If It's Hip, It's Here (Archives): concrete materials

Steininger designs for several manufacturers such as Boffi, Living Divani and Porro. They have received the prestigious Red Dot Design award for the newest of their designs, The Concrete Kitchen, assigned by a 30-member expert jury. Creative heads and manufacturers from all over the world submitted a total of 4,515 designs to the renowned product competition. With its fine design language and appealing looks, the concrete kitchen received the globally sought-after red dot design award.

The innovative kitchen is made of ultra-thin 8 mm concrete, which is sturdy yet light. Concrete's heat resistance and food safety make it a material perfectly suitable for kitchens. The manufacturing of it, however, requires a certain know-how and commitment to accuracy.

Every step of the process demonstrates handmade craftsmanship; the form-work is precise; the elaborate finishing is characterized by exact dressing and polishing of the stone.

The combination of solid wood in both the seating area and interior shelving and the integrated fresh herbal beds create a juxtaposition which is interesting and optically appealing.

Design: Martin Steininger

E-Mail: office@steininger-designers.at
Homepage: www.steininger-designers.at

Think concrete just has to be a big ol' plain slab? Not anymore... at least not in Helsinki, where Graphic Concrete applies texture and imagery to what would ordinarily be a big grey slab. They have devised a new way to produce a patterned concrete surface. The patented Graphic Concrete technology involves applying a surface retarder to the surface of a special membrane and this method allows concrete product manufacturers to produce different types of high-quality patterned concrete elements and slabs.

In addition to being patterned, the concrete surface can also be smooth or completely exposed fine aggregate as well as tinted or stained a color. A photo or text can also be reproduced/ designed into the concrete as you will see in the following examples.

You can choose from several of their surface patterns or even design your own. The effect looks great on both exteriors of buildings, interior walls, floors or installations.