How to Embrace Concrete in Your Home
This humble material can create magic and be used in ways you might have never imagined
Exposed concrete – love it or hate it – the stuff does not go unnoticed. It’s an industrial decor stalwart we’ve seen often in restaurants, bars and old buildings. Concrete has a certain grungy chic to it, a distinctive raw, powerful quality. When used in the home, it can create an edgy interior that’s hard to resist. Be it exposed walls, flooring, ceiling or even small concrete accessories and fixtures, it makes a unique style statement.
Here are a few examples to illustrate its many uses.
Here are a few examples to illustrate its many uses.
Bare, exposed walls have a charm of their own. In this master bedroom designed by Studio Nishita Kamdar, the concrete wall provides an ideal backdrop for the other elements to stand out in the room, like the wooden bed and the sublime blue bed linen. The deep chestnut colour of the wooden flooring, the yellow lamps on either side of the bed and the back-lit headboard together give the room an additional sense of warmth.
Take a tour of this Mumbai home
Take a tour of this Mumbai home
This living room designed by The Orange Lane shows a confluence of rustic and modern style and a truly unique concave dimpled ceiling developed by placing taslas (round shallow basins) within the slab before casting. The exposed ceiling and white-painted brick walls contrast with the patterned black-and-white floor, pendant lights and the variegated chairs, creating a striking mix-and-match look.
If exposed walls, flooring and ceiling seem too predictable, you could always turn to furniture. Fulcrum Studio shows an intriguing clash of elements in this space – sleek chairs, dark, patterned flooring, white-painted ceiling and stylish pendant lights teamed with a long rustic concrete dining table.
Similarly, outdoor or indoor concrete lounge chairs like these can stand the test of time and withstand harsh weather conditions. You could consider placing brightly coloured cushions on the seats for extra comfort and style.
The unconventional uses of concrete can even extend to the bathroom. In this space by The Orange Lane, the concrete sink and the steel nal or Indian-style tap complement each other and contribute to the fun, eclectic vibe of this wash space replete with graffiti art on the walls, a red-painted ceiling and cascading chains suspended between the two sinks.
It may not be the first material you think of when searching for lights but concrete lamps and pendants, too, can look beautiful and catch attention. See how FADD Studio has used a vintage-style illuminator inside this woody room. The pendant lamp and the flooring both share similar shades and give an earthy touch to this room dotted with sleek bright-blue chairs and modular shelves.
The use of concrete can even extend to quirky accessories. Take for instance these products by Karan Desai Home that show the varied, versatile uses of this material. A phone stand, coaster, shaving brush, pen drive and more … the possibilities are unlimited.
Read more:
Dare to Bare Those Exposed Cement Walls?
Tell us:
Have you used concrete in unique ways in your home? Share images and tell us how in the Comments section below.
Read more:
Dare to Bare Those Exposed Cement Walls?
Tell us:
Have you used concrete in unique ways in your home? Share images and tell us how in the Comments section below.
Browse through images of concrete facades