Your Brick Loft Interview
Welcome to the second edition of our creator series! This series is all about showcasing amazing spaces and the great people who’ve turned them into a home. Being able to gain insight into some of our favorite creators not only has inspired us but we hope it will give you the motivation to create a place that you can call home.
To kick off the second installment of the series, we interviewed James, better known as “Yourbrickloft”. James Has made a home full of color and functionality which truth be told, is a space I’d love to be in!
Who is James?
Meet James! Born and raised in Toronto, James works in the real estate development industry whose interest has no limits. James is passionate about reading, boxing, playing pool (Hence his amazing pool table in the home), live music, and of course the occasional Netflix binge with his girlfriend and their new puppy Kenji. A final newly crafted interest of James’ is that he is now beginning to create his own home decor items such as lamps, with a 3D printer!
Home Decor Design Journey
The journey for James began in his last condo in the pre-construction phase where he states “I was able to choose the finishes to the unit and It lit a fire in me. I realized it was something that really got me excited about design and decor, so I kept exploring and continued to refine my taste”. Finding this new passion meant that James wouldn’t settle for anything that wouldn’t fit his vision, he told us “I moved into my loft less than a year ago after searching for months/years for a place that, for lack of a better phrasing just felt right”.
Of course, the brick accent wall, open space, and natural lighting were key features that sold James on the loft. Lighting seems to be very important as he said “I love how lighting, whether natural or through bulbs, can change the mood of the space and the person. Think about how those fluorescent bulbs make you feel in a corporate office— gross, in my opinion. Natural light and warm colors are the way to create a cozy environment.” To truly accentuate these built-in factors, James incorporated the beauty of plants, so much so that he almost designed his interior around the flora.
James stated, “I’m a green thumb and there’s something beautiful about watching your care and labor yield results. I like to think my plants are mostly thriving as a result of my efforts. It feels fresher indoors too as a result … I knew I wanted a massive bird of paradise as a statement piece, and I already had a bunch of pothos plants that I wanted to put on a shelving unit that I had from my previous apartment.” This being his starting point of the design journey, he has up to 20 total plants in his home!
James is not only passionate about his plants but also about the interior decor. James intensely calculates every piece to make sure it matches his vision. He stated, “I buy lots of pieces after weeks or months of researching, often dupes of popular pieces, sometimes pieces from IKEA, and sometimes pieces from Amazon of all places.” Along with, “I’m not bothered as much by the status of the pieces but rather how it reflects my tastes.”
The months of researching and creative juices are still at work as the vision for his perfect loft isn’t fully complete. James states “A goal of mine is to finish my office and guest bedroom … I want to play around with more accent lighting in particular, and upgrade some artwork around the home. I may even try to paint one myself, as I used to be very interested in art in my youth. We’ll see!”
Every space wouldn’t be completed without the star of the show. Whether that is a favorite lamp, rug, couch, or something that has sentimental value and brings on feelings of nostalgia. James told me “The pool table was a guilty spend, but I love it and it’s an iconic part of my loft. I play weekly at least, and every time my friends are over we play. It’s such a great social touch to the space. If I plan on having a dinner party? No problem, throw the wood slabs on top of it and the table can seat 10 comfortably. It’s my favorite piece, I’d say.” He included “Unfortunately, I lost my father this summer, so there are items that he gave me that I hold particularly dear to me. They aren’t prominently featured, but I know what they are. One of them is a gold bottle opener in the shape of a key, that’s attached to my floor lamp on the ground floor area near the window.”
Content Creator
Designing a home that fits your taste is something I believe everyone strives to do. Sharing the process, updates, and a piece of yourself with it all is something entirely different. Having gone over some of the goals for the loft, It is fitting to hear what aspirations James has for the content creator side of his life. He quotes “I created the page for a few reasons, one was to keep me accountable for improving my space— similar to a personal trainer. Another was to see what other creators did and use their content for inspiration.”
After using other creators as inspiration and seeing their success, I asked James what would his journey look like in a perfect world, he said “A perfect “brick loft” account doesn’t exist— it’s an expression of myself and my curated space and something I’m quite proud of. It continues to grow and now I feel so cozy in the space that I spend so much of my time in. If it takes off— great! If it doesn't, no worries! I decorate and design for myself, my girlfriend, and my puppy and friends. If others enjoy it too, that’s fantastic.”
Advice To You
As always, this blog is a space for all of us to find the inspiration we need to start our very own home decor journeys. Some of us need one more sign to get the ball rolling or for others, it could be a distant dream. Wherever you are in your process, living breathing advice can be that starting point for you. This is the advice James has for all of us “My advice would be to make purchasing decisions on items that you feel pulled in by. And just build from there. Don’t go directly for what’s popular, unless it just so happens to be what speaks to you … Being safe is boring. Take some risks … Make it YOUR home and it’ll feel good.”
Finally, “Design principles, on the other hand, are good things to learn. Check 'em out online or pick up a book at your local store; information has never been more readily available than it is now. Content-created advice— be kind, be consistent, don’t rush anything, and focus on creating an authentic base rather than an f4f strategy.”
Sending a personal thank you to James for being a part of this Journey! Stay tuned for the next creator series entry as we’ll continue to bring you beautiful spaces and amazing people!
