Looking for a showstopper for your living space? Take inspiration from The Block: Tree Change and create a spectacular fireplace, using PGH Bricks’ range of stone or bricks.
Whether you choose a timber, gas or electric fire, PGH Bricks can be the secret ingredient in your interiors. Bricks or stone add an extra element of cosiness to a room because of their natural appearance and tactile qualities. Resistant to fire and heat, bricks are the perfect accompaniment to a country-style living space, or even a mid-century inspired lounge room.
Be inspired by the teams from The Block and choose your own fireplace adventure…
Brick flooring for a sense of place
Tom and Sarah-Jane were inventive with their choice of the beautiful tones found in PGH Brick’s Chelsea brick facings, from the Manhattan range.
They chose a freestanding fireplace, but protected the floor underneath with a hearth of beautiful brick flooring. Chelsea has subtle tonal variations in the brick, which creates a rustic, almost recycled aesthetic while the brick helps to contain the heat and add warmth to the room, both literally and stylistically.
The textural element
The winners of living/dining week, Rachel and Ryan, chose stone cladding for their spectacular floor-to-ceiling fireplace. The couple’s builder, Matt Menichelli of Elevate Building Group, said that they wanted a feature piece for the room to create a warm, cosy, lodge feel. Facing a tight deadline, the stonemasons worked all night to complete the fireplace in time. He says the fireplace catches the eye of everyone who sees the room.
“Everybody that walks through walks up to it and actually touches it,” Matt says. “So, it's not only an aesthetic feature, but it's also a tactile feature. It draws people into the room and just promotes that cosiness, that warmth.”
Mixing it up
Ankur and Sharon also chose to utilise stone cladding from PGH Bricks & Pavers for their scene-stealing fireplace. The stone gives their fireplace a more rustic feel, allowing it to take centre stage in their generously sized living and dining area. The couple encountered a lot of drama in meeting the super-tight deadline, battling their builders to ensure that the fireplace went from floor to ceiling for maximum effect, but eventually got their mid-century-style-meets-hunting-lodge stone chimney, even if the grouting was still to follow.
A touch of neutrality
Dylan and Jenny went for a mixture of contemporary and country in their living room, choosing a muted, almost all-white colour palette and installing the East Hampton brick facings from PGH Bricks’ Manhattan range for their living room fireplace. One of the most popular brick collections at the moment, these bricks were a perfect match for the couple’s neutral colour scheme, adding a textural element that provides depth to more modern styling. Indeed, the East Hampton range is ideal when specified as part of a layered contemporary interior, as the brick adds complexity and subtle colour to modern design schemes.
Industrial chic
Brick fireplaces can also add a rustic warehouse-style feel. On The Block: Tree Change, best friends Omar and Oz chose Manhattan Tribeca brick facings for their fireplace in their huge living room. Paired with exposed beams and cathedral ceilings, the bricks added a touch of New York loft style to the room, making the fireplace the focal point of the generous open-plan living space. Many of the soft furnishings the boys chose were white, creating a contrast against the rich tones of the bricks, complemented by warmer colours in some of the accessories. The Tribeca bricks come in a carefully selected mix of colours to provide a beautiful blend of reds for a showstopping effect.
Country style
The Block host Scott Cam has featured the Chelsea bricks (again from the Manhattan range) throughout his home on the show – on the living room fireplace and as flooring in his kitchen, mudroom and living room floor. Laid by The Block’s favourite tilers, the Cursio brothers, they created an authentic rural feeling in Scotty’s home, which was the original homestead on the property. Tiler Adrian Cursio said he loved the bricks so much that he was thinking of using them in his own home.
“The Chelsea has quite a big range of different colours,” says Adrian. “And the blend is just magnificent. The way it all works together is just beautiful. It just brings the whole floor to life. It’s got such a character about it. And also, I think having underfloor heating means the brick will actually retain the heat for a long period of time as well. I really like it when the heaters are on.”
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