Exposed Brick Interior Ideas

As an architect in New York, people often ask me about exposed brick in their homes and apartments. They want to know why exposed brick might be a good option and why there is such a cachet around exposing bricks in New York City.

Brick has texture and color, which can be charming compared to more contemporary buildings. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, brick was one of the most ubiquitous materials in New York City for exterior wall and bearing wall construction. As time passed, the trend of exposing the brick became popularized for townhouses, lofts, and apartments, as the brick added character and historical reference to the interior spaces. 

I am Jorge Fontan, an architect in New York and owner of Fontan Architecture. In this post, I will show examples of exposed brick in our projects. I like exposed brick, but we only do it in some places. It has to suit the client and the space.

 

 

Exposed Brick in NYC Lofts

You can’t discuss exposed brick homes without starting with New York City lofts. Lofts are former industrial buildings converted to residential use. These buildings have exterior brick walls. The brick adds a historical reference to the original construction of the building and the original industrial use. It is quite popular for people to expose brick walls in these types of buildings.

We have another post you can read if you want to see more about the Architectural Characteristics of Lofts. 

 

Exposed Brick Bedroom

You can expose brick in certain areas or all over. This is a big decision you have to make when renovating. You can also leave the brick exposed in bedrooms if you want to have a textural feel.

In the bedroom photo below, you can see exposed brick on two walls, which adds a lot of texture and character to the bedroom design.

 

Exposed Brick Walls for Art

Brick walls are also a good backdrop for hanging art. People always think you have to put art on white walls, but this is not necessarily the case. It has been much more on-trend for galleries to hang art on dark and grey walls, but having a textured material like brick is also okay. Putting art on a brick wall can result in great depth and contrast. Of course, it depends on the art as well. Homes have to be cohesive.

Exposed Brick Wall Apartments in NYC

We all know New York City is famous for its exposed brick walls in lofts, but regular apartments can also have exposed brick walls. Many buildings built in the early 20th century have brick-bearing walls. These walls are normally covered in wood lathe and plaster. We can probe these walls to see what is inside, and if it is brick, we can remove the plaster to expose the bricks.

You want to consider the quality of the brick. The interior bricks are usually lower quality than the exterior bricks, and the workmanship is rougher. These walls were not originally meant to be exposed. Be warned that the interior bricks usually will not look like the exterior bricks. This adds character for some people, but others may not like it. It comes down to personal taste on this one.

Exposed Brick in Townhouse & Brownstones

NYC is famous for its Brownstones and Townhouses. These were normally made with brick-bearing walls that are 3 wythe thick. A wythe is a layer of brick measured in the wall thickness. A standard brick is 2 1/2″ x 3 3/4″ x 8″. The 3 3/4″ is the brick depth. When you account for mortar, a 3 wythe brick wall is 12″, commonly found in New York City townhouses and smaller apartment buildings.

Because townhouses have existing brick walls on all four exterior walls, you can remove the plaster and lathe on these walls and expose the brick, which has become a prevalent practice in NYC. The bricks can be exposed in large areas, on all exterior walls, or in some parts of the townhouse to act as an accent wall. This does have a timeless and classic look that can work with most interior design solutions.

 

Exposed Brick Accent Wall Old and New

Mixing old and new can be a really great interior design feature. You can expose small sections of brick to act as an accent wall. This will derive a sense of contrast while adding the distinguished nature of brick.

The picture below shows a 100-year-old brick wall against brand-new sheetrock walls. This makes a nice contrast, and the bricks pop against the white walls. It is a feature wall that adds a real sense of feeling to the overall space without overwhelming the room.

 

Exposed brick Fireplace

Historic Townhouses and Brownstones in New York often have brick chimneys and either brick or marble fireplaces. The chimneys can be left exposed to stand out as one independent architectural element.

This brick fireplace photo is in a Brooklyn Townhouse with a brick chimney and fireplace. As these townhouses were renovated the chimneys were often used to accommodate boiler flues and bricked in, as this one was long before we renovated this townhouse.

 

Exposed Brick Kitchen Backsplash

Sometimes you have brick on the kitchen wall. You can leave the brick exposed if you would like to have an exposed brick backsplash, but this is not always the best option. Brick is porous and will absorb liquids and mess. Be warned that this could become problematic over time. You can always add a backsplash later over the brick if you like.

You can see another post we have on Backsplash Design Ideas if you want to read more on the subject.

 

Why People Use Exposed Brick

Exposed brick adds texture, color, and character to an interior space while making a historical reference to the building’s past. Exposed brick is a great and easy way to add detail to an apartment or house by using existing elements.

 

---

Thank You for Reading Our Blog Post on Exposed Brick Interiors

I hope this was helpful. If you want to speak with an architect about a potential project, you can contact us at Fontan Architecture directly.

 

Contact Fontan Architecture