20+ Genius Exposed Brick Decorating Ideas Worth Stealing

By GiuliaStreet Style EditorHome & Rooms·Sep 5, 2026·18 ideas·10 min read·Editorial standards

Fall makes everyone suddenly obsessed with warm, textured rooms. Exposed brick is usually the first thing people reach for.

The mistake most folks make is leaving it totally bare and calling it done. A wall like that deserves a little more thought than that, lol!

Exposed brick is one of those features that can look incredible or fall completely flat depending on what you do around it. Too much clutter and it disappears.

Too little and the room feels unfinished.

For this list, I scrolled through hundreds of pins looking for rooms that actually felt livable, not just staged for a photo. I kept only the ones that are doable in a everyday home, don’t require a contractor and still look genuinely so pretty.

Below you’ll find 18 ways to work with brick walls in every room of the house. Bedrooms, kitchens, home offices, even the bathroom get a mention, believe it or not!

Some of these lean rustic, some go moody and dark, some are bright and whitewashed. There’s truly something here no matter what your style leans toward.

Grab a coffee and start scrolling. You’ll probably want to repaint something by the time you finish, haha!

EXPOSED BRICK DECORATING IDEAS

Cozy Reading Nook Corner

A brick corner practically begs for a reading chair. The rough texture behind a soft armchair creates that contrast people love without doing anything fancy.

Toss in a floor lamp and a small side table for your mug. these like this one work best when you keep the rest of the corner simple, lol!

Gallery Wall Art Display

Frames against brick look completely different than frames against drywall. The texture behind them does half the styling work for you.

Mix black frames with a couple of wood ones so it doesn’t feel matchy. Skip the perfectly even grid, honestly.

A slightly uneven gallery wall reads more collected over time.

Rustic Living Room Shelving

Rustic shelving mounted right into brick gives a living room instant character. It’s the kind of setup that looks intentional even when it’s holding random paperbacks and candles.

Iron brackets tend to hold up best against the uneven surface. Wood shelves with a darker stain match the brick tones without disappearing into them.

Floating Wood Shelves Display

Floating shelves against brick create that clean, almost gallery-like display without covering up the wall itself. Plants, books and a few framed photos look great stacked in threes.

Leave gaps between items. A shelf that’s too packed loses the whole point of the brick showing through.

Statement Fireplace Mantel Design

A fireplace surrounded by exposed brick is basically the whole reason some people buy older houses. It doesn’t need much dressing up, just a mantel with a couple of candles and maybe a mirror leaned against the brick above it.

Skip the symmetrical arrangement. An asymmetrical mantel with one tall item and a few short ones feels far less staged.

Bohemian Bedroom Headboard Wall

A brick wall behind the bed reads bohemian almost instantly, especially with a macrame hanging or a woven tapestry pinned above the headboard.

Layer in mismatched pillows and a chunky throw. The rough texture and soft fabrics play off each other in the best way.

Honestly, this is the one I’d copy first if my bedroom had a brick wall.

Vintage Mirror Accent Wall

A vintage mirror on brick catches light in a way that flat walls just can’t match. Even a small entryway feels bigger once you add one.

Look for something with an ornate or worn frame. A shiny new mirror can look a little out of place against all that texture.

Hanging Plants Brick Backdrop

Hanging plants against brick create that greenhouse-meets-city-loft feeling everyone seems to want lately. Trailing pothos or a string of pearls works especially well since the vines soften all that hard texture.

Stagger the hanging heights instead of lining everything up. It looks fuller and far less planned.

Modern Farmhouse Dining Nook

A dining nook with a brick backdrop pulls farmhouse and industrial together without trying too hard. A wood table with black metal chairs looks especially sharp against it.

Pendant lighting overhead finishes the look. Something with a black or brass finish tends to match the brick tone better than a bright white fixture.

String Lights Brick Wall

String lights draped across brick turn an ordinary wall into something that feels a little bit magic at night. Warm white bulbs work far better than cool white for this one.

Drape them loosely in a few uneven swags instead of pinning them tight. It looks far more natural that way.

Whitewashed Brick Bedroom Style

Whitewashing brick softens the whole room without hiding the texture completely. You can still see the outline of every brick underneath, just lighter and brighter.

This works especially well in bedrooms that don’t get much natural light. Same room, twice as airy.

Home Office Brick Backdrop

A brick backdrop behind a home office desk looks great on video calls, not going to lie. It gives the whole setup a little more personality than a blank wall ever could.

Keep the desk itself simple. Let the brick do the visual work while everything on top stays tidy.

Painted Brick Accent Wall

Painting brick a bold color is not for everyone, but it can be incredible in the right room. A deep charcoal or even a muted green completely changes the mood.

Test a small patch first before committing the whole wall. Brick soaks up paint differently than drywall and the color can shift once it dries.

Loft Style Staircase Wall

A staircase lined with exposed brick gives a loft that industrial edge people pay a premium for. Add a simple black railing and it looks like it came straight out of a converted warehouse.

Hang a few framed prints along the way up. Skip anything too delicate since stairwells tend to get bumped.

Bathroom Brick Feature Wall

A brick feature wall in the bathroom sounds unusual until you actually see it done well. Paired with a freestanding tub, it looks more spa than industrial.

Make sure the brick is properly sealed first. Bathrooms hold a lot of moisture and untreated brick will not thank you for it.

Brick Wall Bar Nook

A small bar nook against brick makes even a tiny corner feel like a whole destination. Open shelving for glasses plus a narrow counter is really all it takes.

String a couple of pendant lights overhead for that finished look.

Minimalist Brick Wall Styling

Sometimes the wall just needs to be left alone. A minimalist approach with one framed piece or nothing at all lets the brick be the entire statement.

This works especially well in smaller rooms where too much decor starts feeling cluttered fast.

Brick Accent Behind Bed

Last but definitely not least, a brick accent right behind the bed skips the headboard project entirely. No building, no upholstery, just the wall doing all the visual heavy lifting.

Add two simple sconces on either side for reading light. Clean, sturdy and it never goes out of style, honestly.