FHB Logo Facebook LinkedIn Email Pinterest Twitter Instagram Plus Icon Close Icon Navigation Search Icon Arrow Down Icon Video Guide Icon Article Guide Icon Modal Close Icon Guide Search Icon Skip to content
Main Menu
Subscribe

In every issue you'll find...

  • Expert insights on techniques and principles
  • Unbiased tool reviews
  • Step-by-step details to master the job
  • Field-tested advice and know-how
Subscribe Now!
Subscribe
  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Videos
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House
  • Podcast
  • Join
  • Log In
Main Menu Subscribe
Design

Concrete Possibilities: A Gallery of Ideas

Designer Fu-Tung Cheng illustrates the aesthetic potential of concrete

By Fu-Tung Cheng
Article Image
From this view it's clear how important the hearth's added color and texture are in breaking up the graphic lines produced by the tile and control joints on the floor.

Sign up for eletters today and get the latest how-to from Fine Homebuilding, plus special offers.

Sign Up

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

×

From this view it’s clear how important the hearth’s added color and texture are in breaking up the graphic lines produced by the tile and control joints on the floor.

The central area of the penthouse floor is a raised concrete platform, which acts as a transition from public to private space—here we look from the master bedroom to the living room. In the far corner of the room, a special platform delineates space for yoga.

In this contemporary California home, the concrete curb acts as a toe-kick to the cabinetry and appears as a natural extension of the floor. Photo by: Chuck Miller

The dramatic approach to this grand house is created by wavy alternating bands of broadcast Mexican pebble and salmon stone. The steps in the foreground are lightly textured with a broomed sand finish for safety.

Found objects can bring balance and aesthetic appeal to any concrete piece.

Here in the dining room of the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite, Calif., the intricate intersection of dry-cuts and acid-washed fields of concrete are a sharp design contrast to the precisely-executed linoleum inlay work in the main hall.

Concrete transforms this kitchen on a modest budget into an elegant jewel. Mounted on off-the-shelf modular cabinets, the countertop was designed to maximize the impact of the dramatic island without using expensive accessories.

From this view of the Natoma Street vanity, it’s easy to observe the gentle shape of the two sinks as they combine to soften the angles created by the countertop and other square forms in the room.

Bernard Maybeck carved intimacy out of an interior of massive elements, blending warm concrete walls, oversized concrete beams, and touches of wood. Photo by: Richard Barnes

The massive mantelpiece and surround were formed around a metal insert that’s a basic 4-ft. x 3-ft. box in this Danville, Calif., contemporary-style home.

A new interpretation of a traditional surround carries an authentic carved stone look using concrete. Classic details are sourced and reconfigured into molds and cast.

For the walk leading to the Hogan-Mayo house, concrete slabs from a dump were shaped and dry-fitted into a rhythmic pathway border according to a plan by landscape architect Steve Adams. His resurrected concrete is re-born in the hands of a master mason, and as a symbol of good design and innovation, is the perfect place to close the story of concrete at home.

X
X

New Feature

Fine Homebuilding Forums

Ask questions, offer advice, and share your work

Log in or create an account to post a comment.

Sign up Log in

Become a member and get full access to FineHomebuilding.com

Up Next

Featured Story

FHB's 40th Anniversary Tips Video Contest

Record yourself demonstrating a favorite tip from the Fine Homebuilding archive for a chance to win a cordless compact router kit.

Featured Video

Micro-Adjust Deck-Baluster Spacing for an Eye-Deceiving Layout

No math, no measuring—just a simple jig made from an elastic band is all you need to lay out a good-looking deck railing.

Related Stories

  • Biophilic Design

  • How to Design Small, Smart Homes

  • First Day at the Virtual IBSx: Stuff I Learned at Builder's School

  • Attending in Sweatpants: The Virtual 2021 International Builders' Show

Discussion Forum

Recent Posts and Replies

  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
View More Create Post

Highlights

  • Fine Homebuilding All Access
  • Fine Homebuilding Podcast
  • Tool Tech

    Plus, get an extra 20% off with code GIFT20

  • "I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.

    Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

    Sign Up See all newsletters

Video

View All
  • How to design small, smart homes

    How to Design Small, Smart Homes

  • Texas home built to the WELL Building Standard

    Design Review with Laura Britt

  • Podcast 235: Residential Architecture, Rusty Cars, and Ruined Floor Joists

  • 2020 FHB House Sneak Peek

View All

Floors and Coverings

View All
  • Floating Hardwood Floor with Unmatched Advantages

  • Patching a Hardwood Floor

    2 Methods for Patching a Hardwood Floor

  • Nearly Invisible Floor Finish

  • Wide-Plank Flooring

View All

BOOKS, DVDs, & MERCH

Shop the Store
  • Code Check Building 4th Edition

    Buy Now
  • 2020 Fine Homebuilding Archive

    Buy Now
  • Fine Homebuilding Magazine Slipcase

    Buy Now
  • Musings of an Energy Nerd

    Buy Now
  • Shop the Store

Fine Homebuilding Magazine

  • Issue 297 - Feb/Mar 2021

    • Foundations for Success
    • Staircase Renovation
    • Ditch the Hose
  • Issue 296 - Dec 2020/Jan 2021

    • Insulating Glass Keeps Getting Better
    • Simple Way to Make Old Walls Straight and Plumb
    • Making Sense of Minisplits
  • Issue 295 - Kitchens & Baths

    • Condo Kitchen Reimagined
    • Row-House Remodel
    • Rise of the IAQ Monitor
  • Issue 294 - Oct/Nov 2020

    • Schoolhouse Reimagined
    • Tool Test: Folding Sawhorses
    • A Better Way to Build Tall Walls
  • Issue 293 - Aug/Sept 2020

    • A Practical Guide to Fall Protection
    • Installing Frameless Cabinets
    • Make Any Tablesaw Safer

Fine Homebuilding

Follow

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Sign Up See all newsletters

Membership & Magazine

  • Online Archive
  • Start Free Trial
  • Magazine Subscription
  • Magazine Renewal
  • Gift a Subscription
  • Customer Support
  • Manage Preferences

Taunton Network

  • Green Building Advisor
  • Fine Woodworking
  • Fine Gardening
  • Threads
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Careers
  • Copyright
  • Terms of Use
  • Accessibility
  • CA Privacy Rights

© 2021 The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

    Main Menu

  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Video
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Reader Projects
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House
  • Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk
  • Account

  • Log In
  • Join

    Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk
  • Popular Topics

  • Kitchens
  • Business
  • Bedrooms
  • Roofs
  • Architecture and Design
  • Green Building
  • Decks
  • Framing
  • Safety
  • Remodeling
  • Bathrooms
  • Windows
  • Tilework
  • Ceilings
  • HVAC

    Magazine

  • Current Issue
  • Past Issues
  • Magazine Index
  • Subscribe
  • Online Archive
  • Author Guidelines

    All Access

  • Member Home
  • Start Free Trial
  • Gift Membership

    Shop the Store

  • Books
  • DVDs
  • Taunton Workshops

    More

  • FHB Ambassadors
  • Reader Projects
  • Podcast
  • Customer Support

    Account

  • Log In
  • Join

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Sign Up See all newsletters

Follow

Join All Access

Become a member and get instant access to thousands of videos, how-tos, tool reviews, and design features.

Start Your Free Trial

Subscribe

FHB Magazine

Start your subscription today and save up to 52%

Subscribe

We hope you’ve enjoyed your free articles. To keep reading, become a member today.

Get complete site access to expert advice, how-to videos, Code Check, and more, plus the print magazine.

Start your FREE trial

Already a member? Log in