Red Brick House With Black Trim: See It on Your House First

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Black trim, shutters, doors and gutters are a classic way to frame red brick without painting the brick. This page sums up the black paints and pairings that designers show with red brick, shows two AI examples on stand-in houses with what the AI got right and wrong, and lets you try the look on a photo of your own house.

Red brick house exterior colors

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 stand-in of a two-story red brick colonial house with white louvered shutters, white window frames — Example 1 (prompt 1 below; the before is an AI-drawn stand-in house, not a real photo): every white shutter is now black, the gutter, fascia and soffit along the roof are black, and the front door is a dark charcoal gray rather than a true black. The small portico over the door and the pilasters beside it also turned black, which we did not ask for, though it reads as part of the door trim. The red brick, the roof, the lawn, the shrubs and the sky stayed. What it did not finish: the frames of the two larger windows on the right turned dark, but the smaller windows kept their white frames, and both downspouts stayed white, so the black gutter ends in white pipes. We ran the request once.

The same red brick house with black shutters, a black portico and door surround — Example 1 (prompt 1 below; the before is an AI-drawn stand-in house, not a real photo): every white shutter is now black, the gutter, fascia and soffit along the roof are black, and the front door is a dark charcoal gray rather than a true black. The small portico over the door and the pilasters beside it also turned black, which we did not ask for, though it reads as part of the door trim. The red brick, the roof, the lawn, the shrubs and the sky stayed. What it did not finish: the frames of the two larger windows on the right turned dark, but the smaller windows kept their white frames, and both downspouts stayed white, so the black gutter ends in white pipes. We ran the request once.

AI-drawn stand-in of a one-story red brick ranch house with a tan garage door, a tan front door — Example 2 (prompt 2 below; the before is an AI-drawn stand-in house, not a real photo): the front door and the window frames are now black, and the garage door is a dark slate gray with a slight blue cast rather than black. The fascia, the rake boards on the gable and the soffit turned black along with the gutter, so the whole roof edge is now outlined in black. The tan shutters also turned black, which the prompt did not mention. The red brick, the shingles, the lawn and the plants stayed. Only the downspout beside the garage turned black; the downspouts at the far left and far right corners stayed tan. We ran the request once.

The same red brick ranch with a dark slate garage door, a black front door, black window frames and shutters — Example 2 (prompt 2 below; the before is an AI-drawn stand-in house, not a real photo): the front door and the window frames are now black, and the garage door is a dark slate gray with a slight blue cast rather than black. The fascia, the rake boards on the gable and the soffit turned black along with the gutter, so the whole roof edge is now outlined in black. The tan shutters also turned black, which the prompt did not mention. The red brick, the shingles, the lawn and the plants stayed. Only the downspout beside the garage turned black; the downspouts at the far left and far right corners stayed tan. We ran the request once.

How to use this page

The brick stays, the black goes on the rest: window frames or trim, shutters, the front door, the garage door and the gutters. You can pick one or two of these or all of them, and the more you add the heavier the look.

These are recommendations, not rankings. We did not find data on which blacks are most used with red brick. The pages we read are from paint color bloggers, designers and a home improvement site, and each paint name below is from a page we opened, listed under Sources, with the code shown there. For colors on the siding, porch or brick itself, see red brick house exterior colors.

Black paints the sources pair with red brick

Paint, as named	What the source says	Where it was used
Benjamin Moore Black Beauty (2128-10)	The Color Concierge calls it a rich, warm black (LRV 5) whose warmth suits warm red brick.	Its example puts it on nearly everything that is not brick, including the roofline, windows, front door and columns.
Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore (SW 7069)	The Color Concierge calls it a soft black or very dark charcoal (LRV 6). The Heathered Nest calls it a warm deep charcoal that brings out the darker accents in brick.	In the Color Concierge example, the trim was kept a light Sherwin-Williams Natural Choice because the windows were white vinyl.
Sherwin-Williams Tricorn Black (SW 6258)	The Heathered Nest says it draws out the neutral grays and black flecks in the brick rather than the red. brick&batten calls it a true, neutral black (LRV 2.45 on its page).	The Heathered Nest cites a home with it on the shutters and front door. brick&batten suggests it for trim, shutters, front doors and garage doors.
Benjamin Moore Cheating Heart (1617)	The Color Concierge calls it a soft black with subtle deep blue undertones (LRV 6.9).	Shown on siding, trim and garage doors. The page advises black or paintable windows with it.
Benjamin Moore Black (2132-10)	Laurel Home says red brick needs some black or almost-black next to the white.	Shown with black shutters and trim on red brick homes in Boston's Beacon Hill.
Benjamin Moore Black Forest Green (PM-12)	Laurel Home calls it a blackened green, a softer option than straight black.	Suggested for shutters and doors.

Where the black goes on red brick

Windows and trim. The Color Concierge says an all-dark scheme needs dark or paintable windows, and that white vinyl windows can look too harsh beside it. Painting vinyl dark can also affect the window warranty, so check it first. See exterior colors with black windows and exterior window trim ideas.
Shutters and the front door. Laurel Home shows black shutters on red brick and also suggests a blackened green for shutters and doors. The Heathered Nest cites Tricorn Black on shutters and a front door. See shutter colors and front door colors.
Gutters and downspouts. Today's Homeowner says black gutters suit classic brick homes, especially with white window and door trim, or can match black shutters and frames. It warns that black gutters take on more heat and may fade or chip. See gutter colors.
The garage door. brick&batten says Tricorn Black makes a garage door recede visually. See garage door colors.

Balance the black with the right white

Laurel Home says black alone can look harsh on red brick and suggests mixing in a dark cool gray, with whites that lean creamy rather than stark: Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee (OC-45), White Dove (OC-17) and Dove Wing (OC-18) among them. It would skip a very bright white such as Chantilly Lace. The Heathered Nest also lists Sherwin-Williams Alabaster (SW 7008) and Shoji White (SW 7042) with red brick. For a white house with black trim instead of brick, see white house with black trim.

Going darker than trim

If the brick sits next to siding, brick&batten shows dark siding colors beside red brick, including Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore (SW7069), which it says picks up the gray and black tones in the brick, and Benjamin Moore Raccoon Fur (2126-20), an inky black. See brick and siding combinations. If you are thinking of changing the brick color itself, see painted brick house exterior or limewash brick exterior.

How to try black trim on your brick house

Photograph the front in daylight, straight on, with the whole roofline, the gutters and the door in the frame.
Upload it in the tool at the top of this page, or open the exterior designer, and list every part to turn black.
Say that the brick must not change, and list what else stays, as the prompts below do.
Check every window and every downspout. In our examples some were missed and some parts we did not name turned black. Run it again or name the missed parts.

Two examples, and what the AI changed

The examples were run directly on an image model, not through the tool above, so your results will look different. We ran each request once and show that run. The live tool may use a different model and settings from the ones we used (we used 4 processing steps), so a render from the tool may look rougher or different. The blacks are the model's reading of the word black and not matches to the paints named above.

Colonial with black shutters. Example 1 turned the shutters, gutters and portico black and the door dark charcoal, and kept the brick. The smaller windows kept white frames and the downspouts stayed white.
Ranch with black trim and roof edge. Example 2 turned the door, window frames, shutters and the whole roof edge black and the garage door dark slate. Two of the three downspouts stayed tan.

The exact prompts behind the examples

These are the edit prompts, word for word. Change the list of parts and the list of what stays to suit your house.

Prompt 1: black window trim, shutters, gutters and front door

Repaint only the window trim, the shutters, the gutters and the front door black. Do not change the red brick at all. Keep the windows, the roofline, the lawn, the plants, the sky and the camera angle exactly the same

Prompt 2: black window trim, gutters, garage door and front door

Repaint only the window trim, the gutters, the garage door and the front door black. Do not change the red brick at all. Keep the windows, the roofline, the lawn, the plants, the sky and the camera angle exactly the same

Sources

All six pages were opened and paraphrased; none of their images or sentences are used. Paint names and codes are as shown on these pages, and a color that shows no code here had none on the page. Dates are as shown on each page.

The Color Concierge, "4 Best Black Paint Colors That Go With Red Brick", by Michelle Marceny, June 2, 2023 (thecolorconcierge.com/?p=25735).
Laurel Home, "12 of the Best Paint Colors To Go With Red Brick", by Laurel Bern, dated October 23, 2025 on the page, first published 2019 (laurelberninteriors.com/12-of-the-best-paint-colors-to-go-with-red-brick/).
The Heathered Nest, "15 Top Paint Colors That Complement Red Brick", by Heather Thibodeau, April 10, 2023, updated March 4, 2025 (heatherednest.com/paint-colors-that-compliment-red-brick/).
Today's Homeowner, "Black Gutters on Brick House: Stylish Ideas for Your Home's Exterior", by Nikki Stavile, updated November 1, 2024 (todayshomeowner.com/gutters/guides/black-gutters-on-brick-house-ideas/).
brick&batten, "A Review of Tricorn Black by Sherwin-Williams [UPDATED 2025]", by Alexis Bishop, September 3, 2025 (brickandbatten.com/tricorn-black-2025/). brick&batten sells exterior design services.
brick&batten, "8 Paint Colors That Complement Red Brick", by Mackenzie, January 17, 2023 (brickandbatten.com/complement-red-brick/).

Who this is for

Owners of a red brick house who want to keep the brick and add black on the trim, shutters, doors or gutters, and who want to see it on their own house before they buy paint or new gutters.

More exterior color ideas

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

Frequently asked questions

Does black trim go with red brick?

It is a common pairing in the pages we read. Laurel Home says a red brick house wants some black or a very dark, almost black color alongside the white, and shows black shutters and trim on red brick homes in Boston. Today's Homeowner says black gutters look sophisticated on a classic brick home. Whether it suits yours depends on your brick, your roof and your windows, so preview it first.

Which black paint works best with red brick?

The sources name several. The Color Concierge picks Benjamin Moore Black Beauty (2128-10) as a warm black that suits warm red brick, and Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore (SW 7069) as a softer near-charcoal. The Heathered Nest says Sherwin-Williams Tricorn Black (SW 6258) draws out the gray and black flecks in brick rather than the red. Test samples against your own brick before you choose.

Should I use a true black or a soft black on red brick trim?

Both appear in the sources. brick&batten describes Tricorn Black as a true, neutral black with almost no undertone. The Color Concierge leans toward warmer or softer blacks such as Black Beauty and Iron Ore for red brick. Laurel Home warns that black on its own can look harsh and suggests mixing it with a dark cool gray. It is a design choice, so compare both on a photo of your house.

Can I have black trim if my windows are white vinyl?

The Color Concierge says a very dark scheme needs dark or paintable windows, and that white vinyl windows can look too harsh next to it. In its Iron Ore example the trim was kept a light Sherwin-Williams Natural Choice because the windows were white vinyl. If your windows are vinyl, also check the window warranty before painting them dark.

Should the gutters be black on a red brick house?

Today's Homeowner says black gutters suit classic brick homes, and that matching them to black shutters, doors or window frames ties the outside together. It also says black gutters absorb more heat, may fade or chip over time and can cost a little more. In our examples the AI turned the gutters black but left most downspouts their old color, so check every pipe in your render.

What white goes with black trim on red brick?

Laurel Home prefers creamy whites with red brick, such as Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee (OC-45) and White Dove (OC-17), and says it would skip a very bright white such as Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace because the contrast is too strong. The Heathered Nest also lists Sherwin-Williams Alabaster (SW 7008) and Shoji White (SW 7042) with red brick.

Can I see black trim on my own brick house?

Yes. Upload a photo of your house in the tool at the top of this page, name each part to turn black (window frames, shutters, gutters, downspouts, door, garage door) and say that the brick must not change. The picture shows the idea, not an exact paint match. In our examples the AI left some window frames and downspouts unchanged and blackened parts we did not name.

Is this tool free, and do I need an account?

Signing up is free and gives you 1 free render. Free renders carry an AiExterior watermark. You need to sign in with an email code or your Google account before a render starts. If you want more renders or clean images, paid plans are on the pricing page.

Try it on your own house

Try black trim on your house photo