How To Choose The Perfect Front Door Colour For Red Brick Houses

Right, enough with the glorious Cotswolds (for now!!). Let's take a look at a few other different types of houses, and some of the best front door paint colours to not only complement your home but also to absolutely look the biz!! 

Try Fired Earth's Oak Apple for a similar front door

And where better to kick off by looking at red brick homes.... 

(Clockwise from top right:This door is painted in Farrow and Ball French Gray; Farrow and Ball Ball Green works well as an front door paint colour; a suggested colour scheme; don't forget to tie in your accessories!

Now, there are as many types of red bricks as you've had hot dinners, and each of these needs slightly different treatment. If you're blessed with old and mellow red bricks then you'll have a much freer rein...



However, the main issue with red brick homes is when you're dying to go for a particular shade but are just not sure whether your red brick is going to dominate too much. This is good thinking. There's red brick and then there's red brick. You're first step is to determine where your house sits on the spectrum.

Zoffany La Seine Double would look gorgeous on the front doors and windows of a cottage like this

I've divided this post up into the main three issues that you might be facing with more dominant red bricks. Red brick houses can be absolutely stunning in their own right and are in no way to be sniffed at....just look at the gorgeous detailing they can provide:

I love a matching front door and gate: try Farrow and Ball Card Room Green

So please don't be tempted to paint over your brick home. Take a look at this image below and see how much character the painted house on the right is concealing when compared to the one on the left...

Farrow and Ball Vert de Terre front door

However, because bricks are a dominant colour themselves, they can at first glance appear to limit your front door paint choices.

What could be more romantic than roses round a country door?

However, there are several ways round this if you have your heart set on a colour palette that's super subtle. The first works really well if you have some kind of substantial surround to your front door. 

Try Dulux Stone Green for this earthy paint shade

Think of when you want to wear a certain colour top that you love but may not be one that naturally lights up your face. You might choose to wear it anyway but to soften its impact with a scarf so that there is a break between your own colouring and that of the top. 

Dulux Goosewing is a great grey paint  for front doors

In much the same way, you can paint your door surround in a very neutral shade, super pale shades work well, which will dampen the impact of the brick on your front door.

Farrow and Ball Blue Gray is a winner every time for me!

This is also true for not-so-subtle front door paint colours that might otherwise clash with your red brick:



The  barrier technique, as I like to call it, can also be used with lush green planting that creates a barrier between your chosen front door paint colour and the red brickwork...

It's another gorgeous Zoffany La Seine front door!

Choosing prominent planting that ties in with your chosen front door colour can also go a long way into distracting the eye away from any dominant brick colour, by bringing other colour to the fore...

And it's not just the actual brick that matters, the colour of the pointing material, whilst often overlooked, can take a home in a very different direction. Let's take a look at some examples....

Here a deep greige painted front door (try Farrow and Ball London Clay) helps to pick out the colour of the pointing.

Earthborn Trilby would look gorgeous here

And here the cement grey pointing has been echoed in the door... 

Farrow and Ball Manor House Grey will look like this

Or what about this creamy clay pointing....

Little Greene Slaked Lime Dark would create a similar shutter colour

Another route to take is to introduce other materials that counteract the redness of the brick. Look at this lovely example. A mellow-toned stone path has been added so that the warm cream paint has something to hang against.

You may find, as in the dark grey feature bricks below, that there is another ornamental colour somewhere on your house that you can draw inspiration from...

And, frankly, if it's good enough for an ex-Prime Minister then it's good enough for me!!! (I have to confess, my eyes were more taken by the beautiful paint colour on the front door than they were of David Cameron!)...

David Cameron's home!

What about you? Do you have a red brick home? What would be your top tip to share with lovers of Modern Country Style front doors?

Take care until next time,

Sarahxxx

Images via :Voysey And Jones, Modern Country Style, Heirloom Philosophy, Claire Richardson, liesbetgoetchaickx, adam van gelderen, Arianna Belle, Rightmove, London Door, Photos From Winchester, I Cut And Stick, Lisa, Mark Robinson, Carmen Monica, insparicionline, unknown, fabrice barbette, Claire Coward Williams, housetohome, Fleaing France, unknown