The Brick Exterior Design That's Dating Your Home, According To Fixer To Fabulous
While in home décor there's a tendency to try to stay away from being too matchy-matchy with your paint and décor selections, there's one color-coordinating trick that Jenny Marrs of "Fixer to Fabulous" actually recommends to make your home look fresh and updated. And, surprisingly, that's to paint the exterior of your home all the same color.
Marrs notes on their blog that this is especially true when you have a lot of different textures on the exterior, like a mix of stone, brick, wood, and other materials. On their own, the combination can be jarring and make a home look dated, but by painting all the components in a cohesive color you can make it look clean and modern, no matter what age of the home.
As Marrs states regarding one lake house they updated in season five, "We painted it all one dark color to even it out and make it more modern. The garage door was painted as well." In this particular home, they specifically recommend using a darker-toned color to even out the look.
Don't shy away from adding some contrast
While Marrs recommends painting a home's exterior all one color, she also suggests homeowners keep some accent colors, slight variations in tones, and/or featured elements to make sure the house has some interest and warmth. Whether that's a contrasting door, interesting light fixtures, planter boxes, or shutters, those small features will add visual interest while still keeping the overall unity, simplicity, and cohesiveness of the monotone color scheme. For example, as Marrs points out, "We left the front door a natural wood to counter the modern exterior and provide some warmth."
Landscaping is another way to add contrast and visual interest to a monotone exterior. The color scheme you select can change the overall look and feel of your home's exterior aesthetic. Bright colors like reds and orange can add pops of excitement, while blues and purples often feel more soothing. Varying levels of greenery and heights can also provide a nice contrast to the home.
What to keep in mind
While Marrs has used dark cohesive colors in multiple projects, there are other times when she's done a similar unified look in lighter tones, particularly if a home's setting or exterior layout tends to be gloomy to start with. In the "Fixer to Fabulous" season three, episode 11, Marrs used a lighter cohesive color, stating, "The exterior is getting painted this pewter color and then white, which really brightens up the front entry."
It should be noted that there is debate about whether or not to paint bricks — once done it's very difficult to remove the paint, and it can close in air holes in the brick, trapping in moisture. But while many antique bricks are beautiful, from an aesthetic perspective not all brick is created equal. There are plenty of oddly colored and unusual bricks from different periods that just aren't particularly attractive. Some styles or colors can date the home or just not be to the owner's preference. But particularly when there are mixed materials on the exterior of the home, painting all the components the same color gives the home a sense of unity. However, with the right preparation and correct paint, it can make a huge impact on a home's exterior look and feel. And as Jenny Marrs does it quite often, we expect she'd agree!