Red Brick Cottage with Green Roof – Before and After

We can’t wait to show you one of our favorite projects – A beautiful red brick cottage with a green roof.  This Denver house was built in 1932.  The red brick house had a beautiful green roof with amazing architectural detail from a two-toned brick pattern.

We never see this detail in modern houses, and several of the houses on the street had different variations of the pattern.

This was not a situation where we would encourage painting the brick.  That beautiful pattern had to be seen!

Just for fun, what was going on in 1932?

• Hattie Wyatt Caraway from Arkansas was the first woman elected to the US Senate.
• Tragically, Charles and Anne Lindbergh’s 2-year-old son was kidnapped and killed.
• Amelia Earhart became the first woman to achieve a solo non-stop transatlantic flight.
• Al Capone was sent to prison in Atlanta, GA for tax evasion.
• New York Governor Franklin D Roosevelt defeated Herbert Hoover to become the 32^nd president of the United States with 87% of the electoral vote.

What did the house look like?

This house had amazing bones but was discordant.  It looked old and the colors didn’t look modern and harmonious. The homeowners wondered if they should paint the brick and what to do with the roof, which was actually really cool.

The original red front door was ok but looked too monochromatic and fresh with the muted brick.

The biggest reason the house looked “off” was that the yellow trim paint clashed with the pink beige brick.  The photo below really shows the effect.   One you know, you can’t unsee it.

One of the biggest mistakes that homeowners make is to try to match a pink beige brick with yellow paint.  The brick looks yellow, but it really isn’t.  When the yellow was chosen, the homeowners we retrying to match the light brick, but missed.

The Final Product

We didn’t need to make significant changes to the house.  In the end, we worked with the house instead of against it for a beautiful timeless and classic result.

We repainted the roofline, trim and front door with SW Pewter Green to match the roof.

The storm door was painted SW Greenblack, a black with green undertones (just like it sounds).

Now the window and the pink brick look harmonious and perfect.

Words cannot describe how beautiful this photo is.

The color even looks good in the evening.

The Verdict

A perfect choice of paint colors seemed daunting for a red brick cottage with a green roof, but we matched the trim color to the green roof.  We eliminated the yellow paint that clashed with the muted red brick and replaced the bright red door with a harmonious green one that contrasted with the red and pink brick and tied in well with the roof.  The black storm door paired with the black railing on the front porch.

No matter what, don’t forget to test your paint colors.  It’s a standard best practice.  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.

NEVER, EVER use paint matches from a different brand than the one you will use.  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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If you still need help with paint colors, check out our Online Color Consulting packages or an In-Person Color Consultation in the Denver Metro area.

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About the Author

Hi, I’m Michelle Marceny, founder, owner, and Principal Color Designer at The Color Concierge. I believe a fresh coat of paint can completely transform a space. The Color Concierge was born out of my drive to help clients fall back in love with their homes. My clients trust me to help them find the perfect paint color for their home – whether it’s a whole-house paint color scheme or ideas for a single room. 

Since The Color Concierge was founded in 2017, we have completed over 3000 color consultations, both online and in-person.  I am a Certified Color Expert with 7 years of experience creating interior and exterior color palettes throughout North America.

Related Posts:

6 Exterior Paint Color Combos (and how to pick them)

6 More Palettes for Red Brick Houses

The Best Exterior Paint Colors for Red Brick Homes (and what not to do)

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