In the flooring section of our book, Remodelista: The Low-Impact Home, we advise: “Just say no to the synthetic stuff,” and stick to natural materials like hardwood, ceramic tiles, linoleum, stone, cork, and bamboo. Had we written the book today, we may have included bricks, one of the oldest and most durable building materials around, as another option for sustainable flooring. Though more commonly used for exterior surfaces, we’ve lately been noticing the rise of brick flooring indoors. And we approve—particularly when it’s paired with modern design.
Above: “The choice of traditional brick flooring pays homage to the timeless elegance of Danish residential modernism from the 50s and 60s, infusing the space with a sense of heritage,” reads the summary on Norm Architects site about their Heatherhill Beach House project. Bricks were laid side by side for a more modern look. Photograph by Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen. Above: “The living area’s brick floor was inspired in part by a midcentury American house by the Bauhaus master Marcel Breuer,” says Niall Maxwell of the firm Rural Office for Architecture. “The client loved this and requested we use it here.” Photograph by Ioana Marinescu, from A Rural Remodel in Norfolk, Tithe Barn and Piggery Included. Above: The original herringbone brick floor of this 19th-century home plays nicely against the clean-lined, minimalist furniture. Photograph courtesy of Verne, from Living with Art: Galerist Veerle Wenes at Home in Antwerp. Above: Old bricks, sourced from Lubelska, were introduced to “add warmth and tranquility, as well as to tie the contemporary design into the existing historic fabric of the house,” says architect Neil Dusheiko. Photograph by Agnes Sanvito, from Kitchen of the Week: An Architect’s Labor-of-Love Kitchen, Art Gallery Included. Above: Vipp converted an old fisherman’s cottage into a modern coastal vacation rental that features a floor made of repurposed brick laid in sand rather than mortar. Photograph courtesy of Vipp, from For Aesthetes and Surfers: A New Vipp Guest House in Denmark’s “Cold Hawaii”. Above: A cafe redone in brick red. See Bentwood: An Eatery in a Former Thonet Showroom In Australia.
Above: “I wanted to work with the garden designers to use something that worked inside and out so both spaces flowed from one to the other,” says Sophie Rowell of her decision to go with reclaimed brick for the kitchen flooring. “They’re usually used in a herringbone formation, but I decided to lay them in a brick format for a more unusual, youthful feel.” Photograph by Chris Snook, courtesy of Côte de Folk, from By Instinct: A Colorful Project by Designer Sophie Rowell That Follows ‘No Rules’. Above: A 400-square-foot converted garage lined in brick from Arto. Photograph by Michael P.H. Clifford, courtesy of Allprace; styling by @EthanKotch and @A1000XBetter; from Formerly a Garage: A 400-Square-Foot One-Bedroom House in LA. Above: This Low-Impact Family Home in Surrey by Rural Office features Staffordshire bricks made by Ketley Brick. Photograph by Jim Stephenson for Rural Office.
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