Red Brick House Exterior Colors: Keep the Brick, Try the Rest

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Your brick is staying, so the question is what to paint around it. Upload a photo of your house below to try siding, trim, shutter and door colors with the brick left alone, then see what two published guides suggest and three before and after examples.

Brick and siding combinations

Before and after examples

Example images are AI-generated: both the sample houses and their redesigns. Results change from render to render, so treat them as concepts, not exact product matches.

AI-drawn generic stand-in of a two-story house with red-orange brick walls, white window trim, a white front door, a white garage door and a dark gray shingle roof — Example 1 (prompt 1 below; the before is an AI-drawn generic stand-in house, not a real photo): the front door is now a deep navy and the window frames and trim are a warm cream, a little more yellow-beige than white. The red-orange brick, the white garage door, the roof and the walkway stayed in place. Unrequested change: the lawn and shrubs were redrawn slightly. Our first try, with a shorter prompt, left the trim white and turned the garage door a pale yellow, so we reran it with the prompt printed below.

The same house with a navy front door and cream window trim; the red-orange brick, white garage door and roof kept — Example 1 (prompt 1 below; the before is an AI-drawn generic stand-in house, not a real photo): the front door is now a deep navy and the window frames and trim are a warm cream, a little more yellow-beige than white. The red-orange brick, the white garage door, the roof and the walkway stayed in place. Unrequested change: the lawn and shrubs were redrawn slightly. Our first try, with a shorter prompt, left the trim white and turned the garage door a pale yellow, so we reran it with the prompt printed below.

AI-drawn generic stand-in of a two-story house with dark red-brown brick on the ground floor, white horizontal siding on the upper floor and front gable, white trim, a dark brown front door and a brown shingle roof — Example 2 (prompt 2 below; the before is an AI-drawn generic stand-in house, not a real photo): the white siding on the upper floor and the gable is now a sage green, a little stronger than the "soft muted" we asked for. The dark red-brown brick on the ground floor, the white trim, the dark brown door and the roof stayed in place. Unrequested change: the lawn was redrawn.

The same house with sage green siding above the same dark brick; white trim, dark door and roof kept — Example 2 (prompt 2 below; the before is an AI-drawn generic stand-in house, not a real photo): the white siding on the upper floor and the gable is now a sage green, a little stronger than the "soft muted" we asked for. The dark red-brown brick on the ground floor, the white trim, the dark brown door and the roof stayed in place. Unrequested change: the lawn was redrawn.

AI-drawn generic stand-in of a two-story traditional house with red brick walls, white window trim, white shutters on every front window, a white front door and a gray shingle roof — Example 3 (prompt 3 below; the before is an AI-drawn generic stand-in house, not a real photo): the white shutters on every window and the front door are now glossy black. The red brick, the white window trim and door surround, the roof and the brick walkway stayed in place. Unrequested change: the lawn and the plants along the wall were redrawn slightly.

The same house with black shutters and a black front door; red brick, white trim and roof kept — Example 3 (prompt 3 below; the before is an AI-drawn generic stand-in house, not a real photo): the white shutters on every window and the front door are now glossy black. The red brick, the white window trim and door surround, the roof and the brick walkway stayed in place. Unrequested change: the lawn and the plants along the wall were redrawn slightly.

What the AI can and cannot do

It can repaint the siding, trim, shutters or doors in your photo and leave the brick as it is, so you can see a color next to the brick you already have.

It cannot match a paint brand's color or show how a color reads next to your particular brick in all light. As the captions say, small things around the edit can change too, such as the lawn. Treat each result as a direction to test with a real paint sample held up against the brick.

What two published guides suggest for a red brick house

These suggestions come from two published pieces: The Color Concierge, "The Best Exterior Paint Colors for Red Brick Homes" by Michelle Marceny (July 18, 2018), and brick&batten, "8 Paint Colors That Complement Red Brick" by Mackenzie (January 17, 2023). They are design opinions, not rules. Both pieces name paint products; we left those out and kept the color and placement ideas.

Part you can repaint	What the sources say
Siding	The Color Concierge shows a dark blue siding as a fresh, modern look that still works with the brick. brick&batten lists a deep grayish navy, a charcoal with brown undertones, an inky black, a greenish-taupe, a gray-green, a deep brown-toned neutral and a brownish gray, mostly with white trim. It says the navy, black and charcoal options give contrast and the taupe, green and earth tones feel warmer.
Trim	The Color Concierge prefers a creamy white to a clean white, saying a clean white can look harsh against brick and a cream tone is softer and fits the earthy brick. brick&batten's examples often use white trim and white porch columns for a classic look.
Shutters	The Color Concierge suggests black shutters with red brick or light siding, and cream shutters when the paint is dark. brick&batten shows shutters picking up the siding's green, or natural wood.
Front door	The Color Concierge suggests black as a classic choice, or the siding color to tie the entry to the body. It advises against red doors and red trim, saying most people do not get the red right.
Garage door	The Color Concierge suggests painting the garage door in the same palette as the house, for example a cream rather than a bright white.

Other points from the two sources:

Keep the paint muted. The Color Concierge says red brick is muted and earthy, so clean, fresh or bright colors next to it can look off. It suggests muted versions instead.
Find the brick's undertone. brick&batten says red brick varies in shade and undertone, and suggests picking a paint that picks up a gray, brown or warm tone already in the brick. The Color Concierge says to check how a color reacts with the brick and the grout.
Outdoor light is different. The Color Concierge notes that colors look lighter outside than on a sample card. brick&batten says to test large samples on the exterior, since small chips can look different at full size.

This page versus brick and siding pages

On this page the brick stays and you change what is painted: siding, trim, shutters and doors. If you want to compare siding styles and colors next to your brick, see brick and siding combinations. If you want to add brick to a house that has none, see the brick veneer visualizer.

Three repaint ideas to try with the brick kept

The examples were run directly on an image model, not through the tool above, so your results will look different. In every example the prompt tells the AI to keep the brick exactly as it is.

Navy door and cream trim. Example 1 pairs a deep navy door with a cream trim instead of white. The cream came out a little yellow.
Sage siding above dark brick. Example 2 repaints the upper white siding of a house with a brick ground floor a sage green, a green-toned option from the brick&batten list.
Black shutters and door. Example 3 paints white shutters and the front door black, the classic contrast the Color Concierge describes.

How to try it on your house

Photograph the front in daylight, straight on, from far enough back that the whole house fits in the frame.
Upload it in the tool at the top of this page, or open the exterior designer, and name the part to repaint and the new color.
Tell it to keep the brick exactly as it is, and list the roof, trim or doors that should stay, as the prompts below do.
Check the whole image. Look at the brick, the roof and the lawn, and run it again if something changed that you did not ask for.

The exact prompts behind the examples

These are the edit prompts used for the three examples, word for word. Change the colors and the list of what stays to suit your house.

Prompt 1: front door and window trim

Change ONLY these painted parts: repaint the white front door a deep navy blue, and repaint the white frames and trim around every window a warm cream beige. Keep the red-orange brick walls exactly as they are, plus the garage door, the roof, the lawn, the walkway, the sky and the camera angle exactly the same.

Prompt 2: upper siding to sage green

Change ONLY the painted siding: repaint the white horizontal siding on the upper floor and front gable a soft muted sage green. Keep the red-brown brick on the ground floor exactly as it is. Keep the white trim, the dark brown front door, the roof, the lawn, the walkway, the sky and the camera angle exactly the same.

Prompt 3: shutters and door to black

Change ONLY these painted parts: repaint the white shutters on every window and the white front door a glossy black. Keep the red brick walls exactly as they are, plus the white window trim, the roof, the lawn, the walkway, the sky and the camera angle exactly the same.

Before you paint

Test real samples next to the brick, in daylight and at different times of day.
Check your HOA or town. Some limit exterior colors.
Plan the accents. See shutter colors, front door colors and exterior trim colors.

Who this is for

Homeowners and buyers with a red brick house who want to see siding, trim, shutter or door colors on their own photo before buying paint.

More exterior color ideas

See brick and siding combinations, brick veneer visualizer, white house with black trim, siding colors, black house exterior ideas and the exterior paint visualizer.

Frequently asked questions

What color siding goes with red brick?

The two guides we read name several. The Color Concierge shows a dark blue siding and a warm beige. brick&batten lists navy, charcoal, black, greenish-taupe, gray-green, deep brown-toned neutrals and a brownish gray. Examples 1 to 3 above keep the brick and change the trim, siding and shutters instead.

What trim color goes with red brick?

The Color Concierge prefers a creamy white over a clean white, saying a clean white can look harsh against brick. brick&batten's examples often use white trim and white porch columns. Example 1 above tries a warm cream trim, and the result reads a little yellow-beige, so hold a real sample against your brick.

Are black shutters good with red brick?

The Color Concierge suggests black shutters with red brick or light siding as a crisp, classic contrast. Example 3 above paints white shutters and the front door black and leaves the brick and white trim alone.

Should I paint a red brick house?

This page does not cover painting the brick itself. Both guides we read work around the brick, and the tool here keeps it as it is. If you are thinking about changing the brick surface, ask a local mason or painter about it first.

Can I try colors on my own photo with the brick kept?

Yes. Upload a photo of the front of your house in the tool at the top of this page, name the parts to repaint and tell the AI to keep the brick exactly as it is, like the prompts below. In our three examples the brick stayed the same. Check the whole image anyway, since the lawn also changed in each one.

Will the colors come out exactly as I ask?

Not exactly. Our sage green came out a little stronger than the soft muted green we asked for, and our cream trim read a little yellow. Use the render to compare directions, then test real paint samples next to your brick, in the light at different times of day.

Is this tool free?

Signing up is free and gives you 5 credits, which is enough for 2 renders in most countries. Free renders carry an AiExterior watermark. If you want more renders or clean images, paid plans are available on the pricing page.

Do I need an account?

Yes. You need to sign in before a render starts, with an email code or your Google account.

Try it on your own house

Upload your house photo

Free sign-up with email or Google. You get 2 free renders in most countries; free renders are watermarked.