Awesome Concrete

There are lots of kinds of bookends out there, but we rather appreciate the minimalism of roughfusion’s concrete cubes. These 3″ blocks are heavy enough to hold paperbacks upright and look great sitting on any bookshelf. Available in grey, natural, or charcoal.

Inspired by the idea that Weebles wobble but they don’t fall down, mad inventor Colin Furze decided he wanted to become a Weeble himself. So he got to work on a semi-circular concrete base and a mounting plate that allows him to roll around his workshop without faceplanting.

Concrete seems like a strange material to build a boat out of. But apparently, they are a thing and can float if they displace enough water to keep them buoyant. Peter Sripol and his pals attempted to build a remote-controlled boat out of the material with the goal of making the fastest concrete jet boat ever.

Homemade Modern has shown us how to make a concrete castle sculpture using a LEGO brick mold. Now he’s taken that technique and applied it to something more practical – the corners for a platform bed. The concrete pillars are fully load-bearing, and the bed assembles easily with interlocking wood beams and slats.

Saint-Hyacinthe, Canada’s CurlyWoods makes these distinctive and substantial nightstands with a fiberglass-reinforced concrete body, a wood base, and live-edge wood drawer with smooth drawer glides. They come in three sizes – in black walnut, cherry, maple, or white oak. Get a 10% discount when ordering two or more.

When it comes to pedal-powered vehicles, weight is your enemy. But that didn’t stop Play to DIY from making this fully functional bicycle (and matching helmet) by casting concrete. The slow-moving bike weighs in at a whopping 134.5 kg – or about 296 lb. We’re surprised that it moves and balances as well as it does.

This handmade tray from Cruickshank Creative offers a modern and minimal place to offload your everyday carry when you come home from a busy day. They’re made from cast cement with a beeswax sealant and a protective cork bottom. It measures 13″ w x 8″ d x 1-1/8″ h and comes in natural grey or white finishes.

After fabricating a miniature suspension bridge, Tiny World built a scale model of a railroad bridge based on the design of the CSX A-Line Bridge that spans the James River in Richmond, Virginia. To create the structure, they poured concrete into foam-core molds with wire supports inside.

Material Immaterial Studio created this unique chess set that combines elements of ancient Roman architecture with a modern sensibility. The concrete board was inspired by the walls of an arena, where towers representing armies of lightness and dark do battle.

This substantial writing instrument from 22Studio features a body made from cast concrete. Its seven-sided design was inspired by wooden pencils and won’t roll off of your desk. It features a retractable Schmidt P900M ballpoint pen cartridge with stainless steel hardware.

Taiwan’s 22Studio presents a special edition of their 4D concrete watch. They teamed up with Zishi to design a sculpted image of a tiger and a tree, pushing the limits of concrete mold-making in the process. Its date dial features the Chinese character for “tiger”, and its see-through case back has a tiger illustration.

OUROBOROS ARQ loves to make miniature models of buildings and other structures using realistic construction materials. In this video, they show us how they built a modern multi-level house with concrete walls, brick details, a wooden staircase, and built-in lighting.

LEGO bricks are great for building all kinds of things, but did you know you could use them as a mold for casting concrete? Neither did we. HomeMadeModern shows us a couple of techniques – one in which the blocks are used as a direct mold, and the other where the bricks are covered in silicone, which becomes the mold.

MMEP Studio’s unique accent light brings a modern look into any space. Each handmade lamp is constructed from cast concrete and features a stepped and angled interior that makes it appear its LED light source is at the end of a corridor. It measures 9″H x 3″W x 3″D and is powered by a USB cable.

Etsy shop Mind The Minimal sells a variety of handcrafted home accessories made from concrete. Among them are these cork-backed hexagonal coasters. They’re made using a special light-toned concrete which can be painted with a splash of color, then sealed for durability. Sold in sets of four.

Artist PEJAC created this outdoor work, which looks like a giant crack has formed in the concrete, but upon closer inspection is actually an ant-like colony of thousands of tiny people. The work, titled Social Distancing appears outside Valdecilla Hospital in Santander, Spain. Be sure to visit the artist’s website and Instagram.

Express your thoughts or personalize a space with this handmade concrete text from Betonic Home. The 2″ tall letters are deep enough to stand on their own and can be ordered with magnets if you want to place them on your fridge. Sold in sets of four or more letters.

Slovakian company KoolForm shows off its texturing system, which can emboss realistic textures on walls. The process starts out with a layer of concrete, rolling or stamping a pattern, then painting to bring out details. The embossing tools come in wood, brick, and stone textures.

Handmade by Taiwan’s 22STUDIO, this unique writing instrument features a body made from high-density concrete. This gives the pen and its matching desk stand an artful, modern look while adding heft and substance. Available in grey or red.

If you’re going to park your butt on an outdoor bench in the winter, it can be a jarring experience. HomeMadeModern wanted to improve upon the basic design, so he embedded a heated rubber mat in a DIY concrete bench. Heated seats are great in cars, so we imagine they’d be just as pleasant outdoors.

Tents are usually made from nylon. For a longer-lasting shelter, there’s a material that combines fabric and concrete and allows for semi-permanent structures to be erected in minutes. Wonder World shows us how pre-sewn Concrete Canvas can be inflated then sprayed with water to harden into shape.

Taipei-based 22designstudio created these brutalist concrete characters based on a font by designer Haniboi. The 3D letters measure about 2″ h x 1.2″ l x 1.2″ w, and are sold individually so you can make whatever word you want with them. Because of import costs, the price drops substantially if you buy in quantity.

With the help of Pikus Concrete, Zack Nelson of JerryRigEverything managed to have a gigantic 3D-printed statue created in his own image. The 12-foot-tall concrete sculpture weighs in at 6,000 pounds, and Jerry had it dropped next to his buddy’s swimming pool as a prank. We’re sure it will soon get sliced open by What’s Inside.

Pens are usually made from metal or plastic, but 22STUDIO’s unique model has an outer case made from cast concrete. Its name reflects its deeply contoured edges, which provide a nice tactile feeling and grip. Available in two shades of gray and white.

Material Immaterial Studio presents a unique piece of interactive tabletop art. Cast from concrete, the diminutive Factory features design elements of Brutalist industrial architecture and incorporates a rolling ball maze. Just roll the tiny steel bearings from its tower, and enjoy the show! Measures 8.07″ W x 4.33″ D x 6.29″ H.

Maker W&M walks us through the process of turning a couple of muffin tins into a miniature concrete mixer, complete with a motorized stirrer. Though in this case, its purpose is to smoothly blend instant coffee with water. It probably would make a good hot cocoa too.