What Are The Best Shutter Colors For Red Brick Homes?

Red brick homes are iconic and timeless. The rich, earthy hue of classic brick exteriors brings a sense of stately elegance to any home. But the bold nature of a red brick facade also presents a decorating challenge when it comes to choosing complementary colors for accents like shutters and doors. The right shutter color can beautifully showcase your home's red brick while a poor color choice can make the brick feel overwhelming.

So what are the best options for shutters to pair with red brick houses? The key is finding colors that create the right contrast and highlights without competing too much with the brick itself. By considering factors like your home's style, roof color, and trim accents, you can select a shade that shows off your red brick to its full potential.

How the Color of Your Shutters Impacts Curb Appeal

Your home's curb appeal stems largely from its exterior colors. The shades you choose for accents like doors, shutters, trim, and porches play a leading role in that all-important first impression. When it comes to red brick, shutters with the wrong undertones can make the brick feel overwhelming and heavy instead of stately and elegant. But the right shutter color has immense power to complement red brick, create contrast, and boost your home's aesthetic appeal.

Considerations Beyond Just Appearance

The colors you pick for your shutters aren't just about looks. Shutter colors that beautifully accent red brick also directly impact:

• Perceived home value - Buyers are drawn to thoughtful color pairings that boost curb appeal.
• Energy efficiency - Light colors can reflect heat while dark shades absorb it.
• Resale potential - Popular color combos have mass buyer appeal.
• Maintenance needs - Some colors hold up better over time.

Choosing Colors to Complement Red Brick

More so than many siding options, red brick has a bold, standout quality. You want your shutters to enhance the brick without competing too heavily with it. The goal is to strike the right balance of contrast and complement. For red brick, here are tips on choosing shutter colors that work:

• Pick a color in the same general tone as the brick to harmonize - soft reds, browns, tans
• Choose a bold contrasting tone to make the brick pop - bright white, black, deep blue
• Select a muted tone in between to subtly complement - greys, sage greens

Factors that Impact Shutter Color Selection

Choosing shutter colors for a red brick home isn't one-size-fits all. The right shades for your house depend on several factors. Consider the following details of your home as you evaluate color options:

Your Brick's Unique Hues

Not all red bricks are created equal. The specific tone and undertones of your home's brick should guide your color selection. Is your brick more of a bright cherry red or subdued terra cotta? Does it have more orangey or brownish undertones? The wide range of red brick shades out there means you'll want to pick a color tailored to yours.

Color of Existing Trim

Look at hues of trim around windows and corners when selecting shutters. You'll often want to choose a shade that complements or matches your existing trim color. Doing so creates a cohesive, purposeful look. For contrast, go with a slightly darker or lighter version of the trim color.

Roof Color

Along with your home's brick and trim, the roof color also impacts the shutter shades that will work best. If your roof shingles are neutral or earthy toned, bolder shutter colors have more impact. For brightly colored roofs, more subdued shutter colors prevent clashing.

Architectural Style of Your Home

The era and style of your red brick house can provide direction on ideal shutter colors too. For traditional style homes, classic black is a safe bet. On arts & crafts styles, deeper shades of green nicely complement red brick. For Victorian farmhouses, a soft sage green enhances the traditional vibe.

Personal Color Preferences

While considering what works best for your home's style, also think about colors you're naturally drawn to. Do you love how crisp white pops against red brick? Are moody blue-greys more your speed? Don't be afraid to pick shutter colors aligned with your personal tastes.

The Best Shutter Color Choices for Red Brick

Now that we've covered how to approach shutter color selection generally, let's explore some of the best options specifically for red brick houses. These shades not only pair beautifully but also create that all-important contrast.

White or Off-White

A crisp, bright white offers a bold contrast against rich red brick. It makes the brick really stand out while also lending a light, airy quality to the home. Softer off-whites like alabaster and ivory are subtler complements to red. They still provide contrast without overwhelming the brick.

Light to Medium Greys

On the darker end of the light spectrum, greys provide a more subdued contrast to red brick that allows the brick itself to shine. Stick with warm-undertoned greys rather than cool shades, which can make red brick feel ruddy and heavy. Look for greys with hints of brown, tan, and red brick.

Beige and Tan

As natural complements to red brick's richness, different hues of beige and tan seamlessly accent the brick. Subtler than stark white, these earthy neutrals harmonize with red brick instead of standing out boldly against it. Keep undertones warm to prevent muddiness.

Deeper Shades of Red Brick

Deeper, warmer shades of red brick itself, think terra cottas and burnt oranges, make smart shutter color choices. Going a couple shades darker or warmer than your home's exact brick color provides subtle contrast while still blending seamlessly.

Soft Greens

For a more unique but still complementary palette, muted organic greens pair beautifully with red brick. These bring a natural, earthy accent to the brick. Focus on olivey, sagey greens rather than bright kelly greens to keep the palette feeling grounded.

Classic Black

You can never go wrong with crisp black shutters on a red brick home. The bold contrast highlights and accentuates the brick while giving off an ultra-classic vibe. Black shutters boost the elegance of painted lady and other Victorian-inspired homes especially.

Shutter Colors to Avoid with Red Brick

Just as important as choosing colors that complement red brick are knowing which hues to steer clear of. Some shades will clash, overwhelm, or distract from your home's gorgeous red brick facade. Shutters in the following colors are best avoided:

Bright Primary Colors

Vivid primary colors like bright blue, red, or yellow clash harshly instead of complementing red brick. They compete for attention rather than letting the brick take the lead. Deeper, more muted versions of primary colors (think navy and olive) fare better.

Overly Bold Hues Like Purple

Along with primary colors, very bold secondary shades like bright purple or orange tend to look mismatched with red brick instead of harmonizing. They draw the eye rather than showcasing the brick facade.

Yellows and Oranges

Since red brick skews warm-toned, other warm shades like strong oranges and yellows often end up feeling somewhat muddy. Cooler neutrals and accents tend to accent brick with more contrast.

Stark Whites or Blacks

On the other end of the spectrum, harsh true whites and blacks also risk clashing with red brick, feeling too heavy and contrasting. Opt for softer off-whites with warmth or charcoal blacks instead of flat shades.