FOCUS ON BRICKS

Blockbusters – we celebrate three spectacular projects that showcase beautiful, versatile bricks in all their glory

Architect Zoe Diacolabrianos / Project: Il Duomo Why did you use brick for this Melbourne home? “Life’s too short for boring spaces” is our motto. We love creating colourful and textured spaces and have a passion for celebrating Australian architecture through our work, drawing contextual nods into our spaces. With so much variance, brick – from apricots to deep hawthorn reds – tells the story of a place and an era. It’s the perfect material to speak to context, and also add warmth and texture. How have you used it? The existing home and its Carlton North neighbourhood are typified by mottled brick textures. To bring in natural light, we created a series of courtyards and cut-outs that reveal the bricks on surrounding houses. So we brought this context back into the house, to embed the project in its surroundings. Using brick internally as the main finish to the living room, dining room and kitchen walls brought the neighbouring design language indoors and directs the eye out to the views. Why La Paloma in that crisp Miró colour? Il Duomo was about imbuing the spaces with the Italian heritage of the existing house. The owner was keen to embrace a high-vaulted ceiling and tiles [from a previous renovation] in the design. Referencing its Florentine namesake, pinks, greens, deep reds and whites are used throughout, brought together and anchored by the white Miró bricks. They add texture and weightiness, which conventional plaster couldn’t achieve. The matching mortar also creates subtle striations and extra interest. Future plans for brick? We are constantly experimenting and seeing how we can use brick to make something extraordinary.

Romero

Taking Austral Bricks La Paloma in Miró as the starting point, an array of finishes in soft and feminine creamy whites, milky caramels and pastel pinks, with deep ochre and black counterpoints, forms the perfect canvas for bold brushstrokes of rich colour in furnishings and accessories. 1 Bristile Roofing Planum roof tile in Cocoa. 2 Austral Bricks La Paloma brick in Miró. 3 Austral Bricks Allure brick in Ariana. 4 Austral Masonry UrbanStone Terre masonry brick in Marigold. 5 Austral Masonry Architec Smooth brick in Alabaster.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Azul Fired-clay hues create gradations of charcoal shades, smartly offset by medium-contrast mortar. Castellana A cool white, with matching mortar. A deep, rich charcoal, dramatically framed by pale mortar. Miró Muted white and off-white brushstrokes of colour and texture made it the perfect choice for this heritage home (left). In soft whites and charcoals, from pale and breezy to moody and dramatic, La Paloma bricks are like works of art. All bricks are 230mm x 110mm x 76mm.