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Mid Century Modern Exterior Paint

5 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago

I’m in the process of painting my house from beige to kendall charcoal with white trim. The left of the house is red brick and the right is stucco with a beige concrete fence shown in the picture. I would like to tie the whole thing in together more if possible.

I’m trying to decide a few things while the painters are here:

  1. what color should I paint the side fence? Should it be the same charcoal? White? Same color as the concrete? Should I put the red brick like on the other side of the house to tie in together? My existing brick is 15 inch by 5 inch and most brick tiles I see are 7x2.5. Would it look bad if it doesnt match?
  2. I want to get more modern house numbers not sure exactly where to put them or how to arrange them or what color they should be?
  3. should I white wash or paint the brick on the left side white to help tie everything in together or leave it as is?


Comments (36)

  • PRO
    5 years ago

    IMO remove all the overgrowth so the house can actually be seen .

  • 5 years ago

    Yes that is the plan but right now I have painters here and need to decide on what to do with that wall

  • 5 years ago

    Should I paint the brick white? Most of the house is stucco and charcoal color and the trim is white. The red brick feels like it doesnt match much and to make things worse the roof it pitched there while the rest of the house has a flat roof. Would it make sense to paint the brick white to help tie everything together so it doesnt look like two different houses?

    I was planning to use Romabio Masonary paint which is supposed to let the brick breath

  • PRO
    5 years ago

    I like charcoal better than white.

  • 5 years ago

    I think the brick is the nicest part of your house, so I would have picked a paint color from the brick (something much warmer than that version of 'charcoal'). But a little late for that. Do the landscaping and then come back to it. It will give you a better sense of what direction to go.

  • 5 years ago

    The two sides are so different, I think I might paint them to contrast and actually look like the separate pieces of architecture they appear to be. Romabio white on the brick with a nod to the charcoal on the trim and pergola at that side. Break the bank on an MCM front door painted a hawt color!


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  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    that house is really cool! it reminds me of my parent's neighborhood in Albuquerque. many very unique southwest style midcenturies over there.

    re: painting the brick vs not-- that's a tough one. I can't get a sense of how both sides look together in your photos. no matter what, don't whitewash, that's not really a midcentury look. if anything, I'd choose solid white or a lighter grey that compliments your charcoal.

    however, those are pretty bricks and I'm inclined to say don't paint them at all. if you can somehow get a better pic that shows the whole front, it would help us advise you. do you know somebody with a wide angle lens?

    as for house numbers, it kind of looks like there's no good place where they could be visible from the street. you might need to install something near the curb instead, like this:



  • 5 years ago

    I agree with "ILoveMod" about modern geometric numbers and keeping the entry brick its natural color, it compliments and lends interest with both its color and texture. I would maybe paint the iron gates the same charcoal gray as the rest of the house and maybe add 2 large urns/planters in the charcoal gray, one on each side of the gate with a vertical type plant to integrate the charcoal to that section of the house for a cohesive look. When you have decided which plants you want to keep (if any), you could then do the multiple planter look as pictured below along the brick front, but it would require removing existing tall shrubs. Would also recommend removing the teal/green planter edging along the walkway, or replace with a solid bender board the same color as the brick.


    Have fun with your project! Hope to see pics when it's finished!


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  • PRO
    5 years ago

    I used Romabio paint on my house and it’s fabulous. 20 year guarantee. So easy to apply. I would do your brick in the gray. They can match the gray you are using. Keep the trim white.

  • 5 years ago

    Paint all brick walls charcoal and keep all trim white. I did that with both the stucco and brick areas of my MCM house and it’s terrific.

  • 5 years ago

    And I used masonry paint on the brick.

  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    I would stain the brick rather than paint it. See how it's done by https://nawkaw.com at 7:16 on this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEFxPfe0xuYat by designer Sarah Richardson. See the results on this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utSSs24roIU of the finished exterior.

  • 5 years ago

    Molly can you share a picture of your house

  • PRO
    5 years ago


    - More modern gate

    - New modern door (colour to coordinate with your decor) with white trim

    - New plaque with large numbers (silver on black)

    - Black trim

    - Modern landscaping with grasses

  • PRO
    5 years ago


    Same idea as above but with charcoal grey stained bricks & white trim.

  • 5 years ago

    What a cool house! I actually like the brick and would leave it as is. Add some charcoal accents around it (tall planters, period-appropriate metal sculpture, etc.). I would paint the fence charcoal and leave the brick on top as an accent.

  • 5 years ago

    Thanks lisedv for the awesome renderings!

  • PRO
    5 years ago

    Fun to do, you have a very nice house!

  • 5 years ago

    I wonder how it would look with my brick since it looks a bit different than the more uniform smaller brick in your image. Also I wanted to use romabio masonry paint, but I don’t have any paint shops nearby that sell it so I would have to order it on amazon that has limited color selections

  • 5 years ago

    I’m thinking river city is closest match to my kendall charcoal: https://www.amazon.com/Romabio-Masonry-Italian-Mineral-Cementitious/dp/B07R4427DM

  • 5 years ago

    I'm facing the same conundrum over painting/not painting the brick tile facade portion of our house - only our bricks are "clinker" style. Anyone have any advice on that, please?

  • PRO
    5 years ago

    Bobz, here is the look with a whitewash finish on the bricks, charcoal trim & door.


  • 5 years ago

    That last one liedv posted is what I was thinking, except I would want a bright pop of color at the front door.

  • PRO
    5 years ago

    This Romabio colour could also be interesting with charcoal trim...




  • PRO
    5 years ago

    All my suggestions placed together...








  • 5 years ago

    Don't paint the brick! No going back from that, and the brick you have is lovely. I think you need to take what you have (brick) and embrace it, not try to make it look like something else that you might get tired of quickly. I think the post by lisedv with "more modern gate" looks terrific.

  • 5 years ago

    The brick appears to be hand made of natural clay. It has a nicely varied organic look, coloring and texture. Painting will hide the variation and will also require periodic repainting. Real brick is costly and coveted for its natural appearance and because it does not need painting and is low maintenance. It is an intact focal point for your mid century house. Painting it might give it a 'fresh up to date look' for a short while. But right now it looks good already, it is classic and is authentic for your period home. If necessary you can have it properly cleaned and repointed to keep it intact and make it look fresh again.

  • PRO
    5 years ago

    I tend to agree with you Oldhouseguru about the brick. That's why my 1st suggestion was leaving the brick "as is" and painting the trim in black to give a more modern look.

  • 5 years ago

    The rest of the house has white trim. Do you think it will be fine to have black trim where the brick is and white trim everywhere else?

  • PRO
    5 years ago

    I would need more detailed pictures to answer that question.

  • 5 years ago

    Bob...you asked for photos of my MCM house with brick and stucco painted charcoal and white trim. Here ya go...

  • 5 years ago

    Looks very nice, I’m guessing its in palm springs?

  • 5 years ago

    Bob, are you doing white trim because you have white roof flashing? It's possible to paint the flashing, but I could definitely see why you might not want to. However, if you wanted to tie the white flashing and black trim paint together and go with something like lisedv's idea, it looks like you could do the garage door trim in black without needing to do a gigantic re-paint. You could also consider painting the garage door black, although that's a bigger commitment.


  • 5 years ago

    based on lisedv's mockups, I still think the natural brick looks the best. I do love the proposed dark trim and modern style gate.