I just spent hours and hours researching concrete. You think it would be mind-numbingly boring…and yes, it was for the first hour – but then (to my suprise) got really involved in it.

Concrete. Not the most aesthetically appealing man-made material. It is grey. It is bland.  It is cold. It is purely functional. Or is it….

After researching concrete in general, I then focused on look at Terrazzo – guaranteed everyone has walked on it, sat on it, touched it….yet, it often goes unnoticed – subtly merging into the space.

FYI:

Terrazzo is created by exposing marble chips and other fine aggregates (such as marble, quartz, granite, glass, mother of pearl, various synthetic materials and other stones) on the surface of finished concrete or epoxy-resin (majority of terrazzo installed is epoxy terrazzo).

Doing this assignment forced me to review my pre-conceived notions of concrete.

It is beautiful…in its own way.

This is from the Case do Conto (House of Tales) in Portugal. Loving the typography details in the concrete walls and ceiling.

(Image via Idea of Steel)

This is from an architectural concrete dream house on the cliff of Southern Sri Lanka. It is completed to perfection by the Japanese architect Tadao Ando. Just goes to show, just how appealing concrete can be.

(Image via Idea of Steel)

(Image via Costa Lanta)

A concrete bath…

(Image via Freshome)

Example of how concrete can be furnished to feel warm…

(Image via Grant K.Gibson)

Concrete + Wood = Love.

This is from the Pio Pio restaurant in NYC. Contrast of natural and man-made material has been beautifully integrated and presented.

(Images via Omakahu)

Save the best till last…Baled Out: A cow- created concrete home…

Ensamble Studio created this bizarre cow-eaten concrete enclosure, by pouring concrete over hay bales and then allowing Pauline, the cow, to eat through the hay….leaving the concrete shell of a liveable space!

(Images via Doorknob)

Whilst concrete can offer some amazing interior design possibilities, I still believe it is a little ‘cold’ and distant. Not convinced that I would use it in my own personal interior space…would you?

Who thinks of concepts like this? AMAZING…A great conversation starter – use it tonight!