bold as brick

While tiles are terrific, there’s another trending material that will give your scheme tough love, and that’s the not-so-humble brick. The staple of the industrial look, today, comes in myriad colours – including metallics – and finishes from matt to gleaming gloss. “Using larger bricks and blocks will create a more elegant, streamlined effect, while sticking to monochromatic tones – blacks, whites and all shades of grey – will evoke a feeling of luxury,” says general manager of marketing Brett Ward of Brickworks Building Products, parent company of Austral Bricks. Have fun exploring all options, from architectural bricks to the Palm Springs vibe of breeze blocks, which have also been reinvented in different patterns. Best of all, it needn’t break the bank. While prices vary, you can create an amazing look even with products from the lower end of the spectrum. “Bricklayers usually charge by the brick, so larger bricks may save you some money,” adds interior stylist Aimee Tarulli.

“THE SMOOTH TEXTURES OF GLAZED OR SEMI-GLAZED BRICK BRING A SLEEKER TONE TO THE ROOM” ~ BRETT WARD, BRICKWORKS BUILDING PRODUCTS