Dear PoP – Painted Rowhome Edition

The above painted rowhome is a former house of the day from August.

A reader writes:

“I would like to propose the following question for the consideration of you and your readers. I will soon be repainting the exterior of my brick rowhouse in Petworth. It’s a pretty classic Petworth style — three levels plus basement with a front porch. Looks a lot like the photo of the house you post with the real estate sales updates every once in a while, except it’s already painted so keeping it natural brick isn’t an option. The block is a mix of renovated and unrenovated houses, which means there are some really beautifully painted houses, some that are painted and faded, and some that are the original brick. I want the house to look warm and inviting and not too bold or out of place. I also think a new paint color is a chance to add some style to the block and maybe even encourage other owners to do the same. On the other hand, I don’t want it to be too obnoxious or out of place.”

I happen to be a huge fan of painted brick and genuinely believe you can’t go wrong as long as you don’t chose too bright a color. But as my house is vinyl I’m going to defer on paint choices to those that actually live in brick rowhomes. Remember this home is already painted so “keeping it natural brick isn’t an option”. Knowing that – what color(s) would you recommend?