Meet Sarah MacNeil, the Canadian interior designer whose TikTok video showing her creative use of Ninth and Vine’s faux brick panels got over 4,000,000 views. The owner and Head of Design at Sarah MacNeil Interiors in Nova Scotia, Sarah used our Hampton Brick for wall paneling in her bedroom as part of her own home improvement project.
Sarah MacNeil Interiors offers a range of interior design services for projects both large and small, including consultation, decoration and design. Her style leans towards modern, mixing in traditional elements to create a warm and cozy feel. Because she sometimes works with clients with limited budgets, she is whole-heartedly committed to the idea that hiring an interior designer can be affordable, especially if clients are willing to do some of the work themselves.
We caught up with Sarah to ask her about her experience with Ninth and Vine’s brick wall panel system. She discovered our faux brick and shiplap wall panels while doing research online and immediately decided to use our products for renovating her home, a smallish loft-style apartment. “I used it myself first,” Sarah explained, “which I try to do with any new product, to get an idea of scope of the work involved and see if it would be suited for my clients.” She was particularly interested in finding out if the faux brick panels were easy enough for the typical DIYer to use.
The project, white faux brick for a wall in her living room and Hampton Brick for the bedroom wall behind her bed, took less than a day. While Sarah has experience using basic tools, she is convinced that even people who are not handy can do it themselves. “It was a fun learning project,” she told us. “I would definitely use it again.” She chose the nail-on rather than the stick-on option, but recommended the stick-on bricks for clients who don’t own many tools, such as a nail gun.
Sarah was particularly impressed by the benefits of the faux brick wall paneling: easy installation, a beautiful seamless finish, long-lasting, no extra work such as sanding and painting after install, and, most of all, its aesthetic, which added a warm and natural feel to both her living room and bedroom. “I find that wall paneling with any kind of detailed work in a home creates a more completed look,” Sarah said. “It offers visual texture, which can really enhance a space. And it can be used to add character to a variety of homes, from traditional to modern.” She is thrilled that the Hampton Brick looks incredibly realistic, saying, “It actually feels like brick, with a fine, mortar-like texture.” In addition, it is made of solid MDF wood, is lightweight, and costs less than real brick.
As for the now-famous TikTok video, it demonstrates exactly what Sarah hoped to accomplish when she used our Hampton faux brick wall panels in her bedroom. Behind one of the nightstands is a door that opens into a storage space under the eaves of the house. She wanted its contents to be accessible but the door to be concealed. Her plan worked. The video films her opening the door, then closing it, showing an unwanted eyesore that seamlessly disappears into a brick wall, as if by magic.