Interior Paint Colors That Go With Red Brick

Some people believe red brick is only for exterior use. If it is used inside the house then it’s o.k. but just around the fireplace. Many consider it an old fashioned interior design choice that’s outdated. But that’s not at all the case. Brick can be used inside the house with great results, and if you do it, then you’ll have to consider the interior paint colors that go with red brick.

Red brick can be a beautiful addition to the interior design of your home. It works well in a wide variety of styles ranging from ultra modern to a rustic country farm house. Brick can even do wonderful things in a small city apartment or loft with an industrial feel. And we’re using red brick in all sorts of places. Around a fireplace, as an accent wall or even a red brick kitchen backsplash. Interior brick is a unique design choice that’s different than more common finishes like tile, wood trim or stone. Once you decide to use brick inside the house then there’s really no way around it, every other design decision will be effected.

Here’s a question we just received from a woman looking to remodel her new home. “I just moved into a new house that has some great red brick walls inside. I don’t want to paint the brick and want to keep the natural red brick look but am struggling to find the right paint colors that match it. Can you help”?

Ahead we’ll look at some of the best interior paint and red brick color combinations with some great example photos. Hopefully they’ll help you if you’ve got red brick already or are looking to add it to your existing home.

Is Your Interior Brick New Or Existing?

Using brick in your interior design is a great way to add style to an otherwise boring room. However, finding the perfect colors to go with the brick will be an added challenge. Check out our tips below for choosing the perfect brick and paint color combinations but first answer the question. Is the brick existing or new?

If you already have brick somewhere in your home, then things are a little easier. You just have to coordinate your paint colors with the color and tone of the bricks. However, if you’re planning to add brick to a room, then you have a lot more freedom to create the exact look you want.But with that added freedom comes more work. You’ll have to pick the perfect paint and the right brick.

Pro Tip: Start by picking up brick samples at your local masonry supplier. Don’t just use pictures. It’s always better to see an actual sample in real light. Brick will look differently in your home than it does at the store or in a photograph. Lighting conditions, bounced light and shadows will all effect how a material actually looks inside the home. Place samples where you want the brick for a day or two so you can see how they’ll actually look at different times of day.

Don’t order materials or spend any money until you find just the right color combinations and red brick tone.

What Color Is Your Red Brick?

Did you know red brick comes in a variety of colors. Red brick is a very general term but it should really be called reddish brick. There’s a wide variety of bricks that all qualify as red brick. Ranging from super red firehouse brick to more rustic reddish brown varieties and even brick that looks almost purple. Even brick veneer, which is what we most commonly use inside the home comes in a wide variety of colors.

We recommend starting with the brick first and then matching paint colors. It’s easier this way. Even though there are dozens of red bricks to choose from there are thousands of paint colors. If your adding a brick backsplash or brick veneer to your home and you don’t want to paint then of course match the wall colors. But if your remodeling everything then choose the brick first or at the very least the paint and brick at the same time. It’ll make your life easier.

Shop The Look

Red Brick Kitchen Wall With Taupe Paint

When your looking for the best interior paint colors that go with red brick consider taupe, or other shades of light brown.

Earthy colors and materials go really well with red brick. It’s hard to go wrong when you stick with a natural color scheme that’s on the neutral side. Here we see a mix of browns found in the wall paint, cabinets and real wood butcher block countertops.

Red brick looks great in the kitchen either as an accent wall or backsplash. People over look it in place of more common finishes like tile or stone but it’s definitely worth considering. Some of the finest kitchens I’ve seen incorporated some red brick. It’s a look that’s hard to match with other finishes.

The important thing with a color scheme like this is to vary the tones. Brick are a mid tone so surround them with lighter or darker shades. Stay away from other mid toned brown paints or you risk the color scheme becoming muddy.

Red Brick Prep Kitchen Backsplash With White paint

Red brick is a growing trend in the kitchen most notably as a backsplash. The most popular cabinets paint used these days are white, gray or cream and brick just so happens to go beautifully with all of them. Kitchen design is leaning more modern and red brick adds a nice contrast to all that cold gray and white. Modern kitchens tend to be cold and red brick warms them right back up.

Brick also looks great with just about any countertop material too. Granite, quartz, marble or even concrete. They all look fantastic with brick.

Brick also works well with a wide variety of flooring. it’s hard to clash with it but not impossible so if your gonna use brick make sure to get plenty of samples.

Red Brick Accent Walls With Cream Paint

Cream is a great color wall paint to use along side red brick.

Brick is a natural material with warm undertones and so are certain shades of cream paint. Make sure to choose a shade that’s also on the warm side. Choose a cream with brown in it and stay on the light side. Brick is a bold choice so a subtle, pale paint looks best.

Hardwood floors also flow well with the color scheme. It too has warm brown undertones and is a natural material.

This home has a beautiful mix of materials, colors and textures but they all look so good together because of their common elements. There’s a wide variety of elements but it works because nothing clashes.

Light Gray Walls With Red Brick

Light gray walls look very nice with red brick. It’s a neutral and gray tends to go with just about anything but there’s something about the lighter shades that I really like. Maybe it’s how the paint flows so nicely with the gray cement brick lines.

The home features a red brick accent wall with light gray walls, white trim and stone fireplace.

Notice how the fireplace stone has a light gray neutral tone with warm undertones. The great thing about this design is that the stone has elements of both the wall paint and brick. Since the stone sits in between both it creates a sort of bridge connecting the brick and walls.

The large wood mantle is such a beautiful finishing touch.

Red Brick Veneer Home Office Wall With White Walls

Red brick makes a great accent wall, especially so in a home office. Staring at a monitor all day can strain my eyes and I’ve found that a darker backdrop helps a little. White walls bouncing light at me on top of the monitor can be overwhelming after a while. Red brick absorbs more light and doesn’t have any sheen which cuts down on the rooms brightness a little. It’s also a really nice look.

Light paint colors look best along side a red brick accent wall. Since the bricks are medium dark, a lighter color is the natural choice. You want the bricks to stand out but you also want to highlight your wall color and your trim. The way to do that is with contrast. Play with light and dark shades.

Above we see the red brick as the rooms mid tone. The white paint is naturally the light tone. The dark comes from accents like the black desk top, hinges, knobs, outlet plate and clock frame. Notice that each element stands out because of how the tones are varied.

Inside Red Brick Veneer With Real Wood Paneling

I know this article is all about interior paint colors that go with red brick but I thought I’d throw in a stain color or two. Even though it’s not technically a paint choosing the perfect stain color for your wood paneling is just as important. With brick, it’s important to create some contrast so both elements can stand out. Bricks have red in them so a cooler shade of stain is a natural choice.

Here we see a medium wood stain with a blue undertone. Blue looks very nice with a red brick which is why so many homes with blue siding use red brick veneer.

Another thing to consider with your stain is the tone. Either a darker or lighter shade of stain wood work but stay away from using a matching tone. Even though the colors are different similar tones can create a muddy look.

White Paint With A Red Brick Backsplash

Red brick makes an excellent backsplash material. Many people think interior red brick is a rustic look but it can be used in a variety of home styles including modern which is what we see here. Red brick paired with white paint and contemporary real wood cabinets with stainless steel hardware and a concrete counter top.

Because all red bricks are on the darker side light colors look that much better. The contrast a lighter shade of paint creates against the brick is a very nice look. It allows both the brick and wall colors to stand out without competing.

Gray Colors Go With Red Brick

Even though several paint colors look great with red brick, grey is one of the best. But don’t forget to think about other design elements in your home before picking a paint color. Your decorating style, the home’s overall color scheme and architectural style should all help you narrow down the perfect paint color. But having said all that, grey really looks fantastic next to red brick. Both on the exterior and interior of the home. Which is why red brick and grey siding is such a popular exterior color combination.

And gray has some other great advantages. It’s a neutral, so it’s safe to say it’ll probably go with almost everything else you have in the home. And it comes in a huge variety of tones and color shades, which gives it even more versatility.

You don’t necessarily have to use grey as the theme for the entire room, like the example pic shown above. But if you do design a grey and red brick room, you’ll have some great results.

Pro Tip: Too much grey can get a little monotonous so add depth with contrast. Use varying shades of grey and throw in some color. The green plants and bronze metallic finishes are perfect.

Red Brick Bedroom With Light Grey And Concrete

Give your red brick bedroom accent wall a modern vibe with a light grey paint. A very light grey paint adds freshness and bright contrast against the interior brick. For a bedroom, which tends to be a little smaller unless it’s the master, light grey paint also creates a clean feel and the illusion of a more space. If the red brick has hints of grey, choose a complementary grey tint to create a harmonious color scheme.

Again, if you go with grey, play with contrasts to create depth. The use of blacks and whites create the perfect amount of depth here and everything plays well against the brick. Avoid using colors that are too close to each other or your color scheme can appear muddy.

Red Brick Office Accent Wall With White Paint

Red brick veneer makes a great accent wall in any room including this home office. The bricks have a nice variety of color ranging from very red, to dark brown and even white. The range of colors in a brick wall like this can make it harder to choose the right wall paint color but not if you base your decision on values. When your using an interior brick choose a paint that’s lighter than the brick.

Generally red brick is a mid to dark tone which is why just about any light shade works.

You can also play a bit with the color wheel. Since red bricks are generally a warm color you can contrast that with a cool wall paint. However some red bricks are actually on the purple side which is a cool color. In this case use a warm color on the walls.

We’ve also seen some beautiful harmonious color schemes with red brick along side dark red wall paint. Don’t be afraid to experiment a bit, repainting a wall or two is a cheap and easy DIY project that can have fantastic results.

White Paint Goes Perfectly With Red Brick

Brick is a natural material with a mix of colors, so it generally has an undertone in the warm or cool spectrum. Find out what tones are in your brick before you head for the paint store. Or better yet bring a brick sample with you. Red brick that’s on the warm, orange side looks great next to a cool arctic white with a hint of blue or barely a touch of gray. That’s because the warm tones of the brick and cooler tones in the paint nicely contrast each other.

The dark stained wood floors are also a perfect touch. This room has a great balance of colors and tones. Each element is allowed to shine without any one item overpowering the other. Playing with contrast is a great way to create balance in a room and it all starts with selecting the perfect interior paint colors that go with red brick. Imagine the walls were painted an eggshell, tan or beige. The room would look muddy and the entire color scheme would fall apart.

Arctic White Paint With White Washed Red Brick

The greater the contrast between the color of your brick and the color of the adjacent walls, the more attention you’ll draw to the brick. By using contrasting colors rather than harmonious ones, you allow elements to stand out. And that’s exactly what you want when you’ve got brick. Let the brick shine by not overpowering it with competing wall colors. However, incorporating subtle touches of the bricks color elsewhere in the room, in fabrics or accessories, is a great idea. Using colors found in the brick really ties the room together. In this case it’s primarily done with the white washed brick.

Even though the red of the brick is still coming through and standing out. The white washing is a nice touch that’s carried into the floors and wall paint. Even the furniture and accessories are using white. However, notice in this room the fantastic use of color and natural materials. Blue, green, wood and metallic finishes all shine in the design and everything compliments the red brick without overpowering it. A beautiful design.

Modern Interior Design With Brick

Interior paint colors that go with red brick work well in a variety of designs which includes modern. What I love about a modern home design is the use of glass and black. You don’t see many traditional homes with black trim or glass walls, but with a modern design, it’s not uncommon to find both. Black goes great with red brick. While we wouldn’t recommend using it on the walls, it’s perfect as an accent colors used on trim, floors or furnishings.

The white wall paint is a great choice here as it provides the perfect amount of contrast. White paint even looks great against the all wood bedroom accent wall and super dark stained wood floors. It’s a minimalist, modern design bu there’s still quite a bit going on here and nothing is drowning out the red brick. It still shines which is a really good thing.

Interior Red Brick With Black Trim

When your selecting paint colors for a room that has existing red brick or adding brick to a room your remodeling, don’t forget about the trim. Most people focus on choosing the perfect wall paint and then default to white trim. But there are other options. Here we see a black trim with black framed windows which looks fantastic against the red brick. The light grey walls are also a perfect choice. Polished gray concrete floors complete the modern New York City look.

Since the brick and gray tones are all earthy, neutral colors, you can add more vibrant colors with your decor. And don’t forget to include some plants. They not only add color but can also make a space feel a lot less sterile.

Red Brick With Real Wood And Exposed Metal Beams

Real, natural wood, looks great with a red brick accent wall. All you need is a simple sealer to bring out the natural color tones in the wood. Pretty much any type of wood you choose will go not only with the brick but also with other types of wood, so it’s a safe choice. Many people stain their wood and try to match everything perfectly but I think that’s a mistake. Using multiple wood tones and simple stains makes a room more interesting and less monotonous.

The black beams, countertops, windows frames and table legs all go perfectly with the red brick and wood. And so does the polished concrete floors. If your lucky enough to have a red brick accent wall like this already or have the perfect wall to add the brick too, consider using lots of natural wood and some black accents.

Interior designs like this can tend to feel a bit industrial and cold which is where the wood really shines. It warms up the space and make it feel a lot more inviting.

Keep the floors neutral. If your going with tile keep them as large as possible. Slabs tend to work best. Lay the tile standard and stay away from patterns. A simple solid color tile or natural stone is best.

Brick Interior Wall With Gray Paint

Another example of a brick interior wall with gray paint, white trim and a really nice white washed hardwood floor. Gray and brick really do go so well together that it’s a super popular choice. And gray is a hot trend at the moment in general for both inside and exterior house colors. What I love about this room though are those white washed wood floors. They’re not used that often but when they are you can get some spectacular results.

The colors in the room all look great too with nice use of real wood and glass. Lots of textures and materials with a great area rug. The inclusion of plants and flowers is always a smart choice as long as they’re tastefully done. Don’t make your living room look like a jungle. Generally less is more.

Artwork is always a nice touch and the choice of minimal frame is smart because it doesn’t distract from the brick. A darker shade of gray shade goes perfectly with the gray walls and other gray accents. Overall a beautifully designed room featuring gray paint and red brick.

Red Brick Prep Kitchen Floors

Red brick can be used on more than just the walls. here we see a beautiful prep kitchen with white walls and a red brick floor.

Red Brick Pantry Floor With White Walls

Red brick looks great as a pantry floor too. Here we see a white washed red brick with white walls and trim. Lots of white cabinets and pantry storage with gold cabinet hardware.

Conclusion: Paint Colors With Brick

When it comes to making the right choices for your home’s interior color scheme, and answering the question, what interior paint colors go with red brick, remember to compliment the brick without overpowering it. It’s all in how colors are used together that defines just how great your design can be. Combine textures and colors effectively, choose a color scheme that works well with the brick, and make sure the brick can stand out. Try to use general principles of design as a guide rather than a list of steadfast rules that you have to follow.

What we’ve shown here is a very small sample of great interior design using red brick and some fantastic paint colors. But it’s just a guide. Every room is different and every brick is a little different so you’ll have some design work to do. But we hope these pics do help just a little.

When your all done decorating, E-mail us some pics, we’d love to see what you’ve created. And check back periodically, we update our blog posts from time to time with new pics, tips and information.