we need to see the entire house. please post more pictures

I actually really like your brick. I tend to think black trim makes everything better, but maybe I’ll say different when you post the entire house.

I'll post some pics of the front and back when I get home, I only had these in my phone because I recently put in these lights. Thanks ladies!

Post of picture of the whole house. I have to say, I'd probably paint that brick. The colors are difficult to work with.

Actually, there's still pictures from some listing sites so I was able to find some. It came with that horribly done converted garage, the old brown there is gonna get horizontal siding in white or off white I'm thinking, the white above the two windows is like a stucco but I'm going to do the same white/off white and do the siding there as well to match. So, I need a color for the brown trim, gutters and carport (it's staying, I debated but I live in a city with wild weather). Then a front door color and I wanted to put some shutters on the windows we will be putting on the old garage doors (one on each side) I was thinking of doing a green on the backdoor, something bright but not emerald green or lime green, something more found in nature. I will be landscaping eventually before anyone mentions it lol. The frontyard pictures is how the brick looks when sun hits it, the back is when it's in the shade.

Design Girl, I thought about it but it rains so much where I am and it's very humid so it would probably chip, the houses here with all siding have horrible rot and stains on the bottom from the rain splashing up mud so I nixed that idea. This "lovely" brick is also in the house unfortunately but that is definitely getting painted!

WHOA - that brick is so busy, I'd paint it in a hot minute. Romabio makes brick paint and lime wash that would make the house SO much better. It lasts for 20 years (not like regular paint). I'd be careful adding any siding to the already busy brick. It's just another element thrown into a very busy facade. Perhaps @celerygirl can help with mock ups.

Design Girl, I wish I could do a laughing crying emoji lol it is SO much, it reminds me of a giraffe, I thought about just stucco texture for the garage and leaving the same stucco texture as is above the windows, my husband suggested the siding, I guess the siding would make it look less like a converted garage.

Yes, a giraffe - Are you not open to painting it? - I really think it would TRANSFORM the house into something you'd never expect it could be.

Design Girl, I don't disagree it would look 100000x better painted, it's just not practical here, we have some painted brick houses in the neighborhood, they probably had the same brick lol but they look awful now, very dirty looking and I'd imagine you couldn't pressure wash it. This house is damn near still original inside and out from 1972, other than new ceiling fans and the windows were all replaced recently but my master bath is currently a horrifying avocado green EVERYWHERE, so we're already sinking a ton into the inside, the outside I just really need to get rid of the brown at least and some planting. I mean the brick is so funky I'd down to go funky all over the outside so it seems more purposeful instead of trying to mask it with elegant touches.

Katie B, I was considering a soft black as well, it's still a contender.

1) whole-house pictures make the variegation look much more crazed -- it might be possible to stain with a medium gray that would cool it down and minimize some of the variance, but you'd have to talk to an expert -- I'm more familiar with staining more uniform brick.

2) either way, I think I might paint both the dark trim and the very light bits of siding on the front to a more medium greige chosen to match a medium shade from the brick. something in the taupe family.

3) then pick a fun color for the front door. I think one of the lighter aqua-blues that was popular a couple of years ago would look great on this house and sort of span the retro and modern well.

Lehi, House of Turquoise Blog, Featured Article · More Info

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This should help make your entrance more visible from under it's dark tunnel.

I dont dislike it. It is a little bit busy but at least it is different of all these white and grey sidings that you see everywhere. I would use one of the colors in the bricks, some light black may be. I love black.

Ok I get it - However, just so you know, most people will just slap house paint on brick and then they end up with a dirty, messy, peeling brick facade which is what you're probably seeing. Romabio is a specific paint for masonry/brick so it is much longer lasting. It's only been around for about 10 years (maybe less). However, I get if your money is better spent elsewhere. Perhaps down the road. Good luck.

acm, hmmmI never thought of greige, I considered grays but thought it would be too cool toned and clash with the brick but the greige may actually play off of the concrete between the bricks and for sure with the more pastel looking turquoise! I considered a bright teal but I thought it would end up being too dark and get lost since the front door is more tucked away but when I looked up turquoise it was all carribean turqouise. Maybe black trim, greige under the awning (i think that's what it's called, that's right under the trim) and putting the griege on the stucco area and the garage, I can do a light turquoise door and then the shutters can either be black or the same color as the door?

IG222 I agree, I hate when all houses look the same. It's a very weird neighborhood, Houses were built in the 60s, 70s and 80s, this "masterpiece" next door to me was built in the early 80's lol and yes it is a single family home, I thought it was a business or quadplex when I first saw it.

acm, does this look like a greige? I never got into greiges because I felt it was very... shabby chic to me, which is super popular in the south. This is Smokey Cream. I still want it to be fairly light.

That reads peachy/pink to me - at least on my monitor.

https://jennakateathome.com/best-greige-paint-colors/

https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/how-to-pick-exterior-paint-colours-in-5-easy-steps/

Design Girl, it's definitely on the warmer side, more red was put in than yellow I'm sure. I'm avoiding anything too yellow or creamy though, to me that's also very common with the brown trim and I don't want that.

https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/how-to-pick-exterior-paint-colours-in-5-easy-steps/

Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray ? - It's a warm greige. You're going to have to do a lot of testing.

Design Girl, Edgecomb Grey is nice, not too dark. I know, I'm going to have to grab a million samples and look at them in the sun and out of the sun. Usually I take the cheap route and grab 6 of each color card, tape them into a blob so I can get a better idea. It's how I chose the interior colors and just kept them taped on the walls for at least a week. That article is so much more helpful than what I've been able to find, all the others barely mention brick or if they do it's a white brick. And I did totally not think about my roof, ugh, gotta look when I get home, I never pay attention to it.

I tried gray, but the best I could come up with is a grayed brown. I like either of these two combinations. The Woodcliff Lake has more gray. I think Hidden Oaks is a better siding color than what you have now.

I would paint the ceiling of the entry and the eaves a creamy white to brighten everything up.

Have you considered removing the huge parking structure? It dominates you house. Maybe you could convert one or two of the garage bays back to a garage.

houssaon, although I think those browns definitely tone down the crazy brick, I just can't bring myself to add any more brown to that house.

Also, no. That garage has a full bathroom in there, it would cost way too much money to tear it out and redo the HVAC just to make the front of the house look a little better.

@Christina - Looks like your roof is brown. This could be tricky. Kylie does online consults - might be worth it to get her opinion - I think it's a couple hundred bucks. She knows her colors.

Design Girl, I'll consider it but so help me God if she suggests brown lol

Your door/window is black? Choose black trim.

It appears someone may have tried to whitewash your brick (white splotches). Not a fan of paint or whitewashed brick but you might consider staining them, perhaps only at the entry as an "accent wall", either leaving the grout or painting it so you keep the brick look.

https://www.google.com/search?q=brick+stain&client=firefox-b-1-d&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjqq9DLpYzqAhUKgnIEHVF3Ab8Q_AUIrQIoAQ&biw=1307&bih=648

suzebell, it's not whitewashed or painted, that's just how these bricks looked in this particular neighborhood in the early 70s, it's the same for the brick inside my house, which is between the kitchen and living and for the wall oven. My door is currently the same brown as the trim, the black you're probably seeing is from the storm door, it's a very faded black metal, I'm considering replacing it but I need something there because it makes it easier shoving your way through the house without letting me dogs out.

I mean it's possible they added the white and black when the put the house up but none of the previous owners did it, it was the homebuilder and it's lasted 40yrs so I assume it would be hard to try to remove.

SW Urbane bronze or something similar trim?...turquoise door

Your brick is funky- go with it

Katie, still too brown for me, because mine has the darker spots if I did brown it would have to be so dark it looks black for me to be okay with it. i just really hate brown, even brown furniture, I have issues I know. I'm on the verge of making it a straight Halloween colored house and going all black and orange lol ugh

I have decided on the front door being an aqua or teal though. Does anyone have any green suggestions for the back door?

I have a 1955 house that I'm pretty sure has been painted this whole time (I have a 1956 photo of it where it looks white). I live in Seattle, so talk about constant rain and dampness. The paint looks fine, no problems with peeling or bubbling. Other painted brick homes in my area also look good. If you get the right company to do the job, it should be ok. you could also ask your neighbors whether they know who originally painted theirs, and other details.

but if you're still weary of painting it, I understand. however I would not suggest any of the browns you posted. it looks awesome on Katie B's house, but she has red bricks and a completely different style. I just don't think it would work on yours.

your house is funky in a good way, what if you chose a fun color for all trim? like dark turquoise. something that contrasts and compliments those yellow tones.

by the way, I really like that house. the shape is really cool.

B F. Aw, thank you. I hate the shape, 1970s ranch style is so common here (Houston and Texas in general) I'd rather deal with your dampness up there than here! I think I'm definitely gonna have to embrace the funk lol may still do a black on trim but not jet black and then a fun color on the door and maybe under the trim for a surprise pop, especially since whatever color I do there is gonna be under the carport and the covered patio. I was thinking of doing some window planters too and putting in some fake flowers and succulents, don't judge I've got a lot of potted plants I'm trying to keep alive right now!

Navy Trim?

Katie B, I was seriously considering navy, it's still a possibility, I have some Behr samples from when I was picking out an accent wall, I'll check them out tomorrow in the daylight, hopefully the dark brown/black splotches on the brick don't throw it off.

I think I may have a solution! Your photo inspired me Katie! I can paint over just the dark brown/black ones with a grey color. I did this mock up on my phone so it won't be this exact grey but maybe a concrete grey. I think it completely changes the look of it, without a lot of work or money and I also feel like it doesn't make the white pop as much.

interesting idea to paint some bricks, that could work! I'd go with a warmer grey for that. Or maybe even play around with one of the red brick colors.

For trim: if you wanted to go black, I suggest a soft black (or very dark grey), again keeping the undertones warm -- so it goes with the brick. But not so warm that it reads as brown.

I also like Katie B's suggestion of navy - that could be beautiful.

I really like funky houses, and love midcentury. if you played that up, your house could be really special.

I'm so glad you said it's in Houston. I was thinking it looked so much like the house I lived in when I was a kid-- which was Amarillo! Now that I think about it, I've seen houses like that on Fixer Upper. I guess that must be a very Texas thing indeed.

B F I want to get some greige samples, I think it'd be the right tone, I thought about red too but I worry the red might make that weird pink/muave color pop more. I'd love to make it mid century modern looking, we're keeping the blue tub in one of the spare bathrooms and I'll modernize it with tile and vanity and we're also keeping the brass kitchen cabinet pulls I just gotta put in some elbow grease to get them looking good again. Yes, single story brick ranch homes are evvvverywhere, also in the 90s they did a lot of big boxy 2 story brick houses in red brick or white. For some reason Houston is especially strange, I grew up in Austin but some house designers in the 80's got very... creative. there's quite a few houses with an attached garage that doesn't face the street they face the house and from the front there's literally no visible windows or doors, it's so odd. My neighborhood is a hodgepodge, some classic 60s homes with those awnings above the windows and one of the neighbors across from me has a huge knock off tudor looking home from the 80s with amber stained glass windows.

We have less variegated 1980s brick and are happy we painted the front door Woodlawn Juniper (a Valspar paint color that may be unavailable now... but you can always color match if you like it!)

Here are photos, and if you search for Woodlawn Juniper online, you'll see lots of other folks have also used this color for their doors! :-)

Instead of gray for the black bricks, look at something like SW Relaxed Khaki. I think it's warm enough to blend better with the rest of your bricks.

If you want to go a bit darker, you could try SW perfect Greige.

Ooooo Cathy, I really like that! it's like a blend of aqua and teal but more Earthy toned. It pairs really nicely with your bricks too. I've gotta go to Lowe's to check out a fridge so I'll see if they have a sample. I really like your door too, I desperately need one with some glass up top because my house is like a vampire's lair, they make some mid century modern doors with all the squares and rectangles with glass but they're insanely expensive :(

katinparadise, yes I agree, I think I just feel better saying grey because beige tones make me feel like it's 1997 again. I haven't even looked at that color family when I look at paint in stores but I'm just gonna grab a ton of sample cards and see how they look outside. I believe SW is at Lowes too. I'll specifically look for relaxed khaki and perfect greige thank you :)

So, 4 months later and all I've done is get a new front door 😂 I wish I had the money to drop on a mid century modern one and switch out the backdoor but for now I got this one to match the backdoor, painted it in SW Waterscape.

that's a geat color! it's a very cute door. yes, they are expensive, but this one works.