Concrete

Sellers’s Pyramid House on Prickly Mountain in Vermont

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.

Pros: Concrete countertops are durable, resistant to heat, and can be less expensive than natural stone, especially when completed as a DIY project. Cons: Concrete must be sealed before being used; otherwise, its porous nature means that it will stain very easily.

Concrete stairs leading up to a sleeping loft are illuminated with wall sconces.

A spacious deck was created as part of the addition. A cantilevered concrete bench stretches out to the rear garden and complements the adjacent concrete wall.

A mesh steel bridge sits above a cast concrete outdoor canopy on the patio. Concrete floors are polished on the inside, and kept rough on the outside. A pine door leading to a lower level bedroom adds warmth.

For the desktop itself, there's the Merge Concrete Desk Set (from $48 to $178 for the entire set). Made from stainless steel and concrete, these coloful designs unite function with a fun take on form.