Loft-style brick: where is it used and how can it be made?

Loft style is incredibly popular today. Many users in the design of their homes choose exactly this direction, because it is not too defiant and elaborate, but it allows you to emphasize the individuality of the house or apartment. The highlight of the direction of the loft is a stylized brick. It is present in almost all interiors designed in this style. We will get acquainted with similar elements closer and consider how they can be made with your own hands.

Attic style called loft originates in New York in the XX century.In those days, the authorities actively moved industrial enterprises away from the city. The areas vacated at the same time gave to poor citizens, asking for rent mere pennies. Not having a lot of money, people began to live in an atmosphere of iron, brick and wooden walls without any decoration. Sometimes such boring and harsh grounds were decorated with various decorations.

As for the urban bohemia, its representatives began to arrange all sorts of meetings in the once industrial buildings. Similar constructions by architects and artists were not neglected. They released fantasy into the wild, making out such brutal dwellings. The walls of wood and brick covered with lime, polished properly or painted with varnish.

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

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

• In such settings, there are both antique details, and the latest fashion trends and technology. At the same time, various communications are often closed with nothing and remain visible.

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

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

• Unusual lighting devices and accessories are common details in loft interiors.The overly rich and artsy elements in these settings are usually absent.

Brickwork of different colors is in trend today, especially if it is made in the loft style. Similar finishing options look great in a variety of rooms. This can be not only a stylish living room, but also a kitchen or bedroom. In many rooms often set imitation of natural stone. For example, it can be a smooth tile under a brick. This material is great for finishing the kitchen, because it is not susceptible to dirt and is easily cleaned from any stains if they appear.

Loft-style bricks have a number of positive and negative qualities. We will get acquainted with those and with others. First consider the advantages of these components:

• affordable price;
• environmental safety (brick does not harm either human health or the environment as a whole);
• good quality of sound insulation and heat insulation;
• brick - moisture resistant material;
• to make such a decoration with all the decorations with their own hands is not difficult;
• Loft-style bricks 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 demarcation of separate zones of a room;
• With this finish you can disguise many defects of wall structures;
• brick finish is durable and unpretentious;
• has an attractive textured surface;
• effectively combined with natural palettes and various materials of natural origin.

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

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

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

• living room;

• study;

• bedroom (here it is advisable to use clutches of soothing tones, so that they do not interfere with the rapid sleep and pacification);

• the kitchen (in the kitchen, people often install bricks not from natural stones, since they will be difficult to clean because of their rough texture, and in the kitchen it is unlikely to be able to do without grease stains);

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

Few people know, but it is quite possible to make bricks in the loft style with our own hands. This will not take much time and effort.

It will be very good if the walls in your home were originally made of brick. In this case, you only need to wipe all the existing cracks, as well as clean the bricks from various stains and dirt. It will be necessary to get rid of dust and plaque. Further it will be necessary 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 should be added until the mixture has a translucent tone;
• then the resulting composition must be processed every brick using a sponge;
• in the process of impregnation, bricks will be painted;
• it is not necessary to process the whole base at once - start from 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 of plaster. This method has the following advantages:

• costs inexpensive;
• is environmentally friendly;
• does not take away useful space in the room;
• available for self-hosting.

From materials and tools you will need:

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

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

Now you need to mark the wall with masking tape. The usual brick parameters are 25x6.5 cm, and the indentation is 1.5 cm. First you need to paste over horizontal stripes, and then proceed to the vertical ones. To prepare the solution, we apply glue and plaster in proportions of 50x50. After that, the prepared composition is applied with a spatula (this is allowed to be done manually, if desired). Try not to touch the ends of the scotch. Do not be afraid to leave uneven surfaces - this is what we need. After applying the composition of adhesive tape between the individual "bricks" must be removed.To lay 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 primer and bricks, and the seams between them.

If the processing of walls with plaster mixtures and paint coatings does not appeal to you, then you can turn to another common way to bring a brick wall into the interior - to glue wallpapers that imitate brickwork. This surface does not have to regularly take care, spending extra money. You just need from time to time to wipe the canvas from dust, using a slightly damp cloth.

If you decide to bring loft-style bricks into the interior, then you should listen to the series. tips from professionals, so as not to spoil the look of the interior.

• It is recommended to apply the imitation of masonry if you are decorating classic, Scandinavian or English, Provencal interiors. In such circumstances, it is desirable to present more calm colors - white, brown, sand, pastel.
• If you want to glue wallpaper under the brick, then you should look for the most realistic and high-quality options. Cheap products with unnatural bricks can ruin the interior.
• If you are going to make brickwork with your own hands, using plaster and special adhesive 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 style of a loft, and you want to decorate it with a brick wall, then you should not worry. Such decorations organically look in the interiors in the Scandinavian, Provencal, English, Gothic, Mediterranean, eclectic, rustic (country) stylistic directions.
• Bricks are often made of plaster,however, one serious problem can be encountered here - this material dries for a very long time, so when removing the adhesive 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 to use plaster mixtures instead of plaster - 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 room area in the studio apartment. Natural decorative finish of dark red shade can act as a noticeable separator. Before such a wall should be placed gray sofa. These images will effectively stand out against the background of a bright kitchen with chrome parts.

Brick, stylized antique, sometimes choose to finish all the walls in the room. This solution can be addressed if there is a white ceiling and light floors (even wooden ones) in the setting. In such an environment will look spectacular pieces of furniture made from natural poorly treated wood (material can be lacquered or painted).

How to create an interior in the style of a loft in a normal apartment, watch in the video below.