Zoning

Articulating subtle or marked distinctions between outdoor zones can create visual interest and help define the experience of moving through a garden, the divided spaces creating enclaves for entertaining, gardening or foliage features.

When it comes to planting, a mix of clipped forms among wilder, fecund foliage creates a fantastic sense of contrast, and the same can be achieved with a shift in ground cover. Whether laid with gravel, timber decking, paving (in a beautiful Bowral Hamlet paver) or irregular pavers interspersed with moss or dichondra, the choice of surface material can define an outdoor living ‘room’ as distinct from other zones, while a mix of hard and soft elements imbues a layered, textural quality within the garden.

A retaining wall is a sure way to create design intrigue in your outdoor space, offering dimension and depth, delineating the entertaining zone with a space for gardening.

Statement Pots

Our love affair with the Fiddle Leaf Fig is certainly not going away, so a statement pot is still an essential purchase no matter the size of your outdoor area. Cluster three or four pots of varied scale – one should be especially oversized in order to anchor the space – with a mix of complementary textures such as aged terracotta, marble, terrazzo, painted brass, rusted metal or concrete in a Turkish-style whitewash or an eroded, rough-hewn finish. Just as interiors today are defined by a spirit of eclecticism, contrasting traditional urns or terracotta pots with more contemporary shapes can create a stylish juxtaposition outdoors, too. Mixing Mediterranean olive trees, banksia, cumquats or lemon trees (under planted with succulents) alongside low pots of topiarised buxus, edible herbs and other parterre elements can affect an appealingly discordant look.

Nostalgic Styling

The 1970s has been a juggernaut fashion trend for the past few years, so it’s little surprise we’re getting nostalgic when it comes to designing our outdoor spaces. Feature walls in besser brick masonry softened with bougainvillea or jasmine are a striking backdrop for the new school of outdoor umbrellas, dining settings and even drinks trolleys, which all hark back to the halcyon days of endless summer barbecues. Outdoor design classics, such as breeze blocks offer an element of nostalgia. Adam Goodrum’s Kite Breeze Block is a guaranteed way to elevate your outdoor space whilst paying homage to Australia’s architectural vernacular.

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Trend 2: Curved Walls

Instantly creating softness, curves play a role in the biophilic design trend that seeks to incorporate nature into our built environment. Curves are aesthetically appealing within architecture, influencing our emotions and how we feel. Appropriate for all forms of architectural and interior styles, curves create a bespoke piece of architecture that can be customised to embrace its beauty. Fluid design creates a point of interest to a landscapes aesthetic with curves often designed to soften the impact of a building, helping it meld into the surrounding landscape.

Trend 3: Courtyards

Inner-city living has led our gardens to slowly shrink with courtyards, patio balconies and front yards utilised as an opportunity to maximise the outdoor space available to you. Even the smallest of outdoor spaces can be transformed into a beautiful oasis. You can create a tranquil garden to escape to by utilising vertical space with GB Masonry Wedge Breeze Blocks to add a sense of natural light and air flow into the area. Garden pebbles and crazy pavers are not only low maintenance, but bring texture and contrast to the area. Inserting spaces between pavers allows grass to grow, softening its surrounds with lush greens.

Trend 4: Pathways

Incorporating pavers and bricks into your landscape design creates an unexpected visual appeal that adds texture, warmth and impact to a space. Slimline brick paving can give an outdoor space not only added interest, but a unique perspective. Garden pathways are functional elements and can certainly be more than just a bland concrete slab connecting to your home. Garden pathways are not only a great way to make a statement, but they essentially keep your feet out of the mud, and the grass undamaged.

Trend 5: Pavers

Pavers are a great surface for any outdoor area. Australian backyards need to be able to withstand extreme climates, and pavers are the perfect means to create a space that withstands the weather and requires little to no maintenance. This is particularly important when landscaping a pool area, as the pavers need to be able to withstand exposure to salt, chlorine and other chemicals. For a super durable and non-slip paver I would suggest using a Keope porcelain tile, which are extremely high-performance whilst creating an incredible visual impact in landscaping applications.

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Organic curves are reinventing traditional building practices synonymous with clean lines, instead showcasing the softer, more organic shape of curves.This ambitious style of architecture has challenged traditional building methods, and led to a reinvigoration of building materials that facilitate more movement and creativity.

The Bowral Bricks Special Shapes range offers exciting new possibilities for architectural excellence through design, detail and form, adding distinctive architectural features to any project. Unusual and stylish, they evoke a bygone era of artisan bricklayers constructing heritage marvels.In this article, we’ll showcase three of our favourite projects that swapped angles for arches, and clean lines for curves, pioneering a whole new wave of architectural masterpieces.

Tiger Prawn by WOWOWA

If you were to imagine a building that resembled a tiger prawn, what would you envisage? For Melbourne architects WOWOWA, this was the inspiration for a quirky suburban home in Victoria’s Fitzroy North.Taking notes from the grey colour of seafood, WOWOWA developed an under-the-sea theme with a castle-like scalloped brick façade that rolls around the corner and peels away to create an interesting side angle.

‘Victorian terraces are really stripy horizontally and we wanted to create a similar ornamentation, but with a vertical perspective,’ says Monique Woodward, co-director of WOWOWA. ‘The clients love grey, and raw tiger prawns are grey and green, so that became the colour theme for the outside.’The use of brick was integral to achieving the unique zig-zag pattern on the rear façade, while their weightiness ensures cohesion with the heritage façade at the front of the home. This playful home showcases how, with smart design and creativity, the humble brick can be transformed into the extraordinary.

From West-End Glebe to Tiger Prawn

The best of the best: Curved brick designs

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West-End Glebe by Turner Studio

Connecting the past and the present, West-End Glebe is a premium residential development that uses intricate brickwork to reference the site’s history as a brickmaking factory. Designed by Turner Studio, the eight-story Foundry and seven-story Arthouse were designed using brickwork, arches, metalwork and corbelling inspired by both the warehouses of neighbouring Ultimo and the terrace houses in Glebe.

Stephen Cox, Director at Turner Studio says, ‘The building doesn’t seek to replicate the past but rather works with the character of the local architecture to make something new.’Bricks played an important role in the project, where Bowral Bricks in Simmental Silver were used to create a light façade, while the dry-pressed brick were used for detailing. The classic brickwork with the impressive warehouse-inspired asymmetric arches is common to both buildings, paying homage to the site’s brickmaking past.

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UTS Dr Chau Chak Wing Building by Frank Gehry

The Dr Chau Chak Wing building for the Business School of the University of Technology Sydney is the first building world-renowned architect Frank Gehry created on Australian soil. After a design process expanding over ten years, Frank Gehry’s masterpiece finally came to life.This incredible building was created from 320,000 custom-made Bowral Bricks, which were designed to complement the complex textured design of the building’s unique façade, which is inspired by the structure of a tree house.

Described by the architect as ‘a growing learning organism with many branches of thought, some robust and some ephemeral and delicate,’ the building is unlike any building you’ve seen before. Lovingly referred to by many as ‘the paper bag building’, the building’s curvy structure bends and curves so intricately, it’s hard to believe it was built with brick.

This unique design features two aesthetically distinct external facades; one of which is comprised of undulating brick, referencing the sandstone and the dignity of Sydney’s urban brick heritage, and the other which is characterised by the large, angular sheets of glass that mirror the image of surrounding buildings. The innovative building demonstrates how brick can be used in an unconventional way to create a façade that appears to have a lot of movement, changing common perceptions of the humble brick.

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Locura Bar by Pattern Studio

Designed by Pattern Studio, Locura Bar is a minimalist bar and casual diner in Byron Bay that is operated by the Three Blue Ducks. Inspired by Mexico City’s small late-night venues, geometric pattern-play and expressive use of light, this eatery celebrates the ‘raw beauty’ of Mexico in a sophisticated and understated way.Veering away from ‘simplistic or culturally appropriated’ imagery typically associated with South American Cuisine, Pattern Studio instead chose to ‘discreetly reference the humble character’ of Mexico, which they have articulated through monochromatic grey tones and raw textures. Using Austral Masonry’s GB Smooth Bricks in Nickel, Pattern Studio created a statement island bar topped with a concrete counter, perfectly encapsulating the imperfect, handcrafted appeal of Mexican architecture.

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Alphonsus Pizzeria, The Glen Hotel, by Blueprint Architects

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Antica Pizzeria e Cucina by Genesin Studio

Antica Pizzeria e Cucina by Genesin Studio

In Adelaide’s Antica Pizzeria e Cucina, Genesin Studio employed brick and dark steel to create a moody interior that perfectly evokes the shady, cloistered laneways of Napoli’s ancient centre. Brick is undoubtedly the hero of this restaurant, with brickwork repeated on the walls, bar and floors to create a dynamic and inviting atmosphere.The restaurant is comprised of over 50,000 hand cut bricks that were laid in 8 different ways- stack bond, brick bond, bolstered, facia tiled, fluted, end cut, side cut and vaulted, which creates a brick-on-brick narrative that unfolds as you make your way through the restaurant. Bowral Bricks Bowral 50 in Simmental Silver were used to create a calming grey palette, offset by blackened steel used for the windows, façade and bar surrounds.

Alphonsus Pizzeria, The Glen Hotel by Blueprint Architects

Alphonsus Pizzeria is an award-winning restaurant at The Glen Hotel in Brisbane that perfectly replicates the beauty of an Italian summer. Designed by Blueprint Architects, the Italian restaurant is known for its quaint courtyard setting comprised of a reclaimed brick bar, cobblestone flooring and overhanging vines that cast a whimsical spell on the restaurant.The indoor/outdoor setting allows visitors to enjoy a cocktail under the sun, or a romantic candlelit dinner inside. The San Selmo Reclaimed bricks used for the distinctive bar embodies the rustic, charming vibe of Italy, creating an authentic Italian experience for guests.

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Omnia Bistro by EAT Architects

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Omnia Bistro by EAT Architects

Omnia Bistro by EAT Architects

Omnia Bistro is an elegant all-day European bar and eatery in the heart of South Yarra, Melbourne. The restaurant offers various rooms suitable for different moods and occasions, including a front room with floor to ceiling windows overlooking Chapel Street, and a central bar area filled with velvet blue bar stools, chateau-style hanging amps, round wooden tables and a bespoke mural by Bromley & Co.

The back of the restaurant offers leather banquettes with views of the kitchen, as well as counter dining for a more immersive experience. Whilst each space as its own distinct flare, each room of Omnia takes inspiration from the warmth and earthiness of European aesthetic, and the result, as EAT Architects say themselves, ‘is reminiscent of sipping Aperol Spritz in a Tuscan piazza or cocktails on the Rivera.’ Exposed brick walls made from San Selmo Reclaimed bricks that are manufactured in Italy bring texture to the space, while the variation of neutral and earthy tones add depth of character.

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In a time where online shopping prevails, it is easy to forget how beautiful and immersive the experience of shopping in-store can be. Below, we’ve rounded up some of our favourite retail stores across the globe, which each use brick in innovative and experimental ways to create a truly unforgettable experience for clients. This article is sure to re-ignite your love for the old-school brick-and-mortar store.

Aesop, Hong Kong

Architects: March Studio Architecture| Photographer: Peter Bennetts | Product: Austral Bricks Venetian Glass Arctic Crystal in Polished finish.Australian-born luxury skincare brand Aesop, known for its alignment with prominent architects and designers from around the globe, has opened its latest boutique in Hony Kong’s main business district, Central. Melbourne-based architecture firm March Studio designed the remarkable store, equipped with its original spiral staircase, and the undeniable hero of the space, a Venetian glass brick floor by Austral Bricks. The glass floor forms a series of steps and terraces, referencing Hong Kong’s iconic skyscrapers.

In a time where online shopping prevails, it is easy to forget how beautiful and immersive the experience of shopping in-store can be.

Unforgettable Retail Spaces

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Hermes, Amsterdam

Project: Crystal Houses | Architects: MVRDV, Gietermans & Van Dijk | Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands | Photography: Sacgliola Brakkee PhotographyDubbed the ‘Crystal House’, Dutch architecture studio MVRDV used glass bricks to transform a Hermes boutique in Amsterdam’s high-end hub, PC Hooftstraat. The whole façade is constructed of Arctic Crystal glass bricks sourced from the Venetian glass studio, Poesia, founded in 1986. The result is a ‘dissolving’ façade, where glass and traditional brick meet at the horizontal centre point of the façade. Co-founder of MVRDV Winy Mass, spoke of the potential for glass bricks to introduce variety back into older cities, telling Dezeen: “It enables global brands to combine the overwhelming desire of transparency with a couleur locale, and modernity with heritage”. There has never been a better time to experiment with alternative construction technology, and as ever-increasing urban renewal sees Victorian facades anew, Poesia glass bricks are an elegant complement to the cities of tomorrow.

COS, Brisbane

Architect: Thomson Adsett | Photography: Christopher Frederick Jones | Product: Nubrik Artisan in WolfBeloved Scandi label COS opened their multi-level flagship Queensland store in Brisbane in 2018. Best known for their organic shapes and modern, relaxed styles, COS’s range perfectly reflects the laid-back lifestyle of Queenslanders, and so does the store itself. Designed by Thomson Adsett, the store is characterised by its all-brick façade comprised of Austral Bricks Nubrik Artisan bricks in Wolf, creating an architectural statement with incredible street appeal. Whilst the store is inherently Scandinavian, the space was heavily inspired by Brisbane’s surrounding architecture, evident in the use of clean shapes and thoughtful lines throughout the design. With its contemporary, minimal aesthetic and calming neutral palette, COS Brisbane is a retail space like no other.

Tigerlily, Sydney

Designers: Room on Fire | Photographer: Sean Fennessy | Product: Bowral Bricks Bowral50mm in Chillingham WhiteFor Aussie swimwear and clothing brand Tigerlily’s Sydney Flagship store, Room on Fire architecture took inspiration from Sydney’s coastal landscape and beaches, designing a beachy, bohemian oasis. With a focus on local materials, texture and forms, the store is quintessentially Australian from the inside out. Bowral Bricks in Chillingham White clad the store’s outer façade, creating a bright and summery statement among the shopping centre surrounds. Sections of the outer brick façade are perforated, welcoming sunlight into the space, making the bricks appear to glow. This perforated motif is repeated on internal walls, while rosy-hued bricks are introduced in the store’s central counter.

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Bricks are the ultimate sustainable material, as they are energy efficient, they last forever, require no maintenance, can be reused and recycled, and reduce your homes carbon footprint, leaving you with the peace of mind that your home contributes to a greener world.

Made from organic minerals found in shale and local, naturally abundant sources of clay, brick’s long-lasting life cycle offers ongoing environmental and health benefits. Durable, re-usable, free from contaminants and naturally resistant to pests or fire, brick is safe to live in, making it the ultimate material in responsible and economical home building design.

The Australian Government’s Greenhouse Office defines embodied energy as ‘the energy consumed by all of the processes associated with the production of a building, from the acquisition of natural resources to product delivery’. All building materials require energy for their manufacture, however as proven by studies conducted by CSIRO, in comparison to other popular building materials such as aluminium, engineered timber, steel and glass, bricks are very low on the scale per kg of product.

Unlike less durable materials, the energy embodied in bricks does not need to be continually topped up with repairs, refinishing or even replacement. Regular maintenance and renovation throughout a building’s life contributes to the increased embodied energy of the home, and is also extremely costly and time-consuming. The energy embodied in brick is a one-off investment that pays dividends now, and in the future.‘The most endearing quality of a brick home is its ability to withstand the test of time, even under the harshest environmental conditions’, says Jessica French, Energy and Sustainability Manager for Brickworks Building Products. ‘Forget about painting, sealing or other high cost finishes; brick is weatherproof and requires virtually no maintenance, with impeccable performance that will last a lifetime’.

“Bricks are the ultimate sustainable material, as they are energy efficient, they last forever, require no maintenance, can be reused and recycled, and reduce your homes carbon footprint, leaving you with the peace of mind that your home contributes to a greener world.”

“Bricks are the ultimate sustainable material, as they are energy efficient, they last forever, require no maintenance, can be reused and recycled, and reduce your homes carbon footprint, leaving you with the peace of mind that your home contributes to a greener world.”

Austral Bricks are guaranteed to last for 100 years, so you can have confidence your home will last a lifetime, with no maintenance required. Bricks can be easily reused, with their original properties and structural capacity intact.

The ability to reuse a product lengthens its lifespan and ensures the energy used in its manufacture is spread over a longer time period, thereby taking advantage of its longer life cycle to achieve greater efficiency in energy use. The reuse of building materials such as brick commonly saves about 95% of embodied energy that would otherwise be wasted.

If you want to take that extra step towards sustainability, perhaps consider using Carbon Neutral Bricks.

Austral Bricks (Tasmania) is the first company in Australia to create certified Carbon Neutral Bricks under the government’s Climate Active Standard, and the entire range of bricks manufactured at their Longford factory are carbon neutral – cradle to grave. This certification was achieved by firing the kiln with sawdust (a by-product of the local timber industry), reducing emissions through efficiency improvements and by offsetting the remaining emissions, resulting in a product that has a net zero carbon footprint.

Aside from their incredible durability and ongoing environmental benefits, brick homes also offer excellent thermal performance. The thermal mass of brick has the potential to keep a home cool in summer and warm in winter, creating a comfortable and energy efficient home. As high-density materials, bricks have the ability to effectively absorb and store heat energy and slow down its transfer, saving energy by reducing the amount of artificial heating and cooling required to maintain a comfortable temperature.

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Thermal mass moderates internal temperatures and averages out day and night temperature extremes, creating stable internal air temperature. By combining bricks with insulation and passive solar design, you can significantly reduce your heating and cooling bills.

‘As one of the world’s most sought after and trustworthy sources of sustainable building materials, brick is renown for its strength and secure investment potential. The quality construction, quiet calm and ageless appeal of a solid brick home will protect your family for generations to come,’ says Jessica French. ‘Bricks truly are an investment for life’.

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The industrial chic look has never been more in style. Here is how to add a little urban grit to your life.

Industrial chic – also known as urban industrial and modern industrial – became an interiors trend in the 2000s, but it had its origins decades earlier, when arty New Yorkers started turning the city’s old and abandoned warehouses and factories into living spaces-cum-studios.

Creative but with little money, they worked with what they had: embracing large open spaces with few walls, well-worn timber or concrete floors and industrial remnants such as exposed brick and industrial piping.

Industrial chic evolved when it was adopted in more traditional homes and apartments, with homemakers picking up some of the look’s key elements and adapting them to suit day-to-day family living.

It remains hugely popular today, a sophisticated yet earthy style that suits both traditional and modern spaces.

Here, five key elements to add a little industrial style to your home.

1. Exposed brickwork

Kiln-fired bricks, known for their durability and longevity, have been the foundation of factories ever since factories existed, so it’s little surprise that exposed bricks are one of the cornerstones of the industrial look. Once used primarily as feature walls in living or dining spaces, exposed brick walls are now trending in kitchens and bathrooms. You want a brick with a rustic texture: Austral’s San Selmo Reclaimed represents the traditional, while the Industrial range updates that look while retaining an industrial feel.

2. Timber and metal

Shiny new wood is the antithesis of the raw, unfinished look: timber factory floors would have been subjected to years of wear and tear, and that’s the look you want to re-create in your home. Tables and benchtops made from recycled or reclaimed timber, salvaged wood doors and window frames and even weathered photo frames add authenticity to a space. Metal is the perfect complimentary material to timber: choose more rustic styles and use sparingly for the greatest impact.

3. Flooring

They might be polar opposites in look and feel, but concrete and timber floors underpin industrial style. Your choice is largely dependent on your tastes: concrete gives a cool modernist feel to a space; timber floors are warmer and slightly more inviting. Climate is an issue, too: concrete floors might offer sweet relief if you live in Darwin, but may be too chilly underfoot for Melbournians. Whatever you choose, keep furniture and accessories streamlined and simple.

4. Industrial-style fixtures

Modern homeowners are unlikely to want exposed ducting and pipes in their living spaces à la the original lofts and warehouses of New York. But you can introduce industrial style in more subtle ways ­– like lighting. Almost every light manufacturer and retailer has a wide range of industrial-style fittings, ranging from oversized metallic pendant lights to finer pieces using filament bulbs.

5. Colour palette

There are three key colours associated with the clean lines of the urban industrial look – neutrals, black and grey. These easy-on-the-eye hues form the backdrop to furniture and accessories and are the perfect counterpoint to weathered timber. Once you’ve set the basic scheme, don’t be afraid to add colour and texture. That might be in the form of a kilim rug, scatter cushions or floor lamp, but keep the palette subdued: think tones such as burnt orange, khaki and tan. 

Wondering what the exterior of your home is going to look like?

Our iVisualise program allows you to visualise your new home, as well as customise your very own colour scheme. Try it here.

Follow us on Instagram @brickworksbp for regular updates

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