Hello! I have a question on how to seal a "bare" brick wall so that it doesn't "leak" unpleasant odors from there.
Background and more information:
We live in an apartment in an old building from the late 1800s. Along one wall in our bedroom, the previous owner has built custom closets, and we've noticed a strange smell inside them. It's like a smoky or old attic smell. We've searched and searched for the source of the smell and are now quite sure it comes from behind the closet framework located in the corner of the room. As seen in the picture, there's no surface on the brick in an area about 60 cm high and 100 cm wide. (We have opened the backs of the other closets, and behind these, the wall is a normal room wall = no smell.) It's worth mentioning that in the corner, where we believe the smell originates, there used to be a tile stove (likely removed decades ago), which might explain why it's not a normal wall in that spot.
Extra info: The building's ventilation system is natural draft. The smell is most noticeable when the windows are closed and becomes much weaker when the window is open (I assume it has to do with under/overpressure).
I hope someone can offer some tips! We are starting to get slightly desperate about solutions because the smell is sometimes quite noticeable and unpleasant.
