When I’m perusing Pinterest late at night when I’m supposed to be sleeping (don’t tell me you’re not guilty), I find that I’m always attracted to images of older homes. Beautiful, preserved stone or brick walls that have either been re-exposed in a renovation or have been there the whole time. Stone mixed with plaster, crumbling/repaired brick, or even painted brick fireplaces… I love them all. One of the things I have chosen as a challenge for myself in transforming various projects is making them feel like they’ve always been there. Even if they’re new and modern, they should feel homey… like there’s history behind them.
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My new obsession is using accent walls of brick veneer to add some age and depth to different projects. It’s smart and it’s classic. Brick has been around in different forms since the dawn of time, and I LOVE it.
Our first experiment with brick was a complete and total pain in the tail. I, of course, chose a super narrow space to install it, because I feel like Rainman really needs the additional challenge of working in a tight space on top of doing something he hasn’t done before. I’ll do a project tutorial soon, but I’m just not ready to relive that pain yet, nor do I have enough wine in the house to really delve into it.
Anyway, along the way, as I was researching different looks I found some fantastic applications for brick veneer in the house. I’ll share my favorites with you:
As an accent behind builtins or shelves:
This is our unfinished builtins project (IKEA hack) with the brick veneer behind the shelves. I love the effect. After researching multiple options, I finally decided on Old Mill, Castle Gate Brick Veneer. I always check a local distributor first, and although he was able to do it for 5 cents cheaper a brick, we had to buy an entire pallet and there was a six-week lead time. In any case, we really love how it turned out, and the Old Mill quality was excellent.
Here are some of the images that inspired me and continue to provide planning inspiration for possible future projects:
As an accent wall in the bathroom:
So, this is a great space. I really like the vanity. But, honestly, without the brick accent wall this room would be pretty vanilla, right? It was a fantastic choice in this room.
In the bathroom with antique fireplace:
There is a lot going on with this bathroom. I honestly don’t LOVE the shower, because I think the “modern” level is overdone and clashes with the other AMAZING elements. The preserved antique brick fireplace is incredible (minus the hearth in the modern tile). The clawfoot tub is equally fantastic. I also love that they refinished what appear to be original wide plank floors. If you look carefully you can see a chandelier in the shower glass reflection…. reinforcing my deep belief that no bathroom is truly complete without a sparkling chandelier. Bravo.
As a foyer accent wall:
This is such an amazing space. The combination of herringbone wood floors, the brick, the incredibly detailed wood moldings, the classic settee, and of course, the maps. This person might love Restoration Hardware. It’s a rich, warm, classic look and I just adore it.
As a kitchen accent wall:
The antique brick really adds interest to this space. I also dig the bank of apothecary drawers and the banquette seating.
For a more modern take on the kitchen with an antique wall:
The scale of this room is part of what makes it so cool (did you see how thick that table slab is???). Doing this wall in brick veneer would be a pricey undertaking.
Over the stove:
Sigh. Yes, the antique brick surround for the stove wall is happening and in our future kitchen renovation. For real. Don’t you love the beams and the lighting?
On the fireplace:
This is one of the coolest two-sided fireplaces ever. And I love the faux skin rug. I would’ve loved to see a wide plank, hand finished hard wood with this. It would have been epic.
A totally different take on a fireplace:
This fireplace inspires my inner Hobbit. So much movement, and paired with what appears to be heart pine… what more could one want?
As an accent on window walls:
I love brick accents around windows, especially if they are original, or made to appear to be the outer wall of the home. These are uniquely awesome because of their depth- they were able to incorporate a great panelled look on the inside. Really nicely done with superb depth.
The loft pictured here is incredibly well done all around. They really captured a moody ambiance.
As a column wrap:
My favorite part of this column wrap is that it appears to actually be an original home element. Very cool that they kept it.
As an archway wrap:
The difference in materials on the archway does a masterful job of separating living areas. The flow between spaces here is exquisite.
Isn’t this an awesome transition from foyer to living area?
In the dining room:
This is obviously a commercial space, but what a perfect combination of gray velvet tufted seating, antique mirrors, rustic wood floors, iron table bases, classic artwork, and of course, the brick.
On the basement wall:
Once again, realize this would be an expensive undertaking. But, the look is so unique. I love it paired here with medium tones in wood flooring and the bright white baseboards.
As a brick ceiling:
After a fairly frustrating installation of brick on a wall, I’m not totally sure how one would accomplish a ceiling installation. Nor do I think I know anyone with a marriage strong enough to survive a joint brick ceiling installation. But, if it was possible, the results are breathtaking.
Brick floor inlay:
Isn’t this amazing? I love combining the materials of deep wood tones with the whitewashed-look brick. It is really something special. They accomplished something very similar below.
Something interesting to note on the image above is that I believe this is new construction. This is varsity level use of different depths, textures, and finishes to make the house feel homey and not too new. There are three different styles of doors in one hallway and the mixed use of wood floors and brick is cool (though I’ll admit the antique-size brick would have been a visual and authentic improvement). Overall, really well done.
Master bedroom accent wall:
I really like the style of this entire space (it’s new/old), classic/eclectic, well done and homey. The heavy grout is very popular right now.
As a staircase brick accent wall:
If I ever walked into this space, it is truly “gasp” worthy. Unbelievably elegant and warm.
Have you used brick veneer interior applications?
Using brick inside offers an opportunity to completely transform the feel of a space. It creates warmth, texture, and depth. Are there other interior brick applications you love? I would love to see pictures in the comments section!
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