Your robust and low-maintenance brick home has its charms, but does it feel like you’re stuck in the 70’s? Does it need some character infusion?
If you’re considering an exterior renovation but are unsure whether to render, clad, or keep the brick, then this article is for you.
Many homeowners often lean towards rendering during an exterior renovation, hiding the brick in its entirety. However, it’s crucial to remember that the issue with an outdated brick home is usually not the bricks themselves! In fact, many modern homes incorporate bricks with stylish results!
The challenge arises when there’s an overload of brick or an excess of brown and red tones, which can create an overwhelming visual effect.
👇Designed by Hotspace👇
Here’s how to modernise your brick home through an effective exterior renovation, drawing on current trends, while still embracing the beauty of its original design.
Achieving Balance with Materials
Modern brick homes often find a perfect balance between brick and other materials. They achieve this by reducing the amount of visible brick, breaking it up with contrasting textures and colours. Facade renovations don’t necessarily mean you have to cover up your brick entirely; instead, focus on using other materials (cladding, render etc) to cover just small areas to help reduce the amount of visible brick.
The Power of Neutrals
Another characteristic of modern brick homes is their use of neutral colours alongside the brick. When it comes to brick exterior renovations, forget outdated combinations like green and maroon. Instead, focus on neutrals such as greys or blacks. These colours create a stylish, sophisticated palette and work beautifully with the earthy tones of the brick.
Mind the Texture
Bricks inherently bring a lot of texture to your home’s exterior due to the mortar lines between them, which can appear as a busy pattern. To keep the facade visually balanced and avoid an overwhelming appearance during facade renovations, it’s crucial to keep other materials and elements on the house fairly plain.
The Accent Game
As you reduce the amount of brick during your exterior renovation, introduce accents to punctuate the design. This could be a bold front door, sleek metallic window frames, or stylish lighting fixtures. These accents add personality to your home and draw attention to the design elements you want to highlight.
Updating your brick home doesn’t have to be about disguising its brick facade, but rather, embracing it and reimagining it in a modern context!
A professional like Hotspace can guide you on how to beautifully transform the exterior and facade of your home, whilst retaining much of the brick to ensure you love your home for the long term!