Over the decades, the hospitality sector has been at the forefront of global interior design trends. However, interior designers working in the hospitality space have always been challenged by the need to select a materials palette that’s warm and welcoming, and also able to meet the client’s brief. The retail segment encompassing stores and showrooms also faces a similar challenge when it comes to interior design.

Online retail has taken the edge off physical retailers, with both segments having to fight for the attention of the same customers. Brick-and-mortar stores can no longer expect patronage from customers through mere merchandise – they also need to create the right shopping experience by designing the perfect fitout. Savvy retailers are now responding with stylish, intimate, trendy interiors that entice customers away from their online shopping carts.

Recent hospitality design trends reveal a preference for natural materials, particularly exposed brick, as an interior feature. The industrial look or the warehouse vibe is very popular in cafes, bars and restaurants, and materials such as exposed brick have the inherent ability to infuse spaces with genuine character that makes its occupants feel more engaged and connected.

The texture of real brick combined with the multitude of options for colour, depth and tonal variation, or simply as a textured backdrop for a painted finish, delivers an authentic design aesthetic like no other.

Brick Facings have been introduced by PGH Bricks & Pavers to address a real need in the design market for a material that can create the exposed brick design aesthetic in an interior project.

A Brick Facing is created by placing the front face of a full brick through a cutter to create a brick tile about 18mm in thickness. Packed and supplied as pre-cut facings, these are then applied to a surface with an adhesive, a process often referred to as ‘lick and stick’.

The PGH Manhattan range featuring an industrial, recycled look and the Morada range with a smooth surface in colour-through Nero and Blanco are always available in stock. However, PGH can offer facings for any of their 350+ bricks, opening up endless design possibilities while providing a match for exterior full brick used in the build, thereby ensuring consistency inside and outside.

Essentially, designers can select any brick from the current PGH range and apply this as a facing for their next project. For seamless design features and walls using Brick Facings, corner options are also available. Installers simply need to prepare the surface, making sure it’s clean and free from dirt or any other foreign material that might inhibit the bonding process. The adhesive must also be suitable for both clay masonry and the substrate. For best results, PGH recommends using a proprietary adhesive and cement mortar or grout.

“Brick Facings have been launched in response to constant requests and intensified demand from interior designers looking to create a genuine brick look and feel in cafes, restaurants and retail environments,” says Jai Sanderson, general manager marketing at PGH Bricks & Pavers for CSR Ltd.

“Creating bespoke hospitality and retail designs using the authenticity and texture of real clay brick, made possible by use of Brick Facings, lends itself to beautiful, rich spaces that exude depth, integrity and a more welcoming atmosphere.”

Brick Facings are part of a range of products such as Corium, Avante and InBrick offered by PGH to allow architects, builders and consumers to enjoy the beauty of brick in places they couldn’t previously. Brick Facings are recommended for creating new interior surface textures or for re-skinning existing surfaces, providing the look of real brick in a lighter format that’s suitable for ‘fixing’ internally to surfaces within cafes, bars and shops.

PGH’s Brick Facings offer the ultimate design solution for new commercial projects as well as tired interiors in need of a makeover. Be it a retail store or a cafe, customers can be assured of the perfect atmosphere and experience to encourage them to stay longer and return time and time again.