5 Brick Slip Tile Ideas To Add Rustic Charm In The Home
Sponsored Content: This post has kindly been sponsored by The Brick Tile Company. All words, thoughts and opinions are by Melanie Lissack.
Applying brick slips - sometimes known as brick tiles - is one of the best ways to create an authentic look of modern rustic decor within the home. Easy to install and maintain, they add a natural warmth and texture which is both characterful and visually appealing.
What are brick slips?
Brick slips are tiles cut from brick blocks. They can be applied using a brick slip adhesive, with mortar added via a gun or a piping bag, to achieve the same look as a brick wall.
You can use brick slips both internally or externally and on both floors and walls for an authentic decorative effect. Rather than a ‘likeness’ or modern replication, brick slips are constructed from real bricks, so it’s impossible to tell the difference between a real brick wall and a surface area covered with brick tiles. The big advantage of this appealing wall covering is that it is an easier and more cost-effective option than taking a wall right back to bare brick to achieve the same look.
The other benefit of brick slips is that you can choose your desired brick type (reclaimed, traditional or contemporary) and your preferred colour, spanning from red, right through to yellow, grey, black and brown tones to suit your style and personality. The Brick Tile Company - suppliers of the largest range of brick slips in the UK - also offers half tiles and corner tile options to make the application of brick slips as easy as possible.
Why are they a good choice for modern rustic interior design schemes?
Modern rustic decor has been huge within interiors in recent years, as we move away from inorganic design and instead seek out a sustainable appreciation of ecological and resourceful living, preferring the tactility and warmth of natural and reusable materials full of character, warmth and depth. Furniture and homeware made from wood, clay, stone, jute, wool and rattan are layered within a room for a calming, inviting scheme as the colours, finishes and imperfections echo the natural world. It’s a decor style that is effortlessly stylish as it favours texture over pattern and natural, earthy tones over heavily pigmented hues.
Brick - constructed mainly from the natural materials of clay and sand - has a unique appearance that can contribute greatly to interiors with rustic charm. Their uneven surface area, rough particles and spectrum of contained colours lean to a rustic aesthetic that works well in a room that is abundant with artisan elements and contains natural patinas. Farmhouse tables, plaster finishes, boucle armchairs, jute rugs and large stone-look lamp bases all work well when paired with brick slips.
If you like the sound of brick slips and want ideas and inspiration on how you can use them in your own home, here are five examples of how they can be used to create some instant modern rustic charm:
Use brick slips to add warmth and texture via one statement wall
Lay brick slips underfoot for a floor full of character
Combine brick tiles with other wall coverings for a modern yet rustic focal point
Apply brick slips in alcoves and/or as a splashback to combine durability with style
Mix brick slips with vintage pieces in natural materials for an authentic and effortlessly stylish room scheme
Use brick slips to add warmth and texture via one statement wall
If you have a focal wall that feels bland and characterless - perhaps it’s the wall opposite where you walk in the room, or the wall that sits directly behind your dining table - you can use brick slips to add visual interest and provide a unique, distinct surface that acts as a captivating backdrop and acts as the base of a modern rustic interior design scheme.
A red brick blend gives a stronger, industrial rustic look; while lighter cream, white or grey brick slips have a weathered, sophisticated softness.
You can leave the brick slip focal wall clear and just position furniture in front of it, or you can hang simple items to accompany the bricks (such as a statement mirror or a piece of art).
Lay brick slips underfoot for a floor full of character
Brick slips laid on a floor give multiple opportunities for a variety of formations, including herringbone and basketweave. What’s great about the option to lay brick slips underfoot is that they look like a legacy within the home, rather than something freshly installed. As brick slips are a robust and durable material, they are great to apply in hard-working areas like utility rooms or hallways. You can also seal them once they have been installed for an extra layer of protection.
Combine brick tiles with other wall coverings for a modern yet rustic focal point
If you like the look of brick slips but feel like you would rather not cover one whole surface area, it’s good to know that brick slips work well alongside other 3D wall coverings, such as tongue and groove or reeded panelling.
Divide a wall with panels or mouldings on the lower half and apply brick slips on the top half of the wall. For a modern rustic home decor scheme, paint the bottom panelling in warm neutral or earthy tones to complement the natural shade of the brick slips and to not distract from the brick slips themselves, which should remain the key focus.
Top Tip: When combining your brick slips with another wall covering like panelling, make sure that the thickness of your panels when applied to the wall has a similar depth to the slips (which come as a 22mm thickness), otherwise the two sections may appear disjointed.
Apply brick slips in alcoves and/or as a splashback to combine durability with style
If your kitchen splashback or any alcoves look a little plain and unloved, consider the application of brick slips which will transform these dedicated spaces. As brick slips are hard-wearing, they are great to use in areas where a lot of cooking and cleaning takes place. Reclaimed brick slips look fantastic with large wood chopping boards propped up against them and give off an inviting glow when combined with kitchen wall lighting.
For alcoves, you can apply brick tiles and simply place an accent chair and a small side table in front for a cosy reading nook. Alternatively, you can install brick slips around reclaimed wood shelving (old scaffold boards work well) within an alcove to create a functional area full of modern rustic charm.
Mix brick slips with vintage pieces in natural materials for an authentic and effortlessly stylish room scheme
Combining the effect of brick slips with vintage furniture is a stylish and budget-friendly way to achieve a modern rustic decor scheme. Vintage furniture and interiors have a timeless appeal and tend to be made to last. Constructed from hardwoods as opposed to cheaper plyboards or MDF, you can pick up an array of vintage pieces at fairs, community warehouses and online for a fraction of the cost of buying new.
Look out for reclaimed wood furniture that can be fully stripped back of varnish for a rustic farmhouse look - especially dining or coffee tables. If you have brick slips in a kitchen, vintage copper pans, wooden utensils and woven baskets make great accessories to be displayed in front of brick slips. If you have brick slips in the bathroom, a sink hosted on a revived and restored cabinet creates a captivating vanity unit full of charisma.
A versatile and robust material, brick slips can also be used as facades, for outdoor kitchens, conservatories, garden rooms, fireplaces and in porches. They also make an attractive feature for both small spaces and over larger surface areas. For genuine clay brick slips with a fast and reliable delivery service, visit The Brick Tile Company website.
All images within this article are owned and belong to The Brick Tile Company.
