Decorative clinker brick offers an extraordinary variety of colors, decorative effects, textures and shapes. It makes it possible to implement the most original ideas both in interiors and exteriors – from façades through fencing to landscape architecture.
Decorative clinker brick – Which one should I choose? Firstly, the offer
Knowing your options is the first step to make the right decision regarding design. And there are so many to choose from! You can immediately tell that the variety of colors is huge. Decorative clinker brick can obviously come in the warm shades so characteristic for clay, ranging from yellow to orange colors and a wide variety of red to various brown colors. The palette of delicate beiges, which are back in fashion, is also wide. However, it’s easy to find white, many shades of the beloved gray, anthracite and black colors.
The color does not have to be uniform. Here are examples of products with variable tone saturation:
Deeper shading is peculiar to:
The greatest diversity of shades, both on the face of a single item and within a batch, is offered by hand-formed bricks (with HF marking). Here we can find deep colors resembling an old brickwork color – including red transitioning to beige, gray, brown or black. In the case of HF bricks, these qualities go hand in hand with naturally irregular shapes and a raw, rough, sometimes textured face:
On the other hand, Patoka brick, described as clinker work for the connoisseur, combines smooth faces with various aging effects – from shading through intentionally uneven edges to unique texture effects resembling etching, glazing, melts or even slags:
Decorative clinker brick – Which one should I choose? Secondly: The arrangement style
Due to the variety of options available, decorative clinker brick can be used to create arrangements in a wide range of styles, from a modern loft to an old tenement house, and from a modernist villa to a rustic dwelling.
General rules are simple. Grey, as well as white, black and skillfully used red are associated with industrial style. A modern arrangement will incorporate the same colors, as well as a fashionable mustard yellow shade. Terracotta red, beige and brown colors will be a great combination for the rustic style. Retro style requires brick similar the ones recovered from under the plaster in old tenement houses – with irregular spots of red, gray, brown and black marks.
But the more regular shapes, smooth face, sharp edges – the more modern or elegant character of the arrangement is. As a consequence, the same red shade of hand-formed brick will look much more retro than when it is achieved by perfectly rectangular machinery made brick. The joint also plays a vital role. The more expressive it is, the stronger it contrasts with the brick – the fresher, more modern the effect will be. On the other hand, the more discreet, the stronger the association with the old brickwork will be.
Decorative clinker brick – Which one should I choose? Finally: The context
When the brick layout pattern is an element of the whole project of the house or apartment, the architect is responsible for the coherence of the composition. However, if decorative clinker brick is to be incorporated into an existing space, the elements with which the new wall will visually blend should be carefully considered.
The most important element is space. For example, in the case of a small living room it is worth to use a light color (white, silvery gray, beige) or at least not very intensive one (if red, then bleached or combined in brick face with beige or gray). Only in the case of a small fragment of the wall with a brick layout pattern, you can try to use a stronger color without the risk that even the most impressive brickwork will dominate the interior. This is important because clinker brick (with a lifespan of hundreds of years) will certainly not fade with time. More expressive colors are much better for exteriors, however, clinker brick with a shaded or otherwise differentiated face is best for large areas (e.g. a whole façade) – it looks light and appealing.
The other elements of the arrangement have to be taken into account as well. We have already mentioned the example of gray regular brick, which will easily create an industrial atmosphere in the apartment. However, if the interior is dominated by architectural concrete, it will be a better idea to resort to e.g. red hand-formed brick or clinker brick from Patoka. It will allow to break the rawness and coldness of concrete with the warmth of ceramic material. Similarly, rustic design can gain a fresher look thanks to white, gray or mustard yellow bricks, which are perceived as very modern. Therefore, it’s not worth blindly following the convention rules. A better solution is to take advantage of the richness of decorative clinker brick to create a unique visual effect in your house or apartment.
