What to do with internal brick walls HELP!

6 years ago

last modified: 6 years ago

We have just moved into a house built in the 80s and the major downside is what to do with the brick pillars and exposed walls in the dining room and entry. Not sure whether to paint and what colours plaster or render. Any advice gratefully received!

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Dr Retro House Calls

6 years ago

Houses of this period were about drama, texture and colour. Contemporary standards of today are very bland by comparison with the endless use of greiges. I wouldn't do anything with the internal brick, but use the colour and texture as a starting point to the rest of the room to bring in more organic colours and texture to conterbalance the brickwork. Look at some of the houses designed by Alistair Knox for inspiration - I have attached a link (Alistair Knox designed home in Mt Martha). As Warren Meade (above) suggests a professionally designed lighting scheme can make the brickwork a wow feature. Once brickwork is painted or rendered to contemporary standards it is lost forever under a blanket of blandness.

Comments (9)

bigreader
6 years ago
I'd paint or plaster the pillars but leave the wall. The wall has character and I've seen them look great with a world traveller eclectic decor.
Warren Meade
6 years ago
Use them to effect. On those 4 pillars as high as you can , mount narrow beam spots and throw the light down the bricks , do the opposite on the full brick wall . Mounted low ,2 wide angle spots throwing up the wall. Change the long drop pendant for something that only throws down onto the table it will totally change the feel of the room without major works. The area around the window , personally I would plaster keep the area uniform and that pipe look balustrade would also get the chop , if its going to look industrial make it more so use reclaimed pipe or old scaffold make it stand out.
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Hi Jenny, You have not posted any photos, so I hope i am on the right track with this advice! I have recently assisted two clients with updating their property, both of which were similar to how yours sounds. In the first instance, the timber panelled ceiling was retained and the exposed brick walls plastered over & painted in Resene 'Quarter Spanish White'. In the second instance, the timber panelled ceiling was retained and the timber panelled walls were painted to match the remaining plaster walls (a picture is attached below). In both instances, the spaces were dramatically opened & freshened up and modernised. I think painting the panelling and retaining the brickwork (on the basis that you like it) will work very well.
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annb1997
6 years ago
What a cool house design! Off the top of my head, I think I'd be inclined to paint the brick surrounding the sliding door (1st image) and either paint the pillars or clad them in same timber as the ceiling just inside that same sliding door (1st image). I'd be tempted to leave the large wall as bigreader suggested simply because it's such a magnificent feature. If you live with it for a while then still not loving it, then paint it. While I like the chandelier, it doesn't really suit where it is, as Warren pointed out. If you wanted to change, best to consider if there are any other electrical changes you want to make and get an electrician out only the once.

As far as paint colour goes, do you know what the current wall paint colour is?I'd paint to match the wall colour and complement the carpet, but important to know if you like the current colour or want to change. Also it would help to know what your own plans for the interior style is. Do you want to remain true to the 80s with just a few tweaks, or change it completely?

About the balustrade, do you want to change the colour of it as well? Is it also made out of glass (couldn't quite tell from photo)?
annb1997
6 years ago
Oh, wow, Dr Retro.what an amazing house. Thanks for the link.
Julie Herbert
6 years ago
By looking at your furniture (grey couch etc.) it is fairly modern, I would plasterboard the brick , the columns would look terrific , you could save some brick as a feature around sliding doors , but it would lighten up your house so much to cover the large expanses of brick, add modern lighting and it will look amazing.
Tracy Oliver
6 years ago
Inspiration...
KK1000
6 years ago
Paint the columns leave the other walls as is , it’s too much brick and makes it look dark inside .
KK1000
6 years ago
Are those columns load bearing?? I f they are not I would consider removing them. I know I am probably in minority with this suggestion but it would open it up and make look more spacious .

What to do with internal brick walls HELP!

Dr Retro House Calls

Comments (9)

bigreader

Warren Meade

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