DIY Faux Brick Wall
MY FAVORITE project and my FAVORITE part of the house ! :)
My dining space was a terrible beige and looked so bare, it was upsetting! I decided to convert it into an industrial-style brick walled family room!
I've wanted this since my first rental home in San Francisco. I've researched a million DIY tutorials for this (there are millions! :) ) and read tons of blogs on all different options to construct the wall.
You could get actual stones that can be glued on with industrial grade adhesives or Air stones (which are a fantastic alternative) - cost effective and super easy to glue on yourself. But they do damage the wall, so if you ever want to remove them they'll peel the wall out.I really didn't want to glue anything on my dry wall , so I was looking for something I could screw in or staple on so the wall isn't damaged.
First thing I did was get rid of the stained glass pendant lamp that came with the house! I've been trolling Restoration Hardware for weeks and have been obsessed with their Rope Filament chandelier with the vintage Edison lights - so antique, so fabulous - which costs like $1000 !
Even if I could convince my husband to shell out as much on that gorgeous lamp, my walls aren't as high and the size of the chandelier would overwhelm the space. There are a ton of lovely reasonably priced round and rectangular edison bulb chandeliers by several other sellers like Lamps Plus, World Market, Wayfair, Pottery Barn etc (click on the links to see the options) that have metal holders instead of rope.
I really *LOVE* the hemp rope - so I started looking for 6 bulb industrial chandeliers under 30" diameter in the RHW style. Here's what it looked like BEFORE the wall - still very dull!
Now to the main task: Building the wall!I found after visiting several hardware stores that Home Depot and Lowes carry MDF-based decorative wall panels, for as little as $30 a pop! I was torn between the DPI Stone Canyon panel and the Kingston Brick panel.
DPI Stone Canyon Wall Panel
Kingston Wall Panel
I highly recommend going to the store and checking out the different panels they have. I love the texture built into the panel, so even though its a thin sheet, it feels like real brick!I decided to get the Kingston Brick Wall panel - needed 4 for the size of my family room wall. You'll need to use a handsaw to cut them to your fit your walls.
They're relatively heavy, so you'll need help to get them home as Home Depot doesn't ship these home.
You could purchase liquid nails (as Home Depot suggests), but I decided to have them stapled in.The panels are heavy and you'll need 2 people to hold it straight against the wall. It was a little too heavy for me and my husband to do it ourselves, so I got help from a contractor! 4 hours and $200 later (material + labor) , my wall was up! :)
Sorry about the terrible quality of the pictures :(
Got this lovely Parisian floor lamp from Home Goods - fits right in with the hemp/jute chandelier! :)If you look closely, you can see the seams in between and I really wished Home Depot made panels where the bricks would lock into one another. But theres nothing a little bit of caulking can't fix! I haven't gotten to it yet though!
I also wrapped these hanging pendant lamps by the breakfast nook - they used to be stained glass (totally not my taste). Will do a short DIY tutorial on that soon.
That's my view from the kitchen. Added a ton of wicker baskets, woven throws and white tulips and hydrangeas around the house in keeping with the cozy chic decor.
Another lucky find - I scored these chic industrial bar stools at Home Goods - Love how they look under my breakfast nook!
Mirror obsessed me, this is the family room reflected off the floor standing mirror in my living room. More wicker baskets and throws and lanterns and such...
My husband and the pups in the family room, reflected off the living room mirror!
