Mineral paint technology like Romabio and PermaTint has been used for HUNDREDS of years in Europe on all types of masonry. Tons of info available about this, it's an easy Google so you can get the facts and decide for yourself. Painting brick is a maintenance nightmare only for people who don't know to do it right. I agree. Paint it. The house is not attractive as is. The mix of stone and brick is weird. This house is the result of someone trying to get cute with materials - that never ends well. I *might* try leaving the vertical brick trim as is just to see how it looks because it is well done. You can always paint it later. In general, however, you can get a bucket of Romabio, apply it to a section of the house and if you like it, then leave it and keep going. One color could make the mix of textures more attractive, interesting. If you don't like it, hose it off. It's mineral paint so you can do that. Read and follow the directions to a "T".

You need a special paint for brick if you paint it. Regular paint, will cause the brick not to be able to breathe, and yes, it can cause a lot of damage. I would prefer a wash, rather than a solid paint, since to me solid painted brick, looks a bit like plastic.. This is one brand of paint, that you could use. Please do a search for all the info on it. romabio. Myself, unless you have really ugly brick, I wouldnt paint it.

We want to change siding in the coming years but can't yet. Was thinking that painting the brick could modernize the outdoor in the meantime. Thoughts? Color suggestions?

IMO the fastest way to devalue tyour home is to paint the brick. What oyu need is the right color of green to work with the brick remove the shutters , get anew front doot use this shade of green for the siding trim and garage door and then go to work on some reallly nice landscaping all of that will have a lot more impact on curb appeal than painting the brick. remove the brick "wall on th left too.