Although it’s warmer and darker than you might expect (with an LRV of 76.43 ), it looks bright and crisp outside.
BM Seapearl exterior paint looks especially lovely with brick because of its warmth. It completely transformed this client’s home in the upper Midwest.
While these clients were originally interested in painting over the brick, they decided to keep it, and Benjamin Moore Seapearl was the perfect complement!
We chose Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore, a soft black paint color, for the fascia, shutters, front door, and garage door.
You can order Samplize samples for this palette by clicking on the links below:
Best Way to Test Red Brick House Paint Colors
When looking for the best colors that go with red brick houses, it’s important never to assume a color you like on paper will look right on your home.
We always recommend testing paint colors on your house because lighting can completely change the colors.
In the old days, this meant we painted a large poster board with sample pots and a huge mess.
Now we have 9X14” Pre-Painted peel-and-stick paint samples from SAMPLIZE. Check out the SAMPLIZE website here.
Key Learning Points
If you want to revitalize your red brick exterior and bring new life to your home, using white body paint and trim paint is a simple upgrade that makes a big impact!
When it comes to using color schemes with red brick, remember these points:
- Exterior white paint colors look lighter, brighter and starker in the sunshine, so you need to pick a warmer white paint color to pair with red brick.
- If you’re using white body paint for brick houses with dark windows, use white trim to keep the windows from looking too heavy.
- Always test your paint colors next to your brick and in natural light before selecting exterior paint. Whenever I test my paint colors, they are perfect, and when I don’t test they turn out wrong. Learn how to test your paint colors here.
Remember: NEVER, EVER use paint matches from a different brand than the one specified. Results are poor and there are no standards for the sheens. Even though your painter may truly believe it can be done, don’t do it. See results from paint matching here.
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