10 New Design Features to Work Out of Concrete
This once humble material, chiefly used to add strength to buildings, is being reinvented in everything from bath taps to lamp shades
Concrete is an industrial stalwart, but its ascendancy from cheap building material to a cool component for a home’s best architectural features is giving product designers some novel inspiration. Concrete is now being used in homewares and furniture, fixtures and fittings, producing some unexpected concepts. In lighting, lamps and pendants are sporting pale-coloured concrete shades. In kitchens, concrete is being poured to form weathered-looking benchtops, to bring industrial flair to the heart of the home. Even in the sanctuary of the bathroom, baths are being sculpted into stoney cemented shapes so sculptural they look like works of art. And outdoors, furniture, fire pits and crazy paving are all getting the hard-edged treatment.
2. Kitchen counter
Apart from its slick industrial look, a concrete kitchen can also be a seriously practical option for home cooks. Concrete benchtops and work surfaces are hardwearing due to the durable nature of concrete. Some say concrete is prone to cracking, but this rarely occurs when handled by an expert. Even if a concrete surface does develop some fine cracks, the appearance of various small blemishes on a concrete kitchen benchtop looks amazing and, together with the beautiful patina that occurs over time, the surface begins to have the appearance of being well-worked.
Another benefit of concrete in the kitchen is that because the concrete is moulded into formwork, it can have spaces for sinks and other features pre-cut. And although the bench looks a tad monolithic, it is in fact just a shell that has plenty of room underneath for drawers and cabinet storage.
Apart from its slick industrial look, a concrete kitchen can also be a seriously practical option for home cooks. Concrete benchtops and work surfaces are hardwearing due to the durable nature of concrete. Some say concrete is prone to cracking, but this rarely occurs when handled by an expert. Even if a concrete surface does develop some fine cracks, the appearance of various small blemishes on a concrete kitchen benchtop looks amazing and, together with the beautiful patina that occurs over time, the surface begins to have the appearance of being well-worked.
Another benefit of concrete in the kitchen is that because the concrete is moulded into formwork, it can have spaces for sinks and other features pre-cut. And although the bench looks a tad monolithic, it is in fact just a shell that has plenty of room underneath for drawers and cabinet storage.
3. Tapware
Tapping into the current trend to incorporate unconventional uses of concrete in interior design applications, designers continue to offer up novel ideas, such as these taps and spouts for the bathroom.
DID YOU KNOW? Concrete has been used in the construction of many of the masterpieces of modern architecture. The malleability of the material allowed architects to create the most amazing structures. Some notable landmarks include Le Corbusier’s Notre Dame du Haut, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, Oscar Niemeyer’s Brasilia and Tadao Ando’s Church of the Light.
Tapping into the current trend to incorporate unconventional uses of concrete in interior design applications, designers continue to offer up novel ideas, such as these taps and spouts for the bathroom.
DID YOU KNOW? Concrete has been used in the construction of many of the masterpieces of modern architecture. The malleability of the material allowed architects to create the most amazing structures. Some notable landmarks include Le Corbusier’s Notre Dame du Haut, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, Oscar Niemeyer’s Brasilia and Tadao Ando’s Church of the Light.
4. Bespoke bath
Make a sculptural statement with a concrete bath moulded into the shape of your choice. Shade the wet concrete darker or tint it lighter to create a more unusual look. To finish, the bath should be highly polished inside and out to keep it watertight.
DID YOU KNOW? The Romans used concrete very successfully to build all manner of large public works, including the Pantheon in Rome, as well as in aqueducts, bridges, wharves and breakwaters. The concrete the ancient Romans used was quite different to the mix we use today. Their’s was more like cemented rubble!
Make a sculptural statement with a concrete bath moulded into the shape of your choice. Shade the wet concrete darker or tint it lighter to create a more unusual look. To finish, the bath should be highly polished inside and out to keep it watertight.
DID YOU KNOW? The Romans used concrete very successfully to build all manner of large public works, including the Pantheon in Rome, as well as in aqueducts, bridges, wharves and breakwaters. The concrete the ancient Romans used was quite different to the mix we use today. Their’s was more like cemented rubble!
The beauty of concrete in the bathroom is that it nearly always evokes a minimalist feel and looks serene and inviting. It can be paired with either industrial or timber features to add interest and warmth.
5. Bedside lamps
It may not be the first material you’d associate with modern lighting but concrete lamps and pendants are leading the trend in concrete homewares, fixtures and fittings. Concrete lampshades are created via a mould, and then attached to other parts of the light that are fashioned from such complementary materials as wood or plastics. These are used for other ‘working’ parts of the light, such as the housing for the electrical cord or the stand part of a desk or floor lamp.
It may not be the first material you’d associate with modern lighting but concrete lamps and pendants are leading the trend in concrete homewares, fixtures and fittings. Concrete lampshades are created via a mould, and then attached to other parts of the light that are fashioned from such complementary materials as wood or plastics. These are used for other ‘working’ parts of the light, such as the housing for the electrical cord or the stand part of a desk or floor lamp.
6. Dining table
Concrete tables are nothing new, but they are usually found outdoors where they are known to weather well and provide a cheaper alternative to stone. Inside, concrete tables are considered too heavy to be useful, but if they are made using various methods and materials that lighten the load, the table’s weight (and bulk) can be dramatically reduced. A material often used to mix into the concrete for this gentler ‘reinforcement’ is glass fibre, in addition to and sometimes instead of traditional steel rods.
Concrete tables are nothing new, but they are usually found outdoors where they are known to weather well and provide a cheaper alternative to stone. Inside, concrete tables are considered too heavy to be useful, but if they are made using various methods and materials that lighten the load, the table’s weight (and bulk) can be dramatically reduced. A material often used to mix into the concrete for this gentler ‘reinforcement’ is glass fibre, in addition to and sometimes instead of traditional steel rods.
7. Front of house
Using concrete as part of the front entry is an all-in-one, cost-effective way to incorporate various features that would traditionally be separate features. A concrete structure at the front of the home can act as an imposing sentinel flanking the entryway. This can have house numbers, letterboxes, entry lights, even welcoming planter boxes embedded into its form.
DID YOU KNOW? Concrete consists of three ingredients: cement, water and a stone aggregate, all of which are mixed together and left to dry to a rigid solid.
Using concrete as part of the front entry is an all-in-one, cost-effective way to incorporate various features that would traditionally be separate features. A concrete structure at the front of the home can act as an imposing sentinel flanking the entryway. This can have house numbers, letterboxes, entry lights, even welcoming planter boxes embedded into its form.
DID YOU KNOW? Concrete consists of three ingredients: cement, water and a stone aggregate, all of which are mixed together and left to dry to a rigid solid.
8. Crazy paving
The method of laying down irregular stone ‘tiles’ to form a hard surface in the garden was popular mid last century, but fell out of favour as timber decks and concrete slabs were considered a more ordered and attractive look. Now the seemingly haphazard retro style is making a comeback. But although the tiles are traditionally hewn from shale, sandstone or limestone, concrete crazy paving is starting to appear as a cheaper and sometimes more interesting alternative.
The method of laying down irregular stone ‘tiles’ to form a hard surface in the garden was popular mid last century, but fell out of favour as timber decks and concrete slabs were considered a more ordered and attractive look. Now the seemingly haphazard retro style is making a comeback. But although the tiles are traditionally hewn from shale, sandstone or limestone, concrete crazy paving is starting to appear as a cheaper and sometimes more interesting alternative.
9. Outdoor fire pit
You won’t be able to move this fire pit around, but by installing it as a permanent fixture within a thickly walled concrete trough, you can light up a fire every night and know it’s safe.
You won’t be able to move this fire pit around, but by installing it as a permanent fixture within a thickly walled concrete trough, you can light up a fire every night and know it’s safe.
10. Outdoor seating
Forget about storing the outdoor furniture undercover to extend its life and protect it from extreme weathering. These outdoor concrete lounge chairs will stand the test of time no matter what Mother Nature throws at them. Place a brightly-coloured cushion on the seat for extra comfort.
TELL US
Do you love concrete? Have you seen a novel way it’s been used as a design feature at home? Or do you know of a traditional homeware product that’s now made in concrete? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the Comments section.
MORE
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Floor Art: 16 Patterned Floors That Pack a Punch
Forget about storing the outdoor furniture undercover to extend its life and protect it from extreme weathering. These outdoor concrete lounge chairs will stand the test of time no matter what Mother Nature throws at them. Place a brightly-coloured cushion on the seat for extra comfort.
TELL US
Do you love concrete? Have you seen a novel way it’s been used as a design feature at home? Or do you know of a traditional homeware product that’s now made in concrete? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the Comments section.
MORE
8 Surprising Ways to Use Concrete that Won’t Leave You Feeling Cold
Underrated, Alternative and Affordable Hard-Flooring Options
Floor Art: 16 Patterned Floors That Pack a Punch
Exploiting the architectural potential of concrete, the design of this circular fireplace makes it a standout feature in this long, barn-shaped living room at the centre of a contemporary farmhouse in country Victoria. It has been worked into a round shape that features a wide ledge around its circumference for extra seating and cosy fireside chats, no doubt.
DID YOU KNOW? The precursor to the development of concrete was actually a cement invented in about 1300 BC. Middle Eastern builders discovered that the thin wet coating of baked limestone they used to coat buildings chemically reacted in the air to form a hard, protective surface.