Loft-style brick: where is it used and how to make it?

The loft style is insanely popular today. Many users choose this direction when decorating their homes, because it is not too provocative and pretentious, but at the same time it allows you to emphasize the individuality of a house or apartment. The highlight of the loft trend is the stylized brick. It is present in almost all interiors designed in this style. Let's take a closer look at similar elements and consider how you can make them yourself.

The loft style has its origins in New York in the 20th century. In those days, the authorities actively removed industrial enterprises from the city. The vacated areas were given to poor citizens, asking for mere pennies for rent. Without a lot of money, people began to live in an environment of iron, brick and wooden walls without any decoration. Sometimes such dull and harsh foundations were decorated with various decorations.

As for the urban bohemia, its representatives began to arrange all kinds of meetings in the once industrial buildings. Both architects and artists did not disregard such constructions. They let their fantasy free, decorating such brutal dwellings. Walls made of wood and bricks were covered with lime, well polished or varnished.

Other important features of this famous style include the following aspects.

• The presence of significant free space. Loft-style spaces usually have high ceilings and elongated windows. The interiors are full of sharp contrasts, zoning the available space.

• In such environments, there are both antique details and the latest trends in fashion and technology. At the same time, various communications are often not closed by anything and remain in sight.

• Brickwork on the walls is common in loft style. Moreover, the bricks themselves (natural or imitation) can have not only traditional red, but also gray, brown or other interesting color.

• Cool and light colors prevail in such interiors, especially when it comes to finishing high ceilings. The use of white brickwork or the exposure of masonry areas is a traditional technique. In the future, the bricks can be painted or remain intact.

• Unusual lighting fixtures and accessories are common details in loft interiors. Overly rich and pretentious elements are usually absent in these settings.

Brickwork of different colors is in trend today, especially if it is made in the loft style. These finishes look great in a wide variety of rooms. It can be not only a stylish living room, but also a kitchen or bedroom. In many rooms, imitation of natural stone is often installed. For example, it can be smooth brick-like tiles.The specified material is great for finishing the kitchen, because it is not susceptible to dirt and can be easily cleaned of any stains if they appear.

Loft-style bricks have a number of positive and negative qualities. Let's get acquainted with those and others. First, let's look at the advantages of these components:

• affordable price;
• environmental safety (brick does not harm either human health or the environment in general);
• good quality of sound insulation and thermal insulation;
• brick - moisture resistant material;
• it is not difficult to complete such a finish with all the decorations with your own hands;
• loft-style brick can be installed in any room, from the living room to the kitchen;
• a brick wall can be not only an interior decoration, but also a delimiter of individual zones of a room;
• with the help of such a finish, many defects in wall structures can be masked;
• brick decoration is durable and unpretentious;
• has an attractive textured surface;
• it is effectively combined with natural palettes and various materials of natural origin.

As for the disadvantages of loft-style bricks in the decoration of apartments and houses, these include:

• untreated natural color coatings require the selection of high-quality lighting (as a way out of the situation, it is permissible to turn to snow-white brick or light paint);
• uneven textures are difficult to clean;
• a large amount of bricks in the interior creates the effect of an unkempt and cold space, in which it is not very comfortable and cozy to be.

Brick today is widely used for interior decoration of houses and apartments. These options look great in a wide variety of rooms. For example, it can be:

• living room;

• study;

• bedroom (here it is advisable to use masonry of soothing tones so that they do not interfere with rapid falling asleep and pacification);

• kitchen (in the kitchen, people often install bricks that are not made of natural stones, since it will be difficult to clean them due to their rough texture, and it is unlikely that it will be possible to do without greasy stains in the kitchen);

• hallway / corridor (these are the business cards of any dwellings, and they usually have a modest area, so it is recommended to place loft-style brickwork in light colors here - they will visually increase the space and make it more hospitable).

Few people know, but it is quite possible to make loft-style bricks, which are popular nowadays, with your own hands. It will not take a lot of time and effort.

It will be very good if the walls in your home are originally made of bricks. In this case, you only need to wipe all the cracks, as well as clean the bricks from various stains and dirt. It will be necessary to get rid of dust and deposits. Then it remains only to cover the masonry with paint or varnish. This is done like this:

• water-based formulations are used;
• dilute the coloring composition with water and mix well;
• water must be added until the mixture acquires a translucent tone;
• further, with the resulting composition, it is necessary to process each brick using a sponge;
• in the process of impregnation, the bricks will be painted;
• no need to process the entire base at once - start with a small area;
• after completing all the work, be sure to wait for the paint / varnish to harden.

A beautiful and common choice of finishes is an imitation made from a plaster mix. This method has the following advantages:

• is inexpensive;
• is environmentally friendly;
• does not take up useful space in the room;
• available for self-conduct.

From materials and tools you will need:

• a separate container for diluting the solution;
• special adhesive for tiles and plaster mix;
• masking tape;
• narrow and wide spatulas;
• rules and level (it is better to take a laser or bubble).

First, you need to prepare the walls in the room for future decorative finishing. The surfaces must be cleaned of the old wallpaper, smooth out all the drops with sandpaper. In order for the mixture to lay down reliably, before laying the mortar, the walls should be treated with a primer using a roller or brush.

Now you need to mark the wall with masking tape. The usual parameters of a brick are 25x6.5 cm, and the indentation is 1.5 cm.First, you need to paste over the horizontal stripes, and then proceed to the vertical ones. To prepare the solution, we use glue and plaster in proportions of 50x50. After that, we apply the prepared composition with a spatula (it is allowed to do this manually, if desired). Avoid touching the ends of the tape. Don't be afraid to leave uneven surfaces - that's what we need. After applying the composition, the adhesive tape must be removed between the individual "bricks". To give the masonry a more natural shape, you should use a chisel or a tablespoon. Then you need to clean the surface with sandpaper. Next, you will need to cover the bricks with a primer, and the seams between them.

If the treatment of walls with plaster mixtures and paints and varnishes does not appeal to you, then you can turn to another common way to bring a brick wall into the interior - to glue wallpaper imitating brickwork. This surface does not have to be regularly looked after, spending extra money. You just need to wipe the dust off the canvas from time to time using a slightly damp cloth.

If you decide to add loft-style bricks to the interior, then you should listen to the number advice from professionals so as not to spoil the appearance of the interior.

• It is recommended to turn to imitation of masonry if you are equipping classic, Scandinavian or English, Provencal interiors. In such environments, it is desirable to be present in calmer colors - white, brown, sand, pastel.
• If you want to glue wallpaper under a brick, then you should look for the most realistic and high-quality options. Cheap items with unnatural bricks can ruin the interior.
• If you are going to make brickwork with your own hands using plaster and special tape, then you should know that instead of the latter it is quite possible to use a special stencil. Similar things are sold in many online stores. According to buyers, these parts are very convenient to use.
• If your home is not designed in the loft style, and you want to decorate it with a brick wall, then you should not worry. Such decorations look organically in interiors in Scandinavian, Provencal, English, Gothic, Mediterranean, eclectic, rustic (country) stylistic directions.
• Bricks are often made of gypsum, but here you can face one serious problem - this material dries for a very long time, so when removing the tape / stencil, it can simply "crawl" (it will be very difficult to restore the damaged area), which will negatively affect the quality of the finish. That is why experts advise using plaster mixes instead of plaster mixes - it is easier to work with them.

Loft-style brickwork looks great in many settings. For example, she can separate the kitchen from the living area in a studio apartment. A natural decorative finish in a dark red shade can act as a noticeable divider. A gray sofa should be placed in front of such a wall. These images will effectively stand out against the background of a bright kitchen with chrome details.

Antique-styled brick is sometimes chosen to decorate all the walls in a room. This solution can be addressed if there is a white ceiling and light floors (albeit wooden ones) in the setting. In such an environment, pieces of furniture made of natural, poorly processed wood (the material can be varnished or painted) will look spectacular.

How to create a loft-style interior in an ordinary apartment, see the video below.