9 Ideas for Brick That Break the Mold
Bricks are as beautiful as they are useful, as these out-of-the-ordinary designs reveal
Rebecca Naughtin
April 18, 2016
Architect, Director, Mentor, Tutor, Houzz Contributor, Partner and Mum, I love a design challenge and thrive on problem solving. I especially enjoy working with Clients to bring out the best in their projects.
Architect, Director, Mentor, Tutor, Houzz Contributor, Partner and Mum, I love a... More
If you’re looking for a strong and versatile building material that ages with beauty, it’s hard to ignore the humble brick. Bricks are also durable, reusable and sustainable, and they provide thermal mass to your home. This helps keep your house cool in the summer and warm in the winter, especially when paired with passive design techniques. Here are a few designs showing how brick can give a modern edge to your home.
1. Creative bricklaying. Add distinction and mix it up as Make Architecture did with its Little Brick Studio project. A pattern of rotated bricks delivers a three-dimensional effect and creates delightful shadow patterns across the walls.
The use of white glazed bricks also helps give a contemporary aesthetic to the studio.
2. Something to say. Oof! Architecture wants to give us a big hello with a fun and novel design using bricks. It’s fair to say that this is a design for the more adventurous among us, though it’s bound to give you a smile every time you walk past!
The Hello addition is a departure from the original house but still manages to fit in with the help of the building material common to both: bricks.
3. Honoring days gone by. Keep a trace of history within your very own wall. Tsuruta Architects retained some original brick in this neat extension as a way to remember the past. New and old are further juxtaposed with a mix of contemporary and classical finishes and fixtures within.
The architects’ use of brick continues inside, creating an elegant mix of materials while breaking up the large expanses of wood.
4. Bold use of castoffs. Why not add a splash of color to your home using bricks? That’s what Wowowa did at the Forever House. The outer layer of the house features “seconds” typically rejected by architects, and the inner skin makes use of “thirds” ready for landfill. This house illustrates how rejected materials can be made beautiful through design.
The new brick addition complements the original house.
5. Urban edge. Love it rustic and a bit streetwise? You can keep it raw and contrast it with a contemporary edge, as Mártires Doyle did for the Knuckle House in Melbourne, Australia.
6. Outside the box. Break the grid, and add curves and circles to that wall. That’s what Nest Architects did at its College Place project in Melbourne.
The light shining through the portal windows into the bedroom acts as a feature within the wall.
7. Inside and out. Architecture Architecture’s Turnaround House shows just how well bricks can break up clean and modern white walls, and begin to blur the inside-outside threshold.
Bringing elements of brick within the interior, such as these seats beneath bifold windows, enhances the indoor-outdoor flow.
8. Surface shake-up. Why not mix it up and mottle your wall with texture and color? These multicolored bricks have a zigzag edge, creating a rippled effect across the facade.
The expanse of bricks makes quite an impression from the street.
9. Color surprise. Adding an unexpected hue to that brick wall gives it a point of difference and a contemporary twist — just right for this studio, which is just as colorful within.
Tell us: Have you made bricks a feature at your house? Share your photos and ideas in the Comments below.
More
How to Make an Interior Brick Wall Work
Yes, You Can Use Brick in the Kitchen
Tell us: Have you made bricks a feature at your house? Share your photos and ideas in the Comments below.
More
How to Make an Interior Brick Wall Work
Yes, You Can Use Brick in the Kitchen
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Interesting though...
I will never understand why some just post to bash a design concept. Anyway, while most are not to my personal taste, I do see some thoughts within the designs that give me great ideas for future designs. I'm just finishing two major renovations and will be starting another shortly, so I can see using some of these ideas within my designs. Thank you for the post.