Exposed Brick Blues
If you own a brownstone and you have exposed brick somewhere in your house, please stand up. And walk yourself to the hardware store for a bag of plaster and a trowel. I am a future tenant of a park slope brownstone garden apartment (TBD …tbd), and as I search the listings high and low,…
If you own a brownstone and you have exposed brick somewhere in your house, please stand up. And walk yourself to the hardware store for a bag of plaster and a trowel. I am a future tenant of a park slope brownstone garden apartment (TBD …tbd), and as I search the listings high and low, I can’t seem to find a single one fitting my criteria (dogs, private garden, north slope) that does not have exposed brick. It is a bigger offense than the white painted over fireplace+grate look. To me, exposed brick is just fine in a warehouse loft, but in a –let’s face it – NARROW apartment with minimal window action, it just looks like a cold, damp and depressing basement rec room. At best, it is reminiscent of something cool seen somewhere else, somewhere very different. Exposed brick is definitely not “original†detail. Listing after listing I see this brick, usually around the fireplace – either ever so restrainedly just on the chimney, or tastefully not on the chimney but on the main wall, or just balls out all over the entire frickin apartment. Is this an instance of the emperor wearing no clothes? Can’t you all see that you are looking at a very very wrongly naked wall? Please plaster it. Then you can, rightly, claim that the wall is AUTHENTIC. Or just drywall it & send me your listing.
During the 70’s and 80’s, exposed brick was the cool thing to do with a restoration. I bought a coop and lived with an exposed brick wall in my Brooklyn Heights coop for 15 years and I kept thinking about plastering it over. I was really aggravated by it after a while. I used to talk about it all the time. This one liked it, that one agreed with me. In the end, I did nothing but no way did I want to have any of that in my brownstone. I didn’t “restore” my place either — just kept the pretty Victorian stuff like plastered floral designed molding on the ceiling, big molded doors, put back fireplaces, and other stuff which fits with the brownstone but works for modern life. There is light everywhere. I made a big deal about adding nice light fixtures, which give lots of light. I HATE dark and dreary and for that reason, I don’t like true “restorations”.
Exposed brick may be the party wall separating your brownstone from the next door neighbor’s. During my plumbing repairs the party wall was exposed and I could hear shockingly clearly into my neighbor’s house (dining room). The plaster keeps dust, noise, and drafts out of your living space.
I also used reproduction push-button switches in the public areas of my house. Original (1919) push-button and old rocker switches were in place when I bought the house but I replaced all the switches on the electrician’s advice and because they wouldn’t guarantee the functioning of any old parts. The repro switches work much better than the originals, some of which you had to really push fairly hard, perhaps because they were old and heavily used. I’m really happy with the new ones and the brass switch plate covers I used.
No idea why people get into such a state over exposed brick. Depending on your style and what you like, I think exposed brick can look wonderful. I love old houses and all their detail but if there were a room where i thought exposed brick worked, I am not emotionally so attached to plaster that I would say no. I wouldn’t remove plaster wals with detail- but plain plaster. It depends. I find old brick to be beautiful and warm.
I love my push button switches. Nothing to do with restoration – I just prefer how they look. What is wrong with that?
Here’s a theory on why you see so much exposed brick in brownstone apartments (garden-level apartments, anyway). These houses’ kitchens were usually in the basement or garden level at the rear. The fireplace or hearth was built to accommodate a cast-iron stove. The fireplace and the surrounding wall were brick, presumably for fire-proofing. (Take a look at the Merchant’s House kitchen here: http://www.212panos.com/MerchantsHouse/Kitchen.html.) When we moved into our 1888 house, the stove wall had been covered with ersatz paneling and, under the paneling, a crumbling coat of plaster. We restored the brick (many of our neighbors had the brick intact). Ultimately, we decided we didn’t like the look either, and installed wallboard, but the brick (and, in this situation at least, it is an “original detailâ€) in still behind the wall.
I think butlerspanties should go over to the OT. Someone’s looking for riff raff over there.
I’d like to make a snarky comment about exposing your own brick, but common sense prevails ;).
cmu…I have an admission to make. On the garden level, i have a small stretch of exposed brick in the hallway leading to the yard. God knows I didn’t expose it. It was done by the previous owner.
There, I’ve admitted to it and gotten it off my chest.
DIBS: thanks! would love to see your house, and I’m sure I’ll envy it!
OP: to some extent, the exposed brick thing is because it’s easier than complete re-do, and (I suspect it started in the West) it was considered desirable. While not yet at the yellow-shag-carpet stage, it’s somewhat passe I guess. I love it when it’s done well; it’s not in my place and I wish I had the money to redo it.