Oooo. I dunno. Your home is beautiful and I don't think I would paint the brick at all! Instead, I'd paint the window and door trim black and lose the shutters.

Exterior · More Info

Glencoe, IL - Private Residence, Addition · More Info

Black trimmed Brick home · More Info

I agree with Sabrina...the brick is lovely!

I also agree not to paint the brick, just trim.

I second what Sabrina said! Wonderful ideas! I would not paint the brick! Why paint it and add that maintenance when it is already so beautiful?

Thanks yall! If we dont want to do something as dramatic as black trim what color trim? does everyone think we ahould remove the shutters?

Limewash will allow you to totally cover the brick, or leave some of it exposed for a "vintage" appearance.

If you don't like the black, I would leave it as it is! What a beautiful home!

At least remove the shutters on the double windows. I would need to see the brick closer up (from about six feet away in good lighting) to suggest other trim colors. If you don't like what you have you're left with either going lighter or darker. Since you don't like the idea of black (I don't either), are you thinking about going lighter or darker? For a start you could look at the neutrals in Benjamin Moore's Historical colors. There are a lot of different choices, one or more of which would probably go with your brick.

The shutters are not adding to the appearance. I'd also trim back and/or remove shrubs that are blocking windows. If the paint is in good shape, I'd concentrate on landscape first.

Brick is no maintenance, meaning you don’t spend seven or eight thousand dollars every few years (depending on your climate). I never understand painting brick. I guess I am just cheap! I would rather spend that money on a trip to Italy.

I think the brick is classic and beautiful, and as others have mentioned: no maintenance (as opposed to painted brick). As for trim colors, a sage green always looks good with brick. I agree about the shutters and the need for fresh landscaping (I personally don't care for bushes that are trimmed into balls). Your home is lovely; good luck with your updates to it.

IMO painting or limewashing brick is the fastest way to devalue your house so enter that zone with a lot of thought . Remove all the shutters and if possible change the church window style in the arched window over the entry to match the rest of the windows . As for trim color I see very little trim so where exactly would that be. Once the shutters are gone all that i see left is the front door so please maybe post a pic of the trim you are asking about. I do agree much nicer landscaping is in order , hiding the windows is never a good idea and those tall trees can at some point cause issues with the foundation so take them out for sure ansd think really nice mixed bed foundation plantings and beautiful walkways to the front door not from the driveway but from the street , that is amuch nicer looking way to welcome guests.

I wouldn't paint the brick. It's lovely. And also, the brick is minimal maintainence- once you start painting it you can never go back to original and will have to do more maintainence after to keep the paint up.

I would remove the shutters. They don't look right, like they are the wrong size or just not jiving with the windows.

You have a lot of nice trim with some good detailing. If you remove the shutters and you find you might need to wash the brick, do so before anything else. Then you could pick a color for the trim that complements the clean brick and is something you like better than the color it is now.

I often like decorative shutters when a home needs something. Your home is so beautiful and has great detail that the shutters aren't adding any value and may be detracting attention away from the detail.

Yep, lose the shutters. Honestly, it's so pretty now. The landscaping is probably where I'd put my money.

Your house is beautiful. Leave it just the way it is, if the trim needs repainting, then paint it the same color it already is. You could improve the landscaping a bit.

There can be lots of surprises with a "new to you" house. HVAC, foundation, roof, plumbing issues can surface, so make sure you have it functioning perfectly before you spend a lot on the exterior. Right now you can keep things simple. Remove the vestigial shutters and pray there is no difference in the color of the brick behind them and the rest of it. Power washing may even out any issue there. Upgrade to larger lantern lights flanking the door. They should be 1/3 of the door's height. I would leave the colors as they are unless it the trim is in danger of being damaged this winter due to age/wear & tear on the current paint job. Plan now to focus your funds on a serious Spring upgrade to the landscaping and a wide, beautiful walkway straight out to the street in front. If you need access to the front door from a side drive, then use a simple path of stone like slate to swing around to the drive/parking area. For interest right now, try some large urns of colorful mums scattered among the current plantings.

I'm with the majority. Don't paint the brick. When I see a painted brick house I always wonder what they are hiding. Crumbling cheap brick or covering up a failed foundation.