CD Designs Blog
Concrete storage cubes: stacks of fun
We have explored numerous applications of concrete in interior design already on our blog, but this is the first time we’ve come across concrete storage units! For those of you who tire of the Ikea school of storage units, Florian Kallus’ wood and concrete creations offer a stylish and creative alternative.
Dubbed Wahid, these units measure around a foot and a half square. They are made from moulded concrete with a wooden veneer inner layer, providing a delightful contrast between stark industrial function, and warm gentle texture.
Being square, you can arrange them effectively to make good use of pretty much any space you have available. They are multifunctional, useful for mounting on the wall for elevated storage, or stacking up off ground level. And their size makes them versatile for storing a wide variety of objects of different types, from living room items such as DVDs and records, to kitchen utensils and food items.
Post Date: | 18th December 2011 |
Posted in: | |
Tags: |
Settle in, with papercrete furniture?
On contemplating furniture, you would probably be more likely to conjure up in your mind images of cosy soft fabric sofas or posh corporate office furniture, so what we have here for you may generate a degree of bemusement! Dutch designer Dik Scheepers’ papercrete furniture doesn’t really fit into any category, and doesn’t look particularly cosy. However, if you are looking for something a little different and like rough edges and rustic charm, it could be right up your street!
Let’s look at them a bit more closely.
Dik Scheepers has designed many beautiful and interesting bespoke items (see http://www.dikscheepers.nl/products), but on one occasion he was experimenting with Papercrete – a low-cost, lightweight material often seen as being as an environmentally friendly concrete alternative because it is made largely using re-pulped paper fibre, and cuts down on the amount of cement needed in the mixture.
This experiment led to the creation of Dik’s UnPølished collection (see http://www.dikscheepers.nl/products/116-unpolished) – a series of items of furniture including a stool, coffee table, chair, writing desk and more. These items are formed from moulded papercrete atop smooth wooden legs and frames. We think they have a delightful alternative charm, standing on their own against the usual slew of highlight polished and straight lined furniture!
Post Date: | 16th December 2011 |
Posted in: | |
Tags: |
Concrete tiles
Concrete has many uses beyond pattern imprinted concrete driveways – we are all agreed on that. In our quest to find more and more varied uses of our favourite building material, we have been exploring concrete tiles more and more recently. Concrete can be considered to be an ideal material for making tiles: it is cheap, easy to mould and imprint patterns into, hardwearing, suitable for painting, staining and other decorative treatments, and waterproof-able. In short, there are very few negatives here!
As a great example, look at the internationally acclaimed Dune tiles – these very unique creations will give a beautiful, unique and striking effect to any interior. And you can get them in a variety of different materials – why not consider combining concrete tiles with gypsum, wood, or others?
And Daniel Ogassian has a fantastic concrete tile range, available in a wide variety of colours, sizes and shapes, each one individually machine crafted. Check out some of his designs, and just look at the way he uses geometric shapes, interlocking patterns and fantastic textures to create some really breathtaking effects. He also customises them to order, customer by customer, so you you could call on Daniel to give you just the tiles you need!
Post Date: | 14th December 2011 |
Posted in: | |
Tags: |
Stitching a concrete stool?
We’re no strangers to concrete furniture here at CD Designs, but the seating created by German designer Florian Schmidt is something quite extraordinary. His stools are made of concrete, but quite set apart from the industrial starkness commonplace in such creations – these stools have an organic texture and ebb and flow to them. And in addition to that they are stitched, with bold attractive brightly-coloured thread! How is that even possible? How did he create these masterpieces?
Looking a bit deeper, we find that these designs were formulated by soaking concrete-impregnated fabric in water, then shaping it into the desired shape and stitching it. This layer is then sandwiched between another fabric layer and a PVC backing, and finally it is all left to dry for around 24 hours. A wooden mould is used to support it during the drying process.
This produces a strong, sturdy, comfortable seat with a great deal of quirky charm. The stools are resistant to UV and chemicals, fire proof and water resistant.
Florian has created a number of sizes and variations: if you interested in picking one up, please pop over to his site, http://florian-schmid.com, and check them out.
Post Date: | 6th December 2011 |
Posted in: | |
Tags: |
Come in from the cold this winter, interior concrete.
As winter draws in, and the climate gets colder, the thought of going outside and installing a pattern imprinted concrete driveway or concrete patio with no more than a thermos flask of hot chocolate for company is becoming slightly less attractive, even for the weather-hardened staff of CD Designs! This month, we have largely been looking at uses of concrete inside the house rather than outside!
If interior design is your thing, you’ll find lots of useful and interesting write-ups of talented, innovated designers from all over the world, and their fantastic concrete work!
You’ll find ideal concrete Christmas gifts including stationairy and jewellery.
And how about stitched concrete and fabric stools from the hands of German designer Florian Schmidt?
Concrete lights of different shapes and sizes are also looked at, crafted by the skilled hands of Foscarini, Tim Mackerodt and Benjamin Hubert.
Swedish designer Johan Forsberg has created some minor concrete miracles with his beautiful clocks and tables.
Concrete tiles are also looked at in, providing a beautiful and practical alternative to ceramic or other more traditional materials.
Then we’ve got concrete wallpaper, concrete kitchen units, concrete storage cubes, and much much more! Please read on.
Post Date: | 4th December 2011 |
Posted in: | |
Tags: | concrete art, Interior Design, pattern imprinted concrete driveways |