It’s been over a year in the making, but our exterior windows have been replaced and now painted!!! (The interior of the windows is black, and the exterior we opted for paintable so we could paint them whatever color we wanted!) I have a slew of photos to show you, and I feel like the color looks slightly different in every one, which is honestly accurate! We painted the windows Cromwell Gray by Benjamin Moore, and it’s a total chameleon color! Is this brown-y taupe gray green that’s STUNNING! We’re so in love. Take a look!
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Why Dark Trim and Red Brick are a Match Made in Heaven
Many brick houses in North Carolina (and across the country) default to white windows. While white is classic, it often makes the windows the star, rather than the architecture. By switching to a dark, sophisticated neutral like Cromwell Gray, we achieved two things:
Leaning into the Red Brick: The green-gray-brown undertones of the trim actually make the red tones of the brick look richer and more intentional.
Modern Colonial Sophistication: The dark trim recedes, making the house feel more cohesive and grounded.
Choosing a color for an exterior can be tough. In fact, if you watched our YouTube video about choosing exterior trim colors, you saw that we narrowed 11 different colors down to two (and this was after sampling 10 colors last year). And on the count of three, Chris and I both chose our favorite: the brown one, which was called Cromwell Gray by Benjamin Moore. And then the cameras cut, but actually the cliffhanger just began! Sometimes after I say something out loud, I get this ping of uncertainty in my gut. And I got that feeling when I said brown.
The next day I went and painted some swatches on the back of the house of both colors. And to be completely transparent, I started to think too much about other people’s opinions. I thought, people are expecting me to do the more blue tone, it’s the bolder choice. It is a little more fun, so even though I want to do the brown, I should do the blue because it would push me out of my comfort zone, which will help push other people out of their comfort zone.
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So blue it was, then. We told our contractor we would go with the blue, aka Homburg Gray by Sherwin-Williams. I felt excited that I was doing something out of my safe zone, but also anxious. The contractors told me they’d pick up the paint and prep all day, pressure washing the entire house and masking off the windows. So I said, “Can you paint two full windows just so I can make sure?” By the time they were done, it was in the late evening. I walked out front, and ohhhh, it was not what I was expecting. But I was not feeling well that day, so I thought, let’s just look at it in the morning. The next morning I left before dawn to go to gym, but I knew when I drove back to the house, it would be bright enough to see. And that was the moment when my reaction went viral on TikTok. The trim looked like this cool charcoal gray to me, and…I didn’t like it. But I still wasn’t ready to let it go, so I waited until I could see it with the sun out. And actually, I was like, “I know why I chose this — this is pretty.” It would look amazing with a wreath on the front door next to it.
But ultimately, when the sun’s not shining on it (which is at least half of the time), it’s going to look like that other tone — so remember that.
The Winner: Why We Chose Benjamin Moore Cromwell Gray
I had them paint the other color Cromwell Gray on a window, and the feeling was immediate: This is the right choice (again). I didn’t have any anxiety about it at all. That’s actually when I posted both of the options in my Instagram Stories. At that moment, it didn’t matter if someone told me they didn’t like it, because I was confident that I liked it. That’s something I’ve learned: When I’m not sure about something, I can’t really share it, because I can be talked out of my opinion.
The contractors got the Cromwell Gray, and they painted each window pane and trim with a sprayer. They started with the garage doors and the windows right next to them. Then they worked their way around the guest house, which was the most excruciating, because I couldn’t really see a difference —we never go back there, and the painters were there for a full day. The whole project took over a week, because there are just so many windows on the house — there are a few guys masking the windows, and then there’s a guy who is just amazing with a paint sprayer and can maneuver ladders like no other.
Someone commented on our post on Instagram and said they preferred the white trim because the white made the house stand out more. Of course everyone’s entitled to their opinion, but the fact of the matter is that 1) so many people have brick houses with white windows in this part of North Carolina that it doesn’t really stand out among other houses, and 2) the white windows made our windows stand out more, not our house. What I really wanted to accomplish with this window color was to lean more into the red brick and make that the star. And now that I see the Cromwell Gray, it really complements the brick in just a beautiful way.
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During the process, we also replaced the roof shingles as they needed to go. We just went with the original look, which was the Grand Manor Gatehouse Slate shingles.
The final task is that we’re going to dye or stain the stone keystones (need to look into processes) to better match the mortar!
Overall, we are just in love with the transformation. The house just feels more us — we love it in every light at every moment. It finally feels like it reflects what’s inside: the house and the people.
Your house looks even more stunning with the Cromwell Gray paint on the window frames. This has inspired us to do something similar to our home on our standard white vinyl windows. Do you know what the procedure should be to insure a long lasting finish on white window frames that are not originally a “paintable” option? Thanks!
Thank you so much! When we replaced our windows we ordered wood ones with a paintable exterior on purpose, so they took the Cromwell Gray really well. Vinyl is a different story. It’s a slick surface that doesn’t hold paint as reliably over time, and a color this deep on white vinyl is the trickiest combination of all — dark paint absorbs a lot of heat, which can actually warp vinyl frames and void the manufacturer’s warranty. If you want to add some color, I’d look at a “vinyl-safe” paint line (Sherwin-Williams makes one) and ask them what they recommend (and if they can cololr match). Hope that helps you avoid a headache down the road!
Thank you for the information, I’ll look more into the possibility of painting our windows; I certainly don’t want to do something that will cause us trouble in the future!
Is your trim finish (Cromwell Gray) satin or semi gloss? Thanks so much for sharing this beautiful color!
It’s semi-gloss.
What color is your siding?
The siding is also Cromwell Grey?? Or was it painted to match with actual paint??
Same color! It can just look slightly different depending on the sunlight.
I see brown gutters and downspouts in the Before photos, but don’t see any in the After photos. What colour have you chosen for these? We have dark brown fascia, gutters and metal soffits (with red brick) which I don’t care for, but are a big job to change. I love the Cromwell Gray – great choice!
We went with copper gutters! Here’s the post about them.
Very helpful. Thank you so much for publishing. I am so tired of my red brick house with white trim. It looks so dated. I’ve been looking for some trim color that will make it look more architectural and interesting. I was going to go with worldly gray but then I saw your website. The cromwell gray totally updates your house. It looks fantastic. It is interesting the paint on your siding looks lighter than the trim color but it looks like you are saying that is the exact same chromwell gray that you used on the trim? Anyways, it looks great and gives me some more ideas to think about. Thanks again for taking the time to publish.