apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I used to walk by that house all the time! I love the red and white, especially in that neighborhood, next to that row of such dissimilar houses-- I recognized the house instantly, for all the right reasons.

I would redo the white, since it's in dire need, and leave the bold red.

Best of luck!

I like the red, but if you're intent on painting, a slate gray might be nice and wouldn't look out of place on a historic building. Are there no other painted brick buildings in your area that you can look to for inspiration?

What a great house! I agree. I would repaint the white and keep the red. I would also incorporate black...like a black door and maybe paint the inner trim of the windows black.

Black. Please paint it black with white trim

Sherwin Williams has a color visualizer on their website where you can play around with color schemes on a house: http://www.sherwin-williams.com/do_it_yourself/paint_colors/visualizer/

I think it would be great in a blue shade just a few ticks darker than royal blue. I would then do the trim in a slate gray.

I like the red with white trim and I agree on adding black accents. A glossy black door and contrasting inner window trim. And maybe remove that canopy over the door.

I also think a dark gray with a bold yellow door would look great. There is nothing like a sunny yellow door to cheer you up on a cold gray day.

Keep it RED!!!!!!!!!! It's both Modern and Traditional.

My neighbor had a similar color combination -- red house with cream trim. They reversed it and now have a cream house with red trim and a red door. It was a refreshing change and looks great.

The present color makes me happy, happy. Actually, Scott, your house would look good in anything. You lucky dog.

Your house is beautiful. Mazel tov! I like the red a lot.

seriously it's the cutest thing ever. i know that's not helpful, but you could pick pretty much any color of the rainbow and run with it.
did you get rid of the awning?
i personally would just add planter boxes, geraniums, & call it a day. for a couple of years anyway.
what fun! this place is SO cute.

I love the red color scheme. However, I'm not sure I like the overhang above the front door. Is it one of those metal ones? The eaves of your house have beautiful details and I think the overhang detracts from the house's overall look.

Your house has such great period details and lots of windows you have the good fortune of painting it pretty much any color and it will look great.

Whatever you choose, I hope you adore it and share the "after" photos on AT.

Black black black!

or Slate gray would be awesome too.

Here is a great inspiration post of black houses from doorsixteen:

http://www.doorsixteen.com/2009/04/28/black-houses/

Mmmm. The red is so wonderful. BUT---the mid-range shades of green are the most neutral when it comes to heat gain and heat loss. In other words, you will gain max solar heating in the winter, and repel max solar heating in the summer with a middling greenish-gray.

I love the red!

If you do change color, it should be a bold, primary-ish color. Your house is set back a bit from the neighboring buildings, and a dark color would just make it disappear.

A bright yellow/mustard would look good.

But I think red is best.........maybe just a fresh coat of red would make it look better to you.

Look at the surrounding buildings. Paint your brick the color of the limestone /cast stone trim. Paint your front door glossy black. Add glossy black window boxes and install a pair of glossy black planters for boxwood or small trees on either side of the entrance. Add or subtract all the color you want by changing the color of the flowers in the window boxes.

Call me old-fashioned, but could the paint be stripped off to the bare brick? Like the neigbouring houses? That would be something!

Not that it's not super as is... or in black or grey or...

How about blue?

My first idea was (pale) blue or yellow. I'm not so fond of the red brick.

Is this house on May st? I live on 17th and carpenter and I swear i've seen this house before...anyway, as far as 2 cents go, mine is with all the people who think you should just refresh the paint keep the colors and call it a day.

I think you just need a fresh coat of white for the trim. The house is lovely as is. Unless you're aching to have a particular color (doesn't sound like you are), why not leave good enough alone?

I was going to suggest you replace the door (the white one), but maybe you did that already. Which pics are the more recent?

I swear I've seen this house too... is it on May? I go running by it all the time if it is.

In my opinion, Chicago is great because of brick buildings like this. Think of the upkeep too. You'll have to repaint this building every 2-3 years when the paint starts chipping and fall off, and you'll never get it back to real brick (which has never gone out of style). Besides, this color works well in that neighborhood and you know it. I'd mess with the trim, and leave it at that... save yourself the headache 4-5 years down the road.

I recognize this house too!

It reminds me of the neighborhood so it would seem weird to me to change the color. But do what makes you happy!

The house is adorable as-is and blends well with the existing buildings. If I were to re-paint i would choose a darker slate gray but also keep in mind that this increases your heat load of your home because the darker color retains the heat rather than reflects it. So unless you have really great insulation then I would recommend you going with a lighter color paint that is high albedo (high solar reflectance) to keep energy costs in check and do the trim in a darker color and paint the door fire engine red.

Not knowing the neighborhood; it's hard to say what would make it stand out but still look like it fits in. Repainting it red could work although painted red brick next to real red brick makes me kind of sad sometimes. As others have said its a very pretty house so many colors will look nice; it's more about the colors you like and what will look good in the neighborhood. You could paint it a bright color or a more neutral color depending on your taste and what prevails where you live.
But, I would suggest that you not paint your house gray unless there are very few houses of that color. I love gray but when visiting Seattle I am always shocked at the preponderance of gray houses in a city whose sky is gray for too many months of the year. Not having spent very much time in Chicago I don't know but I suspect it gets its share of rainy snowy gray weather and doesn't need more gray either.
I would also lose the metal awning if you haven't done so already.

I love the white painted brick found in the Netherlands, Belgium and parts of Scandinavia.

If that is too stark for you, then how about cream or pale sandstone (or a pale buttercup yellow), with white trim?

I've never like brick houses painted a red brick colour -- it seems too strident and too bright, like trying too hard by wearing too much make-up. Like taqah says, it is sad somehow.

Benjamin Moore has a whole collection of interior/exterior paints in historical colors: http://www.paintsplusinc.com/bmpaints.ivnu

and I too recognize this house. I say either keep it red, paint the door white? remove the awning. or paint it grey like podmajersky's buildings on halsted. At least they did something right there...which wasn't even their idea to begin with...oh lord, here I go on hating on the neighborhood landlord...

http://rwkeysdecorating.com/

Check out the greens on the brick one on the first page- would be nice as an accent if you went with a milder color.

How about a ground of farrow and ball's vert de terre, trim in a creamy white color, and door and other accents in black?

Not sure if that scheme would fit into the neighborhood, but I like how it is both earthy and modern at the same time.

First Choice: Have the paint powerwashed off the brick. You'll never have to paint again. Paint the detail at the roofline black.

Second Choice: Paint everything a clean creamy white and paint the door your favorite color.

It's a great house. Enjoy and send an update when you're done so we can all see!

It looks like you may need tuck-pointing soon anyways. Powerwash/blast off the red paint, and paint the trim a gentle off white

Keep it red with white trim.
I agree with losing the cover over the front door, it is a distraction.
Great house!

I too love the red with the white.

Since you say you are open to fun however, I'm seeing the trim dividing the home into what would be 3 stripe zones, horizontally from top to bottom. What about a bright red as shown, but a darker red for the middle zone between the two horizontal trim stripes? This idea stays true to the lovely red but gives it a surprising graphic edge.

It looks great as is. Go with the red and white - you could change the hues a bit.

Black with black trim -- yes.

Red and white -- classic, but it sounds like maybe you want the neighbors talking.

Kelly Green? with white or black. Could be great, but it's have to be something you love.

Slate grey -- safe and sleek. I dig. maybe with some bright yellow trim. but maybe i'm getting to out there.

just remember, you have to love it. no one else. good luck!

I'd paint it black, with white trim, you won't have to worry about it getting to hot either because you'll get plenty of shade from the surrounding buildings. Oh and definitely lose the awning, that thing is so ugly.

Paint it white with black trim. Get rid of the awning and add some flower boxes below the windows and a red door.
The red paint is very popular for this style of house but red has never been my thing.

I'm going to suggest something totally different!

For the main colour: Ale (It's orange)
Trim: A combo of Black for the main trim and Designer White for inside the windows.
Door: Victoria Blue

These are all exterior colours by Pratt and Lambert
Good luck and I hope we get to see some after shots!

Here is the link if you want to see them:
http://www.prattandlambert.com/prattapp/color_visualizer/

Echoing other comments (and paraphrasing Adolf Loos), painting red brick red is like painting wood brown. Either let the natural material be what it wants to be or do something that is immediately recognizable as altered.

If it is to be painted, I throw my lot in with those calling for slate grey with a cool, bright contrasting color for the door -- yellow (as has been already suggested), orange, sky blue or an apple green would look great.

Thanks for the amazing suggestions. it's a lot to digest but it's exactly what I was hoping for. scraping/washing begins this week so I'll send finished pictures. Also, the metal canopy over the door is long gone and there are plants/flowers/ivy growing out front. Thanks again for the tips/ideas.