A red house needs light trim and a calm door. These three exterior schemes come from paintings and give you a wall, trim and door color for each house. The roofs shown are typical brown shingle, tile or metal colors.
Quick answer
For a softer red, choose #B36756 with crisp trim #E5E5E5 and a dark mahogany door. For a deeper red, use #853C33 with warm trim #E3DBC7.
Every wall, trim and door color here was measured from one of these public-domain paintings.
3 complete exterior color schemes
Walls, trim, front door and roof together. Each scheme takes its colors from public-domain paintings, so the pairings are ones a painter already put side by side.
Simpson Terracotta and Mahogany
Walls #B36756
Trim #E5E5E5
Front door & shutters #39241B
Roof: brown
Terracotta red walls, crisp light gray trim and deep mahogany door and shutters under a brown roof. It is the lightest red scheme and suits a two-story colonial.
Exterior paint is seen in much stronger light than a room. Full sun bleaches a color by a shade or two, while the shaded side of the house and overcast days pull it cooler and darker. Test a large sample on two sides of the house.
Color
Swatch
Full sun
Overcast
In shade
Golden hour
Terracotta Red LRV 20
Brick Red LRV 9
Dark Barn Red LRV 4
Clean Light Gray LRV 78
Try these colors on a house
Pick a color for the walls, the trim, the front door and the roof, and switch between house styles. Shadows and siding lines follow your choice.
Roof colors are typical shingle, tile and metal colors, not paint. Every other color comes from a painting on this page.
Colors for the walls
#B36756LRV 20
Terracotta Red
A mid-tone red at LRV 20, the lightest red wall here. It was measured from The Captive Slave by John Philip Simpson.
Which red house color schemes are the easiest to live with?
The easiest red is the lightest. The terracotta #B36756 has an LRV of 20 and reads friendly, not loud. Its closest measured matches are Henna Shade from Sherwin-Williams and Chimayo Red from Behr.
The brick red #853C33 (LRV 9) is deeper and more traditional. Fired Brick from Sherwin-Williams is a very close match. The dark barn red #692520 (LRV 4) is the boldest and suits a farmhouse or an outbuilding.
If you are unsure, start with the terracotta. Large red walls look stronger outdoors than on a chip, so go one step lighter than you expect.
A red house is a strong statement, so choose your trim and door first and then check how they look with the wall. The wall color will look different once the light trim is next to it.
What trim and door colors go with a red house?
Keep trim light. The clean gray #E5E5E5 (LRV 78) is crisp, the cream #E3DBC7 (LRV 71) is softer and the pale sage #DBDAD1 (LRV 70) gives a subtle green contrast.
For the door and shutters, the deep mahogany #39241B keeps the focus on the walls. The soft bronze #A1896B is gentler. The peacock blue #35748E is the boldest option and works best on the darkest red.
Choose one door color and use it consistently on all doors and shutters. A red house with many accents tends to look busy, so keep to wall, trim and one door.
Roof, gutters and downspouts count as colors too. Matching the gutters to the trim or the wall helps the house look neat.
How does a red roof or tile roof affect the scheme?
The schemes on this page use brown roofs, which are typical shingle, tile or metal colors. A brown roof sits close to the brick red and terracotta walls and keeps the house looking calm.
If your house has a red tile roof, the roof already supplies red. Keep the trim light and warm, such as #E3DBC7, and avoid adding a third red in the door. Choose walls that differ in depth from the roof, so the two reds do not blur together.
Compare walls and roof together in sun and in shade before you decide, since tile colors change in the light too.
Red can fade or look brighter depending on the sun, so check the south side of the house, which gets the most light, as well as the north side.
How do you test red exterior paint?
Paint a sample board at least two feet square and move it around the house. Look at it on a sunny wall and a shady wall, and check it again in the evening.
Hold the board next to your roof, brick and stone. Red on red can clash if the undertones differ. The warm red-orange undertone in these walls works best with warm materials.
Stand across the street to judge the effect at distance. Red walls usually need a second coat, and a gray primer under dark red can help the color look even.
Take a photo of each sample next to your door and landscaping. Plants and brick often change how red looks.
FAQ
What trim color goes with a red house?
Light trim such as #E5E5E5, #E3DBC7 or #DBDAD1 works. The cream is the softest and the gray is the crispest.
What color should the door be on a red house?
Deep mahogany #39241B, soft bronze #A1896B or peacock blue #35748E all suit the schemes here. Pick one for the door and shutters.
What house colors go with a red tile roof?
Keep the trim light and warm and avoid a third red. This page uses brown roofs, so compare your tile with a sample before choosing walls.
Is red a good color for a whole house?
It can be. The terracotta #B36756 is the gentlest, with an LRV of 20. Darker reds need good light and light trim.
What paint matches the brick red wall?
The closest matches to #853C33 are Fired Brick from Sherwin-Williams and True Copper from Behr. Test a sample first.
Save these colors
A card with these house color schemes: walls, trim, front door and roof. Pin it, or take it to the paint store.
Painting images: The Art Institute of Chicago, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, public domain (CC0).
Colors measured by Light & Pigment. Paint names belong to their brands and matches are approximate. Colors look different on screen than on a wall, so always test a sample.
