These 10 homes show just how versatile concrete can be

Concrete is an integral material when it comes to the construction of properties, but its versatility really comes to the fore when you consider the myriad ways it can be incorporated into the interior design of a home, too. Whether it’s a sleek polished floor, raw exposed beams, custom seating and kitchen islands, this material is as much about form as it is about function.

A concrete bedroom by Greg Katz

The bedroom might seem an unlikely space for concrete, but it can easily be softened by textiles and colour palettes like in this bedroom by architect Greg Katz. He used velvet wallpaper, a colourful rug and wallpaper from Lemon Collective to tone down the otherwise brutalist vibe to create a cosy, welcoming space.

Cobalt and concrete by Kennedy Nolan

Concrete, steel and terracotta combine in the newly built extension of this Victorian home in Melbourne’s northern suburbs. Cobalt blue appears as an accent colour throughout the home and juxtaposes vividly against the various forms of concrete used throughout the property.

Coloured concrete in a French holiday home

Concrete was the material of choice for husband and wife Onur Keçe and Alix Petit when it came to designing their family’s holiday home on the outskirts of Paris. To counteract the potential coldness of the walls, they introduced coloured cement paint throughout the home. The minty green in the office space was sourced from Ressource Paints.

A bohemian take on brutalism

Concrete is fundamental to both the structure and design of this brutalist home in Melbourne. Devised by architect Travis Walton and building developer Bear Agushi, with interior design by Simone Haag, the new build’s industrial materials palette is tempered by unexpected boho flourishes and statement art pieces.

A concrete ode to Le Corbusier in Antwerp

‘Some people say concrete is too grey, but it’s beautifully textured, and there are different shades in it that change with the light,’ says architect Bram Van Cauter. His apartment in Riverside Tower, the brutalist apartment block in Antwerp designed in the 1970s by Léon Stynen and Paul De Meyer as a tribute to the work of Le Corbusier, is a testament to the versatility of this oft-maligned material.

Industrial concrete meets Italian coastline by Fabien Freytag

A sunny palette inspired by Portofino turned out to be the perfect foil to the exposed concrete structure of this Berlin apartment. Designer Fabien Freytag devised a palette of gelato tones and geometric prints in the living room – the walls are ‘Faded Terracotta’ by Farrow & Ball while the Zanotta sofa is covered in chevro-pattern fabric from Zimmer + Rohde.

Contemporary concrete by Pete Kennon

When it came to designing this Melbourne home for his clients Joey Scandizzo and his wife Jane, architect Pete Kennon took a trip down memory lane for inspiration. ‘For Joey, his idea of home was informed by a space built by his father, largely made of concrete and hard surfaces, which had a real sense of permanence. We wanted to recreate the feel of that by using concrete in a very contemporary manner, as both the structure and the interior finish,’ he says.

Curved off-form concrete in suburban Melbourne

This ceiling uses custom off-form concrete to create a striking circular skylight. Concrete is used throughout this home both inside and out; Leeton Pointon Architects + Interiors used the material to line a striking curved awning at the back of the property, as well using it across interior ceilings.

An office block turned party pad by Nicemakers

A former office block, this apartment has a naturally industrial feel. Designers Dax and Joyce Roll used the exposed concrete structure of the space as a backdrop to the burnished colours, mid-century classics and lustrous metallic finishes that come together to create an truly industrial chic home.

A Japanese-inspired brutalist home

Photographer Mark Seelen and his wife, graphic designer Janine, downsized from a 1960s bungalow to this brutalist apartment, which is in fact a converted war bunker, in Hamburg. It was a trip to Japan that gave Mark the inspiration for their new home: ‘The clean interiors style, reduced to only the necessary, yet still very detailed and well-crafted, was just what we wanted,’ he says.