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Mixing materials – where wood meets concrete
September 25, 2017
The fusion of two contrasting elements such as concrete and wood may seem unnatural together in a home environment – after all, one is a natural product of the earth and adds a warm, welcoming feel to a space, whereas concrete can be considered stark and cold. Yet the modern architect increasingly blends a combination of materials, with wood and concrete seemingly prevalent.
How would two inherently different elements be incorporated into the interior design of your home space without looking completely out of place?
Here are our top tips on incorporating both wood and concrete in your home:
Kitchen countertops
For a modern approach to your kitchen design, incorporating concrete and wood has never been more seamless than in your kitchen countertops or centre-island. To create the ultimate show piece of wood meets concrete, laying a thick wooden slab over concrete counters is bang on-trend and works well to create a modern and inviting kitchen. Wooden counter tops are versatile as well – bye-bye chopping boards!
Bathroom statement pieces
For a truly ‘zen’ feeling in your master or guest bathroom, combine wood textures in your vanity or under-sink cupboards with a statement piece sink or bath tub crafted from concrete. The combination of wood and concrete works to create a sleek and modern bathroom that is both practical and pleasing on the eye! Accessorise the rest of your bathroom with subtle wood finishes or fittings that tie it all together.
Looking at flooring and walls
This concept can basically be incorporated in any room, but works best in large-open plan rooms where a true statement can be carried off well. The combination of raw, concrete floors with wood panelled walls works wonders, while the reverse: raw, concrete looking walls and beautiful wooden flooring is an exceptionally sleek look for a main room such as a lounge area or large entrance hall.
Playing with accessories
The juxtaposition of opposing elements such as wood and concrete defines design and one of the best ways to incorporate this trend in your home, piece by piece, is with accessories and small furnishings. If you are wary of converting an entire room, start smaller with a certain corner of a room. Introduce a marble-top table to mimic concrete and some beautifully crafted wooden stools or chairs. Try wood panelling a set of cupboards and laying a concrete slab on top of those, or start even smaller by introducing wooden light fittings and ceramic or concrete looking accessories.
Introducing a new trend such as the integration of wood and concrete into the interior design of your home may seem daunting at first – but taking small steps to get there is the best way to do so. One of the best things to do is to start simply, building on your foundation from there!
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Back in March of 2020, Bianca and Jana were dusting off their Fez’s and grabbing the pashminas out of storage in preparation to Rock the Casbah! However, as we all know and vividly remember - with March, came the eventual Covid shutdown, and instead of frolicking down the Moroccan streets, we all shut ourselves inside and watched the days tick by… 3 Years later, and now we can finally say - with conviction - that they’re going to Morocco at the start of September! This blog, filled with excitement and curiosity about all the weird and wonderful curios they might find, and endless sourcing they’ll do, stays as a reminder that sometimes plans change, things go awry and there’s not much you can do about it other than persevere - and that we did! So, here’s Bianca and Jana’s innermost thoughts about the trip, 3 years before it came to fruition, enjoy :) We've got our passports out and Jana has already picked out what she's going to wear each day… Come March [September] we'll be heading north with Air France to the Kingdom of Morocco, bright eyed and bushy tailed as we make our base in the ancient city of Marrakesh (also known as Marrakech to the French, but we're not French, so we'll go with the English version until all that fuss about Brexit is sorted out) - This turned into a year long negotiations trade, and now us outsiders would pay nearly double what we used to if we visit the UK - thankfully our flight is direct!! We'll be looking for inspiration and will be investigating what's there that we could possibly bring back to The Hoed. We can't wait to experience the atmosphere and afro-arabic influences of this amazing place as we visit the celebrated souks and off-the-beaten track artists and craftsmen that make Marrakesh so special. We're desperate to see the beautifully hand-crafted furniture, textiles, fabrics, rugs, carpets, objets d'art, accessories, lighting… anything that catches our eye and could possibly be brought back south. Berber mats and rugs are definitely on our list, as are the kind of furnishings you might find in a gorgeous Bedouin tent. If you think about it, the Bedouin refined the art of "glamping" into an artform - fabulous carpets on the ground, soft, billowing fabrics hung here and there, plump cushions spread on the ground, intricate leatherwork and carved wood, patinated metal… Total Glamping vibes! We just love all of it and will be tracking as much of it down as we can. We'll also have an eye or three out for wonderful ceramics and glassware and wonderful lamps that give off soft, filtered light. For us it's about workmanship, so we'll hopefully be finding the people who make furniture and ceramics using techniques that have been passed down over countless generations meaning that everything we look at will have its own, and its own special story. Our mission is to share those stories with you and, if it's feasible, bring some of that special workmanship home to the Rainbow Nation. We're most definitely inspired and are sure this is going to be a truly special trip! Counting the sleeps till then! Less than a month to go now - we will be keeping the updates going on our social channels as well as another few blog posts to explain in detail our wild adventures - Stay tuned!
A safari theme never really runs out of viewing time and is particularly popular for interiors at the moment. The warm, earthy tones give a sense of comfort and the accessories offer the anticipation of travel and adventure.
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