Bricks inside as well as outside
We all know that bricks are used extensively around the world to make dwelling houses and office buildings. We are also well aware that there are many different styles and colours of brick for such building projects. What many seem to be unaware of is just how good bricks can be when used as an interior building material.
Some builders can get pretty creative when it comes to brick walls and brick patterns on buildings, but there is only so much that can be done with a brick on the outside of a building.
Inside, the brick makes the world your oyster! You can have brick floors, bare brick walls, brick archways, brick splashbacks, brick fireplaces, the list just goes on and on.
Brick floors
Brick pathways and patios have been used to great effect for many years out in the gardens and courtyards of properties. Many years ago, a lot of older properties would have had brick floors but these were covered at the earliest opportunity by hardwood floors, ceramic quarry tiles and carpets. In later years, to have a brick floor was seen as a bit of a social no no! We can probably all remember our great grannies house having a bare brick floor, but that’s about it.
The chances are, the reason for the renewed interest in bricks for interior flooring has come about because people are just so fed up with everything being so utterly clinical and pristine today. Technology leads the way, everything around us seems to be slick, smooth and modern and our senses may have just reached a saturation point and we are left craving the old, the comfortable, the familiar, the brick! It may also be because they have very fond childhood memories of tea at grannies house with the brick floor.
Bricks are so uncomplicated, they have a genuine texture and character. Bricks are individual too, that’s part of their charm. Even an entire floor made from the same batch of bricks will have different hues and patterns throughout, making a floor covered with bricks an understated but beautiful backdrop to everything else in the room.
Bare brick walls
Like the brick floor, many walls are being stripped bare to expose the brick that lies beneath. Again, this appears to be a return to the traditional kind of interior from years gone by, but more than this it can look quite amazing.
Sometimes people have decided to expose their brick walls to regain that rustic, country cottage feel only to discover that there are only breeze blocks or ugly characterless bricks beneath the plaster. When this happens, they can still get the look they are after by purchasing adhesive decorative brick slips to cover the inferior wall.
The bare brick wall can look even more appealing if the monotony of the brickwork is broken up by rustic, weathered wooden beams. These are sometimes already present on much older buildings or may have to be introduced retrospectively on newer developments.
Brick door archways and serving hatches
A well laid brick lined door archway can really make a feature out of a doorway. Some bricks arches are made to be connecting elements between rooms with no actual door present. Other stunning examples are that of a brick archway with a sculpted and carefully shaped door set within the brickwork. Brick arched serving hatches are also very popular in older properties or those with the old fashioned solid fuel stoves. All manner of brick designs are employed and can range from traditional soldier like patterns to ornate and incredibly inventive tiered configurations of bricks.
Brick splashbacks in kitchens
Although not as practical or as easy to clean as a smooth glass or ceramic tile splashback, brick splashbacks in kitchens are still very popular as once again they take us back to a bygone era that makes us feel comfortable. They are heatproof too so there is no chance of setting the house on fire should a pan on the stove bust into flames.
Brick fireplaces and hearths
Probably the most popular use for bricks in the home is fireplaces and hearths. The fire retardant properties of bricks are clearly a good reason for their use in this type of project, but it can go much further than the practicalities.
The designs of brick fireplaces can be quite spectacular when you have a fire in the centre of a large room, as the bricks can form not just the fireplace and hearth, but the tapered chimney stack that rises above it. There is something extra special about a roaring fire set with a brick fireplace, this is why so many public houses with old inglenook fireplaces are so popular.
So if you are thinking about a building project and would like to think of interesting ways to use bricks inside or out, why not get in touch. We can help you decide what bricks are best for the project you have in mind.