A client in Panchkula once told us he wanted “that raw brick look” behind his TV unit. Then he asked how often it would need painting. When we told him never, he went quiet for a second and said, “So why is everyone still plastering?”
Fair question. Plaster and paint became the default in Indian construction somewhere around the 1980s, and most people never questioned it. But exposed brick wall design has come back hard — in villas, in cafes, in small builder floors, in farmhouses outside Zirakpur and Kharar. And the reason is simple. A good clay brick already looks finished. Covering it costs money and hides the best material in the wall.
Mahaluxmi Bricks has been firing clay bricks and tiles since 1982, and we supply exposed brick for projects from Chandigarh to Chennai. Here are fifteen ideas that actually work in Indian homes, along with what to check before you commit to one.
What is an exposed brick wall?
An exposed brick wall is a wall where the brickwork is left visible instead of being covered with plaster and paint. The bricks are laid with neat, even joints and finished with a clear sealer if needed. Because the colour is fired into the clay, an exposed brickwork surface keeps its look for decades without repainting.
That last part is the whole argument. Paint fades in three to four monsoons. Fired clay does not.
15 exposed brick wall design ideas for Indian homes
1. TV wall in the living room
The most requested one, and the easiest to get right. A single exposed brick wall for living room behind the television breaks the flatness of painted walls and hides cable clutter in the joints. Use a smooth wirecut brick in a deep red or brown, keep the joints thin, and let the wall run floor to ceiling instead of stopping at the unit.
2. Full-height entrance facade
The wall people see before they see your house. An exposed brick elevation on the porch side gives a plot personality without any cladding stone or ACP. On 30×40 and 40×60 plots, running brick across just the projected portion works better than covering everything.
3. Staircase wall
Stairwells are usually the dullest part of a house. Brick fixes that in one shot, and because the light changes as you climb, the texture reads differently on every landing. Pair it with a black MS railing.
4. Brick and white combination
One brick wall, three white walls. Sounds too simple. It is also the safest formula in interior design, and it stops a small room from feeling heavy. Rooms under 120 sq ft should never get more than one brick surface.
5. Kitchen backsplash in brick
A backsplash in glazed or sealed brick behind the counter looks better than tile and ages better too. Seal it properly — oil is the enemy here, not water — and stick to a lighter shade so stains show up before they set in.
6. Bedroom headboard wall
Instead of a laminate panel behind the bed, run brick up to about seven feet. Warm shade, soft lighting from above, and the wall does the work a headboard used to. Very popular in farmhouse bedrooms.
7. Balcony and sit-out walls
Balconies take the worst of the sun and rain, which is exactly why exposed brick suits them. No peeling paint after the first monsoon. Add a jali panel on one side and the balcony becomes usable in the afternoon too — our guide on special shape bricks covers the coping profiles that finish a parapet cleanly.
8. Boundary wall in exposed brick
Solid at the base, brick face throughout, no plaster anywhere. Over ten years the savings on repainting a long boundary wall are real. Use a low water absorption brick because the base of a boundary wall sees splashing rain and rising damp.
9. Arched brick niches
Small arched recesses inside a brick wall, lit from within. Very Indian, very old, and back in fashion. Works beautifully in a pooja room, an entry lobby, or beside a dining table. Needs a mason who has done arch work before.
10. Herringbone or basketweave feature panel
Not a whole wall — one panel. Bricks laid diagonally in a V or a woven square pattern, framed by ordinary stretcher bond around it. It is more labour, so keep it to about 30 to 40 sq ft where people will actually stand close to it.
11. Exposed brick with wood
Brick and teak, brick and rubberwood, brick and plywood veneer. The warmth of clay sits with wood better than it sits with marble. Dining rooms and study corners are the obvious place.
12. Brick cladding on an existing plastered wall
For renovations, you do not need to break the wall. Brick cladding tiles are thin brick slips fixed to the existing plaster with adhesive, giving the same look at about 20 to 25 mm thickness. This is the practical answer in flats and apartments where you cannot add wall load.
13. Half-wall brick with plaster above
Brick up to four feet, plaster and paint above. It keeps the room bright, protects the lower wall from scuffs and mopping, and costs less than a full brick wall. Underrated in passages and children rooms.
14. Textured or tumbled brick for a rustic look
Hand moulded and tumbled bricks have uneven edges and slight colour variation, which is the point. Farmhouses, resorts and heritage style homes use them because a perfectly uniform wall looks too new. If you want the old haveli feel, this is the brick.
15. Painted white or limewashed brick
And here is the exception to everything said earlier. A limewashed brick wall keeps the texture but drops the red, which suits Mediterranean and coastal style interiors. Use limewash, not plastic emulsion — the wall still needs to breathe.
Which bricks are best for an exposed wall?
Not every brick can be left exposed. Ordinary field bricks vary in size and shade, and in an exposed wall every variation shows.
Wirecut bricks are the usual choice — machine extruded, sharp edges, consistent size, smooth or lightly textured face. For a softer, older look, hand moulded bricks work better. Whichever you pick, check compressive strength above 7.5 N/mm2, water absorption under 15 percent, and shora-free clay, because efflorescence on a plastered wall hides under paint but on an exposed wall it is the first thing anyone notices.
Order the full quantity in one batch. Clay shades shift slightly between firings, and a wall built from two batches shows a band across the middle. You can see the full range on our expose wirecut bricks and hand moulded bricks pages.
How do you maintain an exposed brick wall?
Very little, honestly. Dust the surface twice a year and wash exterior walls with plain water and a soft brush. A clear breathable sealer on outdoor walls helps against monsoon seepage, and it needs redoing roughly every five to seven years. Never use acid on a finished wall unless a professional is doing it.
Interior walls need even less. A dry cloth handles most of it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is an exposed brick wall costlier than plaster and paint?
The brick itself costs more and the masonry takes longer because every joint has to be neat. But you save the entire plastering, putty and painting cycle, and you never repaint. Over ten to fifteen years an exposed wall usually works out cheaper.
Do exposed brick walls get damp in the monsoon?
Only if the wrong brick is used. Bricks with water absorption under 15 percent, well filled mortar joints and a breathable sealer on outer walls keep moisture out. Damp problems in exposed brickwork almost always come from open joints, not the brick.
Can I do an exposed brick wall in a flat or apartment?
Yes, with brick cladding tiles instead of full bricks. They are around 20 to 25 mm thick, fix onto the existing plaster with tile adhesive, and add almost no load to the slab. Same look, no structural change.
Which brick colour looks best indoors?
Deep red and terracotta suit warm, wood heavy interiors. Brown and charcoal shades work in modern minimal rooms. In small rooms go lighter, because a dark brick wall makes the space feel tighter than it is.
Does an exposed brick wall attract insects or dust?
Dust settles in the joints on outdoor walls and washes off easily. Insects are not an issue when the joints are properly filled with mortar. Hollow, unfilled joints are what create gaps, so tell your mason to point the joints fully.
Planning an exposed brick wall for your home?
One wall is usually enough to change how a whole room feels. The only thing that decides whether it looks premium or patchy is the brick, so start there and not with the mason.
Mahaluxmi Bricks is an ISO 9001 certified bricks manufacturer in India with over 40 years in clay products, supplying wirecut bricks, hand moulded bricks, cladding tiles, jalis and special shapes to architects and builders across the country. Send us your drawing or a reference photo, and our team will suggest the right brick, shade and quantity for your exposed brick wall design.
Mahaluxmi Bricks Moulding & Fabricating Industries Pvt. Ltd.
NH-7, Vill. Mouli, Panchkula-Shahabad Highway, Distt. Panchkula 134118
Phone: +91 01762 281494 | Email: mahaluxmibricks@gmail.com
