Furnish with concrete

Concrete at home

The common thought about cement has always been of a base construction material, to be concealed behind paints and tiles of various types. However in the last years we witness a countertrend which sees the concrete, object of research and of use in the various fields of construction, up to design; it may be the desire to return to simplicity, or for the reached high degree of experimentation and for contamination with other materials: in short, the cement becomes part of our homes, not only in structure, but also in furniture.

Concrete coatings

To cover the floors and vertical surfaces of our homes, there are several solutions: marble, parquet, stoneware, resins, etc. In short, there are many alternatives to be taken to personalize the living spaces.

To this end, the concrete also constitutes a valid solution: the surfaces of the house may be, in fact, with finished products that simulate the effect of the same or coated by real concrete tiles; these solutions were initially taken in industrial environments, but now it has gone to their application also in apartments.
In the case of finishes they are constituted by solutions of based acrylic binder that, spread with trowel or specific machinery, give rise to a coating with good breathability and resistance to repeated washings with water.

But let's get, instead, to the true evolution of the concrete as a coating: it becomes the raw material for the production of original and innovative surfaces, and beautiful to see in our houses.

In this case it is impossible not to mention a London producer of cement coatings, both for floors and walls. We are talking about Kaza Concrete, a world in which experimentation, elegance and quality blend, seeking the creation of a product conceived as a work of art.
One of this is the example of Quadilic designed by Ilan Garibi; the basic module of the coating consists of four diagonal lines that create different three-dimensional effects, and that, repeated several times, gives rise to a sort of origami. The overall effect is stunning: the wall comes to life thanks to the different movements of the coating and the play of light and shadow that are created. The various modules are available in different colors, also combined.

Furnish with cement

Also in furnishing cement has found wide application: chairs, lighting, and decorative objects of various kinds are manufactured by making use of this material.

The company Il Cantiere builds its own production on the use of concrete: from architecture to design, ultra performing cements are processed and available in different forms.
One of the latest achievements in the field of interior design is Arch Table, created for Molteni and designed by Foster & Partners; it is an oval table with the base structure in cement and glass, summary, therefore, of strength and lightness. And it is the basis to be conceived as a flexible structure of concrete, resistant and elastic at the same time.

The designer Alexa Lixfeld realizes, instead, a series of products called Creacrete, where porcelain is replaced by concrete, thus exploiting all the features: reduced thicknesses, waterproofness, resistance to abrasion and acids, all aspects that make the perfect creations to accommodate foods, without any deterioration of the material.



And the intrinsic characteristics of the same led Italcementi and Alessi to the realization of a competition called #Concrete in Design, seeking to create objects in concrete.
The winner was identified in Luca Galbusera with la Trama e l'Ordito, centerpiece I.design Effix^® ie a mortar made of cement, sand, glass fibers resistant to alkali and other additives; perfect for use indoors, but, if treated with protective agents, it can also be used outside.



Finally an eye on the production of another Italian company: Crea Concrete Design which, for over 60 years, works the cement for the realization of high-quality artifacts; you can turn to them for creating customized products, designed by the customer, and, therefore, absolutely original.



The study Designpiustudio from Milan, for example, has made the line Potpurri composed of hanging lamps and vases; very interesting is the combination of the raw material, the cement, in its pure form, with a crosslinked structure, of different colors, which gives lightness and liveliness to the product.