I think your house looks great as is. I would not paint it pure white I would match the window trim. I also would not paint the brick. I had BM Essex Green doors and shutters. It's a very dark green

I really like the current combination. You could try a different shutter (like the darker green) and door color first.

Other suggestions have been as follows:

The current gray/green on the upper is great. A much deeper/darker shade for the shutters and door that blends would be nice. Nice house!

Leave the brick alone ! I like your house and agree with some of the suggestions above. The last two photos make it look top heavy, not good.

you could go for a creamier white and a darker tone that isn't as harsh as black for the shutters and door.

slightly diff door (with more glass) in a deep navy. new lights.

I do like the painted brick and dark option, but those railings would need to be changed to something less heavy looking.

see the railing on this porch? You could do something like that w/the darker charcoal siding color. looks nice w/the brick

or, if you did everything white

wood railing.

You could do for that french type of vibe. how about a mortar schmear w/the french blue shutter and door colors? of course the balcony railing would need to be redone. Copper accents.

here's another example. either limewash or schmear the brick, navy on the door/shutters, or even a smokey charcoal would be nice. (and would also work w/the cream windows) think about updating the porch area

can't find an exact match to your house, but here's a bottom brick that was done w/Romabio limewash, the siding in BM Seapearl, and white trim.

just a rough photoshop.

here's a few similar homes like yours

have you thought about doing a porch extension, like this?

I really like this one and think you could apply this to yours. see how you could carry the porch under your balcony walk out?

I also like how they did the board and batten instead of the regular siding. Shutter hardware, diff posts, creamy brick color, slate hardscape. really brightens up the entire home.

again, change out the reg siding to board and batten, paint a soft taupe shade, extend the porch over to the left. try Urbane Bronze on the shutters/door. think about coloring your walkway. add some natural wood to your balcony railing.

brick/siding same color.

Is your house brick only on the front façade or all the way around on the main floor?

Here is a different green on the shutters+ door

@partim it is brick all the way around.

I just came across this one that you could utilize. Did you happen to see all the pics I posted above in my comment? I spoke about the railing.

this is what I meant, along w/the wood accents.

and if you redid the brick in white, it would be similar to this, along w/the extended porch, which I also spoke about.

you never commented on anything so not sure if you saw it, or just hated all of it!

No matter what you choose, I think your balcony railing needs to be a different color than your siding. The way it blends in right now looks odd to me.

I like the first mockup you posted -- white with black railing and wood posts. I also really like Beth's white and grey inspo pic above.

As much as I also like red brick, since the upper floor is not brick, paint the brick and the upper the same off-white color or one shade different from each other in off-white. The rule of thumb for shutters is they look really cheapo unless they are 1/2 the width of the windows as if they could be real and used/closed - looks like yours are that wide. There was a house almost like yours repainted in recent issue of BHG or So. Living and they painted entire house light color - can try to find article if you message me.

Do not paint the brick. I did and we have paint chipped by the mower. LOVE your house the way it is. the shutters and door would be the only colors I would change.

Keep the brick and black. Paint the upper floor a soft gray-green sage color. Complementary color to reddish brick.

Hi Terrib962, if you could send me the links to the articles I would really appreciate it.

Regardw

I think it looks great the way it is, except you could add some color to the fascia and to the railing and columns. That would give you a fun facelift. I would avoid painting the brick and seriously run from the current trend of painting it black.

Your house style is Monterey Colonial. It is fairly common for those to have brick on the first floor facade, even here in CA where this style originated. I quite like the paint scheme you have now; it perfectly complements the brick. If you want to go more authentic Monterey, the top floor could be painted an off-white/sand/beige color.

Houzz article on this style: https://www.houzz.com/magazine/roots-of-style-colonial-monterey-sets-the-stage-for-unique-design-stsetivw-vs~15003558

Pics:

Here are more Monterey Colonials for you to view. I think your home would look better with a light color on the second floor. Additionally, the landscaping really needs a complete remodel.

Thank you all so much. Some great ideas

I like the bottom brick and then I also like the 2nd picture you posted (in the group of 4 above) with the white painted wood 2nd floor w black accents. Wonder if you could mock that up to see the final results?

Beth H has a some great examples! I don’t think it’s helpful to tell someone “oh, we like it as is, don’t change it” when they want to make changes….I’m sure the OP has thought about this long and hard.

Oh, I don't think I am being unhelpful At All, if I tell them they have a perfectly handsome house as it is, when they do. Particularly if I think they are looking at trendy things that won't make the house look better, just different.

I’m fortunate that my paint colors consultant friend steers me away from hot-for-a-minute trend colors to ones that will have more longevity. (Whew! I avoided the lime green kitchen!)

The strong black trim and shutters read to me as too on-trend, and a little too strong/top heavy. A slightly less contrasty combo might be better. A lighter green would play well with the brick color… Like the green of this door…

https://pin.it/2hR6n0C

Maybe either paint the existing railings black to match the door and shutters, or replace them with black metal railings that would have a slimmer profile? As the new landscaping grows, it will also help to balance the visual dominance of the second floor.

This one is beautiful. I'd do the brick and the upper portion in a white , paint railing, add some flowers.

I think the current color does a good job of matching the roof color. I would wait until I replaced the roof using a darker color before I went with darker paint on the upper. And I would take a careful look at any color change in terms of complimenting the brick.

Sorry, but I've never understood why owners would take an item that requires very little maintenance (brick) and paint it, making it something that will require maintenance more often. The original poster commented that they have a fondness for the their brick on the house, and it goes all the way around the first floor. So much more labor intensive to change all the brick than just on the front of the house. My first thought when I looked at the original posting was that I'd change the railing on the second level to a black iron railing that blends with the other accents of the house and is less obtrusive to the second floor sitting area. Someone else also suggested this change of the railing. Personally I like the current paint color of the second floor. But maybe instead of black as an accent color, try charcoal or a deep bronze or even a navy blue. I think someone suggested SW Iron Ore or SW Urbane Bronze.

II would suggest staining the brick if you want to change it. I did this on a renovation for my sister and she has had no extra maintenance for the last 3 years. She gets lots of compliments on it. I’ve added before and after pics.

Hi Becky. I can see why your sister receives compliments on her house...it's beautiful. And while I would still be hesitant to paint/stain brick, it really makes a BIG difference on this style of house. Of course, there were several others things changed that added curb appeal as well, i.e., roof shingles (unless it's just the difference in seasons and reflection of the sun it appears there's new roof shingles), dark guttering/downspouts, removal of shutters, removal of colonial trim above the front door, new front door, new light fixture at front entrance, removal of black wrought iron stair railings, and the change of porch supports to natural wood...which I love. Not to mention a new sidewalk and new landscaping. All the changes make for a very impressive-looking house!