Brick in the living room is a trend that has been in many homes for decades. Displaying a piece of wall creates a cozy, warm atmosphere in the room, which can be perfectly complemented by furniture and accessories. What to combine brick with in the living room? What interior style would it best suit? Check out our tips and design ideas!
Brick on the wall gives the room a unique character and fits perfectly into rustic, loft or industrial style . Regardless of what living room design you have chosen and how you want to decorate the room, it is worth considering the layout with brick in the main role.
Brickwork in the living room
The use of this finishing option is incredibly popular. Most often, light shades of brick color are used. Brickwork can vary in area. For example, one entire wall of the living room is decorated with real brick or finished “like a brick” with wallpaper or decorative plaster.
Vertical masonry on the sides of the walls adds completeness to the interior; combinations of bricks of different shades look especially impressive. You can also lay out a partition or counter made of brick, provided that the living room area allows this.
Visual effects: how to influence the perception of space?
A wall made of traditional red brick is not the only possible option. The texture of the material and the laconic form of individual elements allows you to influence the perception of space. How to do it?
White wall
This option is used so often that it requires separate mention. Texture combined with white creates a good background for placing bright accessories.
White wall in the kitchen
The versatility of the shade allows it to be used in any room as the main design or to highlight individual zones. In white it is even possible to decorate all the walls in the room.
And at the same time the room will not look gloomy and basement. On the contrary, a light shade “adds” free space, making the room visually larger. Most often this technique is used when decorating bedrooms and kitchens.
Looks good in any room
Painting it white makes the design modern and dynamic.
Brick wall in the living room interior
An interior with a brick wall made of natural or imitating materials is a fashionable solution that has many advantages, the main ones being accessibility, natural and safe materials, versatility, and ease of finishing work.
Stylish brick decoration of walls or parts of them in the living room can be done using modern materials: various types of facing bricks, wallpaper with a brick texture and pattern, panels made of polyvinyl chloride or fibreboard, ceramic tiles, plaster elements.
Living room with white brick wall
The white brick wall refreshes and literally illuminates the living room interior. Such a snow-white brick element harmoniously combines with any interior styles, including those made in contrasting dark shades: loft, boho, hi-tech, Provence.
White brick on the wall is an excellent platform for placing paintings, posters, and various decor. Such a surface can easily be refreshed and the color renewed by whitewashing the wall yourself. Also, a white brick wall, if necessary, will help to visually expand the space.
Gray brick wall in the living room interior
This type of living room interior design is very attractive. Elegant, rich, non-staining gray color is widely used in the decoration of residential premises. It is the gray brick on the living room wall that creates a unique, gentle and harmonious, at the same time cozy and neutral atmosphere.
The choice of this color scheme is especially appropriate when using bright accents and decor in the living room interior. Various shades of gray are an ideal solution for a brick wall in a living room in loft, hi-tech, and minimalist styles.
Brick wallpaper in the living room
Brick wallpaper is a trendy, textured, beautiful and extremely stylish imitation of natural brick. Brick wallpaper comes in different colors and shades, different textures and quality. They also differ in the material from which they are made and in price. The most common wallpapers are made of durable and pliable vinyl, breathable and dense non-woven fabric, and paper with a washable surface. And accordingly, the cost of a roll of such wallpaper will be different: the cheapest, but inferior in wear resistance, is paper, more expensive, high-quality and durable vinyl or non-woven.
Pros and cons of design solutions
Such a unique interior has a number of advantages.
- Uniqueness. This design will never look formulaic or banal. A real brick wall will always win in comparison with any wallpaper, even the most expensive, since nothing compares to brick modeling.
- Large color palette. Instead of the native shade of orange, you can repaint the wall in any shade. Most often it is light or brown.
- Compatible with decor. A brick wall will look good both without decorative elements, paintings, lamps, and with them.
- Pieces of furniture against a brick wall will look more impressive. An excellent design solution would be to install a fireplace. Even if it is electric, it will look good against the background of such a wall. Brick trim can highlight the elegance of the fireplace in a way that even the most expensive wallpaper cannot do.
- Feasibility of restoration. Wallpaper or other finishing will someday have to be changed, but a brick wall will last for many years and will not look worse if the brick crumbles over time.
- Reconstructing a brick wall is not difficult; to do this, you need to clean the area, cover it with a primer, and then paint it.
- Brick trim can be repainted when you get a little tired of the usual look, which cannot be done with wallpaper.
- The brick finish is durable and will withstand any moisture. No materials, be it wallpaper or plaster, like water, and can become unusable after a flood or carelessly spilled water. Water is not a problem for a brick wall.
In addition to a number of advantages, this finish has significant disadvantages:
- Price. Natural brick is much more expensive than simple wallpaper. There are many options for imitation brick on sale, which will cost less than natural ones, but they will not look like real materials.
- Difficult to install. A brick wall should look elegant, so it is better to trust a professional. It will be extremely difficult for a beginner to create such a design.
- Disassembling a brick wall is much more difficult than changing wallpaper or other finishes. Despite the fact that after the wallpaper you will have to prime the wall, this is not as difficult as dismantling a brick wall.
Brick living room in loft style
The original, unique and brutal interior style called loft necessarily includes an integral attribute in the form of brick finishing. Actually, the very idea of interior decoration with brick was born along with the loft style at the beginning of the last century in North America. At that time there was an economic crisis and many workers could not rent housing and lived in brick workers' premises.
Today, brickwork is not a sign of need and poverty, but an element of stylish interior design with excellent characteristics: functionality, convenience, moderation, convenience, comfort, coziness, elegance.
An excellent and characteristic element of loft-style interior design can be a brick fireplace. The color and version of the brick design should be chosen according to the size of your wallet and in harmonious combination with other details and interior elements.
General rules of application
The main principle of using brick in the interior is very prosaic. Experts note that this material brings maximum beauty and comfort to the interior only in cases where it is used in reasonable quantities. Ignoring this recommendation makes the room too cold, depriving it of the desired comfort.
Basic techniques for using brick finishing:
- highlighting an accent wall, optimal for transforming any room in the apartment;
- finishing of various architectural elements (most often these are arches, columns, partitions and decorative recesses);
- highlighting the fireplace area, most relevant for the living room.
It is also worth adding that walls decorated with decorative bricks can become an excellent backdrop for paintings and photos. In addition, the material in question goes well with gypsum tiles, which often act as an imitation of natural stone.
To prevent the atmosphere in the room from seeming too strict, you should pay attention to the color of the material and the specifics of the decoration. An example is decorating walls with white brick, effectively complemented by bright and cheerful tones.
Another significant point is the quality of the material used: it is desirable that the brickwork be natural. If the home owner relies on the use of imitation, then the latter should be as good as possible. This step allows you to avoid bad taste, which hopelessly spoils the interior decoration of the room.
Kitchen and living room with brick wall
Nowadays, redevelopment and combination of several rooms or some functional areas of an ordinary average apartment or private house are very relevant. Often, the functional space of the kitchen and the adjacent room are combined and made common to create a full-fledged and stylish living room. This is extremely convenient, because the kitchen, combined or combined with the living room, is an excellent tandem of rooms designed for meeting guests and serving treats prepared by the hostess herself, family meetings, and favorite holidays at the large dining table.
Designers recommend using different shades of brick or “brick-like” coatings in the kitchen-living room. This way the interior will not lose its brightness, richness and its unsurpassed special atmosphere.
It is obvious that decor made of brick or materials imitating it is in great demand. It is worth noting that there are a huge variety of beautiful interior decor options using a brick theme. Therefore, if you are striving for a modern, stylish, cozy and welcoming living room design, feel free to use the designers’ ideas when implementing a living room renovation and decoration project.
Solid brick finishing
A complete material that is usually made from high quality clay. Such products allow you to imitate different natural textures: from river to torn stone.
Facing brick is reliable and durable, has excellent resistance to aggressive weather conditions and various mechanical stress, retains heat in bad weather and cool on hot days.
In addition, experts note its excellent aesthetic qualities and high resistance to abrasion, which allows it to be used for finishing living rooms, offices, bedrooms, dining rooms, corridors and even bathrooms.
Fireplaces decorated with such bricks will tell about the high status and amazing taste of the owner. A large abundance of shades and textures allows you to realize the most non-standard and daring ideas.
