How to: Trim Colors for a Brick House

Examine the color of the brick and carefully analyze its hue. It may exhibit a slight purple, or a distinct yellow timbre. Go with that color in a deeper tone as a trim color to make a quick and pleasing match. A warm golden undertone could be given more oomph by selecting a slightly richer tone like egg yolk. A blue-purple undertone would pair well with begonia or claret. You have room for improvisation here. Trust your eye.

Use black, white or gray for a match that can't miss. These shades have no true color component. Because of that they work with any color. It is a conservative choice, but classic. Use white to brighten a facade. Black trim matched with black doors is more dramatic. Cool grays provide a touch of the urbane or contemporary.

Step up the volume with big contrasts, if that is your style. The natural complement to red is green. Anything in the green range from grasshopper to teal will come off powerfully. Mute them with an admixture of gray, or touch of earth tone, if the pure hues are too strong. For a yellowish brick, mauve or lilac provide a sophisticated variation.