Looking for the perfect red exterior paint? The real client project we’re showcasing today just might help you find your perfect fit. Read on for our detailed breakdown of this Sherwin-Williams Rustic Red exterior paint palette and to explore some of our other favorite red paint colors.
The client’s home featured in this post is a small antique jewel in a coastal New England neighborhood. The home has so much history! It was built in 1800 by a freed slave. He and his wife raised six children in this original house, which was only 500 square feet at that time, including the attic (with no windows) where the whole family slept.
When our client first came to us, the home had a dark blue exterior with white trim. The palette was already really beautiful, but our client had always wanted to try an “old barn red” body color with charcoal or medium gray trim. We collaborated with the homeowner to bring his vision to life with Sherwin-Williams Rustic Red exterior paint!
This historic home only became even more gorgeous with this new exterior color scheme. Read on to learn more about using Sherwin-Williams Rustic Red exterior paint.
*This post contains affiliate links for products I use and love. If you click on some links and make a purchase, I will get a small commission at no cost to you. This helps pay for the costs of the blog, so I can continue to offer great content to our readers.
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Our Colorado-based paint color consultants make finding the right paint colors for your home easy. Whether you’re painting the exterior or interior of your home, our simple yet effective process lets us get your paint color right the first time. We’ve helped thousands of homeowners transform their homes into a space they love. Learn more about ONLINE COLOR CONSULTATIONS today.
Is Red a Good Paint Color for a House?
It can be! Red exterior paint is bold, attention-grabbing, and super versatile. It works well with all sorts of styles, whether you’re painting a historic home (Article) or want to create a bold, modern look. Plus, it pairs beautifully with neutral colors (Article), blues, greens, and even stone or brick finishes.
However, red can quickly become overwhelming if you don’t pick the right shade. Red exterior paint, like any hue, will appear lighter and brighter in the sun. So, a brighter red shade could look harsh outdoors. It’s important to pick a red shade that is darker and more muted than you expect.
You can see on our client’s home below, for example, which we worked on in 2022, how much brighter SW Rustic Red (Article) looks in the sunshine than it does on the swatch.
This is why deep reds are some of our favorite red exterior paint colors. They don’t look too bright outdoors and instead feel sophisticated and elegant, while also looking completely classic.
So, should you use red exterior paint? If you love red, go for it! But make sure to think about your home’s style, how much sun and weather exposure it gets, and exactly how much of this vibrant color feels right for your space.
Need help choosing a red paint color? Learn more about our online paint color consulting services.
What Color is Sherwin-Williams Rustic Red?
SW Rustic Red (Sample) is a dark, muted red paint color that almost looks brown. The LRV of Rustic Red (Article) is 6, which makes it a very dark paint color. LRV (Light Reflectance Value) measures how light or dark a color is. The scale goes from 1 (pure black) to 100 (pure white).
Rustic Red’s low LRV is important because paint looks much more colorful outside than inside, so a darker hue ensures it won’t look harsh or overly bright.
What color goes well with Rustic Red?
Sherwin-Williams Rustic Red pairs really well with warm neutrals, like beige, warm grays or black. It also looks beautiful contrasted with blues and greens. This is one of the reasons Rustic Red exterior paint works so well – it looks gorgeous alongside blue sky, flowers and natural greenery!
Sample Sherwin-Williams Rustic Red Exterior Paint
We always recommend that you test paint colors on your home because lighting can change a color completely, both with interiors as well as exteriors.
In the old days, this meant we painted a large poster board with sample pots and a huge mess.
Now we have a better way to test paint, with Samplize Peel-and-Stick samples!
- Samples pre-painted with 2 coats of real paint from the manufacturer.
- Large 9” x 14” samples to see the color better in the lighting.
- Delivered overnight
- Colors are accurate
- Less expensive than painting a large poster board with sample pots
- No mess, and no toxic paint to dispose of
I use these in my color consulting practice for exact results. Discover Samplize peel-and-stick paint samples:
Project Spotlight: Sherwin-Williams Rustic Red Exterior Color Palette
Sherwin-Williams Rustic Red exterior paint completely transformed our client’s historic New England home. The palette looks bold and fresh but also perfectly aligned with the unique history of this house.
The home was originally only 500 square feet. The original kitchen was not attached to the house, but was in a separate shed structure behind the house for fire safety reasons. A new kitchen was attached in 1890, along with indoor plumbing over the next few years. The second floor with four bedrooms was added around the same time. The owners added another large bedroom and bath above the kitchen in 1947.
The home’s original stone chimney still stands at the west side of the house! It’s leaning severely but it’s still upright and it looks completely gorgeous with the new color palette! Fixing the chimney is the homeowner’s next project.
Even with all of the updates, the total house today is quite small at 1700 square feet. After numerous significant upgrades, the house, gardens, and landscaping have transformed it into a little jewel of the entire neighborhood.
Original Color Palette
The home originally featured a deep blue exterior paint color. This color was actually really beautiful. It aligned with the beautiful gardens around the home, especially the owner’s hydrangeas.
But it didn’t offer much contrast or stand out among the florals and the lush greenery on the property, which includes a giant 300-year-old ash tree along the back side of the house.
The beautiful stone chimney also didn’t stand out with the blue exterior palette. We wanted to really showcase this historic element within our new palette.
As we planned the new exterior color palette for this home, we wanted to make sure that the elements the client loved about the home – including the landscaping, greenery and brick terrace at the back of the house – were integrally part of the design.
Sherwin-Williams Rustic Red Siding
Sherwin-Williams Rustic Red siding was the perfect red siding color for this home. It’s a deep, muted and warm hue that looks gorgeous in the sunshine.
Once the house was painted, we were surprised at how nicely the chimney contrasted with the red – much better than it did with the original blue palette.
The red also balanced the red brick pavers in the backyard really nicely.
The home’s second-floor gables were originally painted white, but we made them red in the updated palette. This was a really pretty change that added dimension to the design.
Sherwin-Williams Roycroft Pewter Trim
For the exterior trim, we wanted a mid-toned gray color that would appear softer than white trim alongside Rustic Red and complement the stone chimney. SW Roycroft Pewter (Sample) was the perfect warm gray (Article) that balanced this palette.
Sherwin-Williams Black Magic Front Door & Window Trim
We chose a classic black hue for the home’s front door, which was painted with Sherwin-Williams Black Magic exterior paint. We used this same color for the window mullions and frames to add contrast with the gray window trim.
The second-floor window frames and mullions are white vinyl, but the homeowner plans to replace them with black windows.
Sample This Rustic Red Exterior Palette
Other Red Exterior Paint Colors We Love
While Rustic Red ultimately became the winning color for this historic home, we also created a few other palettes for this client, featuring some of our favorite red exterior paint colors.
Sherwin-Williams Carriage Door Exterior Palette
Sherwin-Williams Carriage Door (Sample) is lighter and warmer than SW Rustic Red, but is still muted enough to work well outdoors.
For this palette, we decided to use “white” exterior trim (Article) with Sherwin-Williams Modern Gray (Sample). This hue is actually a greige color when used inside, but it looks like a warm, soft white outdoors that doesn’t look too stark.
Sherwin-Williams Red Barn Exterior Palette
Sherwin-Williams Red Barn (Sample) is another gorgeous red exterior paint color. This hue is even more muted than SW Rustic Red, with an LRV of 9.
For this palette, we kept things simple and moody, pairing Red Barn siding with SW Black Magic for all of the trim.
Sample This Palette:
Sherwin-Williams Aurora Brown Exterior Palette
This red exterior palette features the darkest of the reds. SW Aurora Brown (Sample) is actually more of a red than a brown (despite its name!). We balanced this darker hue with Sherwin-Williams Skyline Steel (Sample) trim – a very warm beige that is identical to BM Revere Pewter (Article).
Sample This Palette:
Key Learning Points
Sherwin-Williams Rustic Red exterior paint is a beautiful, warm color perfect for historic homes. This classic hue looks beautiful for houses surrounded by lush greenery and also pairs well with brick and stonework.
- SW Rustic Red is a warm, muted red paint color that won’t look harsh or too bright in the sunshine.
- Rustic Red siding pairs well with medium-gray exterior trim for a color palette that is bold but still balanced. It also looks great with a greige trim that looks like a “white” with the contrast.
- A black front door and black windows look beautiful with Rustic Red exterior paint. For this home, we opted for Sherwin-Williams Black Magic.
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.
No matter what, always 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.
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Related Posts:
- Sherwin-Williams Rustic Red Color Review
- Best Sherwin-Williams Exterior Paint Colors
- Best Exterior Paint Colors That Go With Red Brick
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.
We love your comments! Please note that the blog is meant as general advice, and it is not possible to give out specific answers to your paint questions. If you want more specific advice, our Online Color Consultations will help you pick your paint colours. Thank you for your understanding.
