How To Decorate A Brick Interior

There was a time in which brick interiors defined the home, narrowing your decorating options to country and colonial styles. These days, however, many people add, paint, distress or accessorize brick to make it work with breezier and more contemporary decor themes. Whether you have a bold red brick backdrop, weathered gray brick or brick painted a bright or antique white, you can make the most of this textured design feature with furniture, accessories, textiles, lighting and art.

Things You'll Need

• Paint
• Paintbrush
• Furniture
• Textiles
• Accessories
• Lighting

Instructions

1. Consider your range of options for decorating a brick interior. You can lighten the look of a dark brick room by adding light or bright painted accents, either around brick or on the brick itself. You can warm up brick in cooler shades by bringing in pieces made of natural materials such as medium-stained wood, bamboo, sisal, paper, cotton and linen. Give brick a rustic cottage look by thinly coating it with antique whitewash, or paint it stark white and frame it with black accents for a contemporary minimalist look.

2. Add accent colors that stand out from the brick backdrop. Furniture frames and textiles in mahogany, cherry, espresso brown or soft poppy seed black evoke classic Colonial style and lend the room old world sophistication. You can update the look by accenting brick interiors with elements of green design, such as bamboo floor mats, textured cotton upholstery and leafy green plants. Give brick interior walls Southwestern or Mexican flair with wall hangings or art featuring dashes of cobalt blue, violet, mango orange, sunny yellow or bottle green.

3. Invest in focal point furnishings that extend your decor scheme. Pieces with bold lines, elaborate ornamentation, distressed finishes and artisan details work well against the texture of brick interior walls. Solid wooden pieces in medium or dark tones may feature eye-catching touches such as hammered tin panels, engraved wooden trim, hand-painted tile insets, glass surfaces, wood joinery, chunky hardware of oxidized metal or stenciled designs. In the kitchen, try a sideboard or a farmhouse table in weathered wood lined with wooden stools or benches for seating. In the bedroom, a wrought iron bed frame adds old world charm.

4. Soften the hard edges of brick walls with textiles. In a country scheme, patchwork quilts work well as wall art, couch throws and bed covers. Sheer white or cream window panels allow sunshine to pour inside so that brick rooms look lighter and brighter. Upholstered pieces, cushions and throws may feature homespun details such as lace, crochet trims, embroidered patterns or painted designs.

5. Illuminate brick interiors with accent, ambient and task lighting. Fluorescent overhead lights flatten the texture of brick walls, so aim for table lamps, floor lamps, wall sconces or chandeliers to give each space its appropriate lighting. Candles, oil lamps, bright Asian lanterns and tea lights give a brick room colorful and artisan touches while also providing light.

Tips & Warnings

• You can easily display art on brick walls by using a wall ledge, floating shelf or wooden trim for propping art.

• Antique and distressed bricks create more dust and debris in a room, so you will need to clean surfaces and floors more frequently.

References

• HGTV: Brick Walls