Construction workers may cry foul when they see all of these unconventional concrete creations. Concrete is used primarily as a building material, but designers have been re-purposing the tough stuff to create everything from electronics to wedding rings.
Using concrete to create everyday items may not make sense to a foreman, but it is a sensible strategy from a design standpoint. Concrete is tough, durable and eye-catching, all qualities found in good design. Making something like a memory stick or furniture out of concrete also extends its lifespan as concrete is virtually shatterproof and fireproof. If your only knowledge of concrete comes from buildings and city streets, then you definitely need to browse through at least a few of these unconventional concrete creations.
27 Unconventional Concrete Creations
27
Cement Sunglasses
These Concrete Glasses for the Concrete Show Make for Heavy Seeing
26
Sculpted Supercars
A BMW Z4 Model Created from Bricks Could Fetch $125,000
25
Stone Age Espresso Machines
Shmuel Linski's 'Espresso Solo' is Rock Solid
24
Faux Fabric Stools
Stitching Concrete is Designed to Be Deceptively Indestructible
23
Concrete Chaise Longues
Ricardo Garza Marcos' Rama Bench is Simple Yet Sturdy
22
Cement Jewelry
Beat Poet Concrete Rings Are Made of Reclaimed Components
21
Classy Concrete Accessories
Lauren Cummings' Geometric Jewelry is Architecturally-Inclined
20
Life-Sized LEGO Blocks
Tara Ketchum's Concrete LEGO Blocks are Solid
19
Cement Fabric
Concrete Cloth by Concrete Canvas is Named Material of the Year
18
Suggested Space Stem Holders
Weight Vases by Decha Archjananun Split Their Task in Two
17
Concrete PC Cases
The Concretronic Computer Case is a Construction-Quality PC Mod
16
Stone Age Speakers
The 'Exposed Concrete Speakers' Shows Shmuel Linski's Love of Raw Materials
15
Curvy Cement Couches
'Dune' by Rainer Mutsch is a Rock Solid Couch Collection
14
Depressed Footprint Door Mats
Stellvertreter Coat Racks Suggest Shoe Placement
13
Concrete Jewelry
Smersh Design
12
Indestructible Office Supplies
'Solid' from Magnus Pettersen is Built to Last
11
Giant Concrete Bears
Steelman Creates a Sky High Stuffy Teddy
10
Asphalt Accessories
The Molla Space Concrete Ring is Hardcore Fashion
9
Concrete USBs
The Memory Weights USB is Worth Its Weight in Data
8
Concrete Lamps
Joachim Manz Trabant Pendant Light is a Marvel of Interior Design
7
Concrete Lighting
The Aplomb Lamp by Paolo Lucidi and Luca Pevere is for the Tough Crowd
6
Rock Solid Rec Room Essentials
The HENGE Concrete Ping Pong Table is Designed for Outdoor Play
5
Concrete Book Bolsters
The A-Z Bookends Are for the Scholar in Your Home
4
Ultra Tough Tech
Kix Berlin Presents USB Sticks Made Out of Concrete
3
Cement-Topped Scents
The Alexa Lixfeld Fragrance Bottle is Topped with Concrete
2
Concrete Ping Pong Tops
James DeWulf Spices up Table Tennis with a Designer Flair
1
Concrete Speakers
Finally A Sound System for ‘Hard Rock' Music
Related Ideas
Bean-Shaped Coffee Makers
The Conceptual Bean Coffee Machine by Juliana Juleva is Charming
Architectural Luxury Handbags
The Louis Vuitton x Frank Gehry Collection is an Exploration of Form
Nest-Inspired Urban Houses
This Vietnamese Dwelling Offers Respite From the Concrete Jungle
Inconspicuous Pet Furniture
Pilar Pirez Manfredi Designs the TAIPEI Pet Furniture Collection
Multifunctional Living Room Tables
This Aliving Coffee Table Doesn't Require Tools to Build
TV Packaging Seating Solutions
The 'Cuna' Furniture by Valeria Coello is Made Out of Cardboard
People-Pleasing Office Furniture
Form Us with Love's Cubicle System is Minimalist and Interesting
Bent Steel Coffee Tables
The 'Creu' Coffee Table by Luis Gimeno Has a Geometric Inspiration
Floral-Inspired Concrete Fire Pits
SHIFT Designs the Sunflower Fire Pit for Outdoor Lounging
Precast Concrete Toronto Skyscrapers
Pei Architects Forms a Building for Tower Hill Development
Salvaged Timber Furniture Capsule
Gini Moynier Introduces the Formwork Collection of Furniture
High-Tech Eco-Conscious Furniture
The WoodenWood Project Upcycles and Utilizes Robotic Printing
Corn Cob-Made Wall Cladding
StoneCycling and Studio Nina van Bart Design the CornWall
Funky Colorful Storage Units
Pavel Vetrov's Funky Storage Units Capture Attention
Minimalist Clutter-Free Desk Designs
The Parallel Work Table by Eldho T Jai Enhances Productivity
Upcycled Book-Made Marbled Furniture
Willem Zwiers Designs the Tranformed Remnants Series
Playful Concrete Wash Basins
The Kast Wave Collection Prioritizes a Sculptural Form
Functional Everyday Object Collections
Goux Studio Showcases the New Modular Plus Collection
Topographic Wooden Coffee Tables
Prerna Panjwani Designs the Topographic Coffee Table
Bio-Cement Oceanic Structures
The 'Reef Rocket' Combats Coastal Flooding and More
Visibly Undulating Stool Designs
The Concave Stool by Deniz Aktay is Structured Yet Soft
Everyday Material Colorful Pavilions
Foster + Partners and NEON Create Two Pavilions in London
3D-Printed Terracotta Coolers
Simon Pavy and Entreautre Designs a New Low-Tech Cooler
Microalgae Building Materials
SOM's Bio-Blocks Technology Uses Microalgae Instead of Concrete
Upcycled Circular Design Products
Cyrc Designs Expansive Products with Sustainable Themes
Silver Curtain Concrete Homes
Local Studio Bangkok Tokyo Architecture Designs the House K
Versatile Travertine-Inspired Tables
Morten Georgsen’s Tivoli Collection is Sculptural
3D-Printed Ceramic Home Facades
The Ceramic House in Amsterdam Gets a Ceramic Feature
Brutalist Monochromatic Retro Sneakers
The Latest Air Jordan 4 Sneaker Gets a Wet Cement Colorway
Spanish Concrete Replica Residences
Architecture Office Claudia Raurell Designs the Villain House
Eco-Friendly Pouf Chair Concepts
Design Studio701 Creates the Rio Pouffe Concept
Vibrantly Designed Modern Collections
CIMENTO and Patricia Urquiola Create the Alberoni Collection
Pool Noodle-Inspired Furniture
Lieyah Dagan Designs the Loop Furniture for Indoor and Outdoor
High Concrete Walled Homes
Cesar Mancillas Creates a Linear Home with Tranquil Elements
Low-Cost Battery Alternatives
MIT Scientists Develop Efficient Energy Storage System
NYC-Inspired Steel Furniture
Micah Rosenblatt Designs the City Block Collection of Furniture
Repurposed Brick Public Furniture
Akasaki Vanhuyse's FLOAT Bench is Intriguing & Eco-Friendly
Cast Concrete London Homes
Bureau de Change Designs the Cast House in Clapham, London
Fungi-Based Building Materials
Mycocrete is an Eco Material Developed by Newcastle University
Urban Debris-Crafted Portable Lamps
We+ Designs the Beautiful Remli Lamp Using Rubble and Debris
Red Concrete-Defined Home Renovations
Atelier Delalande Tabourin Renovates a Home in France
Wooden Surrounded Concrete Homes
Omer Arbel Presents Designs for a Range of Washington State Homes
3D-Printed Sustainable Home Designs
HONOKA LAB Presents the TATAMI ReFAB PROJECT
Found Objects-Formed Art Collections
LMU Joins Benchmark to Create the Aldgate Gold Project
Economical Modular Wooden Homes
The Cake House Reinvents Housing in the Czech Republic
Terrazzo Side Table Concepts
Stuart Cole Designs the Simplistic Balance Side Table Concepts
Sustainable Upcycled Glass Cups
HMM Design Creates a Unique Eco-Friendly Glass Cup
Wooden Cork Outdoor Furniture
Patrick Norguet and Ethimo Design the Cross Collection
Urban Waste-Made Furniture
Javier Guzmán Cervantes and Ex Soup Join on an Exhibition
Modern Minimal Concrete Homes
Pérez Palacios Arquitectos Asociados Designs the Copas Home
Upcycled Plastic Construction Companies
'Kubik' Uses Plastic Waste as a Sustainable Material
Anniversary Dessert Campaigns
Culver's Celebrates with the Berry Happy Birthday Concrete Mixer
Resilient Concrete Sea Walls
Turenscape Creates the Breathing Sea Wall in Haikou City
Organic Ancient Design Furniture
The Earth To People Furniture Collection is Naturally Crafted
Grow-at-Home Sponge Furniture
ÉCAL's Sponge Furniture Expands 10 Times in Size After Soaking
Upcycled Plastic Furniture Series
Kasper Kyster Presents the Crafting Plastic Series
Low-Carbon Biomaterial Bricks
Tavs Jorgensen Created Sustainable Extruding Cob Bricks
Environmentally Sustainable Glasses
Nathan Allan Glass Studios Cast Glass Features Recycled Cullet
White Wood-Clad Cubed Houses
Stanaćev Granados Designs a Chilean Holiday House
Robust Monolithic Walled Homes
H Arquitectes Completes the Casa 1736 in Barcelona
3D-Printed Fire Pits
The Reform Collection by FlameCraft is Made with Concrete Printing Tech
Sawdust-Created Biodegradable Casts
DART Lab's BioMatters Project Creates a Concrete Cast
Pixelated Illusion Housing
Ben Van Berkel Creates the Van B Housing with Rieder's Help
Exposed Concrete Factory Structures
Iksoi Studio Adds a Concrete Grid to the Mallcom Factory
Multifunctional Building Planks
'KEVA Planks' are Diverse Building Toys for All Ages
Concrete Boxes-Overlapping Homes
FujiwaraMuro Architects Designs the House in Tsurumi-ku
Sustainable Repurposed Clay Bricks
Mutina and Konstantin Grcic Create Eco-Friendly Bricks
Modern Concrete Hayfield Homes
Omer Arbel Designs the 75.9 House in the Canadian Pacific Northwest
Hempcrete-Crafted Sustainable Workspaces
Commonbond Architects Designs the Gardenhide Studio
Cinematic-Inspired Terrazo Collections
Concrete Collaborative Unveils Night Palm x Stealing Beauty
Light Reflective Modern Villas
PPAA Completes the Concrete Villa with a 'Water Mirror'
Brutalist Concrete Tower Apartments
Archmongers Renovates the Trellick Tower in London
Concrete-Supportive Bridged Homes
Stempel & Tesar Design the Villa Sidonius in Czech Republic
Cement Block-Decorated Homes
Bloom Architecture Designs the Small Houses Collection
Refreshing Micro-Living Compact Homes
Mariano Ravenna Designs the SF-FR House with Concrete
Exposed Concrete Stealthy Homes
OFIS Aritekti Designs the Villa Eternal Way in Slovenia
Repurposed Waste Transit Tiles
Jeffrey Miller Creates Riles for the London Underground
Bent Multi-Functional Coffee Tables
The Shell Table by Deniz Atkay has a Curved Structure
Raw Concrete Industrial Homes
Studio Cochi Architects Designs the House in Nishizaki
Discreet Electrical Outlet Designs
Omer Arbel's 22 System Concrete is Minimalist and Effective
Sustainable Vivid Installations
Durat Unveils the PORTA DEI COLORI Installation
Block Puzzle Modular Dollhouses
Gavin Portillo and Mario Ledo Create a Dollhouse Concept
Modern Concrete Community Residences
AOA Architects Designs the Hoji Gangneung Dwellings
Hillside Cantilevered Concrete Homes
Anonymous Architects Designs the Olancha Drive House
3D-Printed Terracotta Cooler Designs
Entreautre Creates the Biomimcry 3D-Printed Terracotta Cooler
Angled Concrete Forest Homes
Nendo Designs the Block Wall House in a Japanese Forest
Monumental Concrete Hotel Suites
Malek Alqadi Designs the Folly Mojave Series in the Desert
Concrete South Korean Cafes
On Architects Designs the Nonspace Cafe Space in Incheon,
Bench Wall Furniture Systems
Form Us With Love Designs the Cubicle Furniture System
Cardboard-Inspired Ceramic Household Art
Jacques Monneraud Designs the Cardboard Collection
Month-Long Exclusive Celebrations
Culver's Celebrates Four Decades as a Restaurant Chain
Cast-Concrete Cooling Homes
The FR House by CAZA Optimizes Natural Cooling Structures
Orange Tonal Concrete Homes
Álvaro Siza Designs the Colien House on a Sloped Site in Spain
Archetypal Conical Light Designs
The Fragile Lamp by Jaume Ramírez Has a Timeless Look
Concrete Cultural Visitor Centers
UAD Completes the Villagers' Home Center in Zhejiang Province
Welded Steel Cantilevered Footbridges
Ehl & KKoumar Architekti Designs a Sculptural Footbridge
City-Framing Concrete Residences
Cadence Architects Completes the Design of the K-Home
Log Cabin-Inspired Modern Homes
Balbek Bureau Renovates a Home in Ukraine with Steel and Concrete
Triangular Concrete Apartment Blocks
HGR Arquitectos Creates the MO288 to Combat Earthquakes
Red Concrete Exhibition Centers
Mix Architecture Designs the Red Box Exhibition Center
Squishy Clay-Made Daybeds
Niveau Zéro Atelier Designs the Soft Soil Daybed From Waste Clay
Open-Air Perforated Concrete Homes
MM++ Architects Designs the Anchor House in Vietnam
Exposed Concrete Steelwork Homes
Objekt Architecten Designs the Lamat House in Wichelen
Lighthouse-Functioning Concrete Structures
Lin Architecture Creates the Concrete Pavilion in China
Rice-Centric Outdoor Installations
Carlo Ratti Associati and Italo Rota Present Sunrice
Childhood-Inspired Sculptural Tables
Morten Georgsen Designs the Tivoli Collection for BoConcept
Reused Skyscraper Furniture Capsules
Niceworkshop Creates the Aged Form Line and New Form Line
Cardboard Box-Transformed Furniture
Max Lamb Presents the Box Exhibition at Gallery Fumi
Large Concrete Educational Buildings
Stanton Williams Introduces the UCL East Marshgate Building
Fiberglass Mid-Century Chairs
The Panton Chair Encourages Imaginative Experiences
Contemporary Art Puzzle Sets
LEGO's Modern Art Building Set is a Great Buildable Decor
Reinforced Concrete Housing Sets
Atelier Rampazzi Designs the Residenza Carèsg Row of Homes
Hand Carved Cork Furniture
( ae ) offices Designs the DOL Furniture Collection with Tactile Detail
Love Lock-Inspired Coffee Tables
Adrián M. Almonacid Designs the 4E Coffee Table
Refurnished Concrete Shingle Homes
The DHaus Company Completes the Gingerbread House
Building-Cooling Construction Materials
Nuvoco Vistas Launches an Eco-Friendly Product Material
Sand Terrazzo Floor Apartments
Modektura Adds New Flooring to an Apartment in Kyiv
Clear Glazing Compact Residences
IGArchitects Designs the Check Patterned House in Japan
Reflective Surface German Apartments
Demo Working Group Designs the Kier Apartment in Cologne
Climate-Friendly Waterfront Homes
From 4 to 1 Creates Three Pavilions in Copenhagen
City Exploration Apps
Concrete is a Social Exploration App Inviting Users to Discover Their City
Illuminating Construction Materials
A New Luminescent Material Can Spot Concrete Damage
Powder-Coated Steel Furniture
Objekte Unserer Tage Designs the IVY Outdoor Collection
Natural Material-Transformed Artworks
Borrowed Earth Collaborative Uses Natural Materials for Art
Textured Concrete Tiered Homes
Nomo Studio Designs the Shift House Holiday Residence
Textural Red Concrete Clinics
Steiner Architecture Designs the Clinic in Anif
Preserved Townhome Concrete Facades
Rieder Joins Faerber on Preserving an Original Structure
Concrete Block-Formed Residences
nendo Designed the block-wall house Located in Karuizawa
Expansive Roofs Concrete Homes
Studio MOB Creates a House in the Farm in Coimbatore
Converted Textile Factory Studios
Productora Transforms an Industrial Building to an Art Studio
Whimsical Sculptural Furniture Series
Micah Rosenblatt Presents the City Block Series in Art Show
Handcrafted Red-Concrete Homes
Grafted Designs the Victorian Cast Corbel House in Norwich
Monolithic Custom Residences
Laboratorio de Arquitectura Designs the Casa Catedral Project
Dynamic Concrete Modern Buildings
Atelier Matias Mosquera Designs the Shire Building
Repurposed Imperfection-Embraced Buildings
Civic Architects & VDNVP Elevate a Series of Workspaces
Organically Shaped Furniture Capsules
Kelly Wearstler Deisgns the Echo Collection of Furniture
Stacked Pebble-Inspired Towers
Atelier 9.81 Designs the Calaid Port Tower Building
Communal Concrete Home Projects
Celoria Architects Finishes the House C Design in Mendrisio
Sawdust Scrap Recyclable Stools
Renaud Defrancesco Designs the Briket Stool for Firewood
Artisanal Interior Storage Systems
Alexandre Dubreuil Creates the Dice Design System