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Collection by Amy Dvorak

Concrete Obsessed

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Weight Vases was an early THINKK Studio success.
Weight Vases was an early THINKK Studio success.
With its expansive, geometric design and wide concrete-slab walkways, the enclosed central courtyard around which the house is organized creates outdoor space protected from the sometimes-inhospitable wind out of the northeast.
With its expansive, geometric design and wide concrete-slab walkways, the enclosed central courtyard around which the house is organized creates outdoor space protected from the sometimes-inhospitable wind out of the northeast.
Located in Los Altos, California, Curt Cline's modern house seeks to respect the neighborhood fabric. By keeping the abode low-slung, using a few simple geometries, and the leaving the facade spare, Cline helped the structure blend in with the 1940s and 1950s structures around it. The materials—board-formed concrete and cedar slats—instill a contemporary California aesthetic.
Located in Los Altos, California, Curt Cline's modern house seeks to respect the neighborhood fabric. By keeping the abode low-slung, using a few simple geometries, and the leaving the facade spare, Cline helped the structure blend in with the 1940s and 1950s structures around it. The materials—board-formed concrete and cedar slats—instill a contemporary California aesthetic.
Impromptu reading time in the open-plan kitchen is encouraged.
Impromptu reading time in the open-plan kitchen is encouraged.
Every room in the house looks onto an outdoor space. Click here to see more modern homes that use courtyards as a design element.
Every room in the house looks onto an outdoor space. Click here to see more modern homes that use courtyards as a design element.
Island Life The appealing, handcrafted appearance of the concrete kitchen island is a happy accident, the result of the concrete not settling fully in its timber framing. When the framing was removed, the builder, Peter Davidson, was worried that Davor and Abbe would be disappointed with the bubbled result and offered to start the process again, but they loved its one-off feeling and persuaded him to keep it that way.
Island Life The appealing, handcrafted appearance of the concrete kitchen island is a happy accident, the result of the concrete not settling fully in its timber framing. When the framing was removed, the builder, Peter Davidson, was worried that Davor and Abbe would be disappointed with the bubbled result and offered to start the process again, but they loved its one-off feeling and persuaded him to keep it that way.
Gregory Katz proves that three times is a charm with his trio of concrete homes, which challenge the status quo in this quiet Johannesburg suburb. The kitchen shines in a bright yellow. Photo by: Elsa Young
Gregory Katz proves that three times is a charm with his trio of concrete homes, which challenge the status quo in this quiet Johannesburg suburb. The kitchen shines in a bright yellow. Photo by: Elsa Young
In the living room, a pair of Mies Van Der Rohe MR lounge chairs sit beneath Artemide's teardrop-like Castore pendants. Teak flooring contrasts with a concrete fireplace.
In the living room, a pair of Mies Van Der Rohe MR lounge chairs sit beneath Artemide's teardrop-like Castore pendants. Teak flooring contrasts with a concrete fireplace.
This one-man sauna in Germany is created by three architects at modulorbeat, Marc Günnewig, Jan Kampshoff, and Sebastian Gatz. They were inspired by the nature of the former factory site, which reflects the changing state of manufacturing in the region. “When we arrived, looking for a location, [we thought] it was so beautiful how the nature came back to the industrial site,” says Kampshoff. “We transformed it into a space with an urban quality.”
This one-man sauna in Germany is created by three architects at modulorbeat, Marc Günnewig, Jan Kampshoff, and Sebastian Gatz. They were inspired by the nature of the former factory site, which reflects the changing state of manufacturing in the region. “When we arrived, looking for a location, [we thought] it was so beautiful how the nature came back to the industrial site,” says Kampshoff. “We transformed it into a space with an urban quality.”
The Oakland table is topped by a raw-concrete slab.
The Oakland table is topped by a raw-concrete slab.
The lower level has a reinforced concrete frame. The timber and concrete surfaces are left exposed throughout the home. Tolomeo lights from Artemide hang above one of the beds.
The lower level has a reinforced concrete frame. The timber and concrete surfaces are left exposed throughout the home. Tolomeo lights from Artemide hang above one of the beds.
Nakada works from an Alvar Aalto table in the living and dining area, adjacent to the kitchen. He saved on some elements, such as the plywood cabinetry, and splurged on others, such as the Finn Juhl chairs and Vilhelm Lauritzen lamp. A skylight beneath the angled roof allows in a sliver of constantly changing light.
Nakada works from an Alvar Aalto table in the living and dining area, adjacent to the kitchen. He saved on some elements, such as the plywood cabinetry, and splurged on others, such as the Finn Juhl chairs and Vilhelm Lauritzen lamp. A skylight beneath the angled roof allows in a sliver of constantly changing light.
House in Matosinhos is a minimal home located in Matosinhos, Portugal, created by nu.ma. The lot, where the house is inserted, has a non-regular shape, longitudinal, and perpendicular to the street Nossa Senhora da Conceição. It was important to keep the alignment of the house with the existing buildings in order to avoid formal irregularities within the street development. The interior spatial distribution is separated by function and by floors. Due to the longitudinal nature of the lot, the architects proposed an internal yard at the center of the home to allow for natural light to enter the dining/living room and kitchen.
House in Matosinhos is a minimal home located in Matosinhos, Portugal, created by nu.ma. The lot, where the house is inserted, has a non-regular shape, longitudinal, and perpendicular to the street Nossa Senhora da Conceição. It was important to keep the alignment of the house with the existing buildings in order to avoid formal irregularities within the street development. The interior spatial distribution is separated by function and by floors. Due to the longitudinal nature of the lot, the architects proposed an internal yard at the center of the home to allow for natural light to enter the dining/living room and kitchen.
After purchasing a thin, L-shaped lot in Tokyo, Tamotsu Nakada asked architect and friend Koji Tsutsui to create an open-plan concrete home to fit the site. Photo by Iwan Baan.
After purchasing a thin, L-shaped lot in Tokyo, Tamotsu Nakada asked architect and friend Koji Tsutsui to create an open-plan concrete home to fit the site. Photo by Iwan Baan.
Wrk-Shp “Part of our ethos is that we are not fashion designers. We aren’t furniture designers. We aren’t architects. We are designers, and we can apply our vision to any medium and put our spin on it,” says Wrk-Shp co-founder Airi Isoda. Demonstrating that flexibility, this simple concrete planter can lie flush against the wall, hang independently, or be dropped into a table.
Wrk-Shp “Part of our ethos is that we are not fashion designers. We aren’t furniture designers. We aren’t architects. We are designers, and we can apply our vision to any medium and put our spin on it,” says Wrk-Shp co-founder Airi Isoda. Demonstrating that flexibility, this simple concrete planter can lie flush against the wall, hang independently, or be dropped into a table.