You would need to stain your brick. Yes stain not paint. That said just don't! It is permanent and last up to 50 years so once its done there is really no going back. This trend is already coming into the rear view mirror and once you have commited .........

Hmmmm thank you. how would you modernize the current exterior then without changing the color?

I really don't think ill regret going darker. This is another inspiration pic.

Paint the white trim dark

Better but still not amazing.

It has been my experience that You won't regret it until the next trend presents itself. Also if this isnt your forever home......what percentage of people want to buy a black brick home?

You have a production home pretending to be a colonial. If I wanted to move it closer to a modern look I would consider doing the following

1. Replace the colonial style door with a natural wood door with glass

2. windows........are they vinyl clad? This is going to pose a problem going dark. They seldom paint well so are you willing to replace?

3. Paint all non brick your dream dark color

4 clean up the landscaping. modern clean lines around the house

If you just can't move past the red brick consider having it washed in white with Romabio. It will remain a more timeless option but eliminate the red brick.

I thought about going lighter like your second image, but thats kind if over-used around here and not very unique. This is likely to be my forever home as im 63 and don’t plan to move until i have to. Im def leaning towards just doing the trim dark as recommended and holding off on the brick for a while. after living with the dark trim and red brick. IOW, baby steps. Thank you!

I would never plan a renovation based on AI. AI frequently makes thing highly unrealistic. Further, you'll note your inspo pic, labeled "I really don't think. . ." is also AI (that birch is way too skinny and too close to the house), but a lot of the attraction comes from the warm, golden light, which is not realistic. More realisitic is the ChatGPT picture you posted where the garage just looks like a big, hulking black shape. The only reason the rest of the house doesn't look like that are the reflections showing in the window and door.

I think the brick you have on your house is beautiful. I would certainly never want to mess with the brick. Its maintenance free now, except to clean once in a while, once you stain or paint, you will always have some maintenance. As you get older, that maintenance becomes harder and harder. Paint your trim and garage doors if you want to, and yes, to doing some landscaping..

I'm sure you can using stain, not paint. Go to your local B.M. or S.W. store and bring the photo. In your inspiration photo you can see a lighter grout. Not sure you would get that quite that look. The grout is a mortar and betting it is more porous than the brick, so it maybe be darker. A professional can answer the questions.

Another thought....ask about painting the trim...can a paint be matched to the stain?

Plant more trees and paint the trims and solid surfaces dark.

Dark roof, trim, windows and doors.

Messing with brick instantly devalues your home is that your plan ? If not the brick you have is very nice just darken the areas needing painting if you love that look

Black homes are divisive. You never know if you will move.
Nobody knows how to lighten the dark houses without massive expense.

I think the changing the white trim to a dark color could provide the right amount of change to please you.

I also think your home is overdue for a new more interesting landscape plan. Too much lawn and not enough texture perennial beds.

I think you're drawn to dark and moody. Good idea to start with the trim. Landscaping and outdoor lighting next to give it that mysterious vibe. Check out this landscape pro's projects https://www.houzz.com/pro/siffordgd/jay-sifford. He uses a lot of black in his work, black fences, black mulch. He also uses a lot of color. Very inspiring. Don't know where you are, but maybe he does remote plans if you aren't in his area.

Consider adding a bluestone paver and staining your driveway. AI didn't quite get it right, but think about it as part of an overall landscape plan.

I'm not sure what you mean by modernize. Your house is a more colonial style so adding a mid-century modern slab door, for example, would not improve the appearance of the house.

If you want to make your house look more attractive, the landscaping is the main thing that is lacking now.

The leggy shrubs with the tufts at the top are unattractive and look like old shrubs that have never been pruned.

All the birch tree are too close to the house and should be removed.

The bed at the front of the house is too narrow in proportion to the size of the house. It should be twice as deep and have some substantial evergreen shrubs with some visual heft. Then something lower with floral interest or a contrasting leaf colour.

If you can do some hardscaping, a wider and more important path to the front door always looks attractive.

A wood garage door would look nice with this house if it's in the budget. Or a dark garage door colour. I'm not a fan of a big white garage door - the white "pops".

Your brick colour is a classic and changing it would not make your house look any better. In fact, it would make the house itself recede visually, and the garage door pop in contrast even more.

It's an attractive house that needs landscaping.

I agree with @partim regarding a wood door for the garage; when I saw your house, it was the first thing I thought.

The brick is nice. And so is the overall house.

Wood garage door. I also changed the front door to a solid door, in black with brass detail. Added some landscaping- but it is not complete, and also there are any number of ways to go with it. AI enhanced some of the existing tall shrubs to make them look better- but the ones blocking the window are not working, even with their better appearance. (Also, looks like AI added a window- so ignore that of course!) Upgraded landscaping would make a significant difference in the appearance of your house and property.

I would look to “upscale” versus ”modernize”.

Devalue, off trend, no where to go in a few years when you tire of it. Hone your taste to beauty, classic, luxury vs hip and happening. It will last longer.