REDUCTIONISM + AUTHENTICITY

We solved the problem of crumbling plaster (which would have exceeded the budget to repair) by removing the lath and plaster and exposing the structure both on the ceiling and the load-bearing interior wall. We love how the exposed brick wall and concrete ceiling display the construction methods of the early 1900’s.

The concrete ceiling was then painted out white to further highlight the imprint of the wood formwork that spanned the width of each unit.

Because sand-blasting can damage the face of softer bricks, we chose to use soda-blasting for a less invasive (and more cost-effective) method.
The process is still pain-staking — the homeowner first had to manually chip the plaster off the surface in preparation for soda-blasting.