“Concrete has reached epic proportions in terms of interior design – and it is here to stay!” says Li Edelkoort, leading international trends forecaster. But have you ever wondered why?
In her latest book – Form Follows Food – produced in collaboration with Caesarstone, Edelkoort expertly unpicks the emergence of concrete as the star of kitchens and bathrooms and describes its genesis in the inherent beauty found in the authentic textures of manufacturing. Oxidised steel, poured plaster, sifted sand, fresh concrete, rusted metals and cement floors have all had a huge influence on both our kitchen interiors and our food!
“These brutalist materials, and the concept of cementing them together, are being reflected in our food trends,” says Edlekoort. Pulverised ingredients are compressed into cheese, bread, paste or smash, lending themselves to being spread, chiselled and pummelled and in the process turning the cook into an artisan at work.
Edlekoort’s inspired insight into the ever-growing concrete kitchen trend – superbly illustrated in Form Follows Food – describes how concrete has inspired the creation of sturdier foods such as local goat’s cheese, almond butter, buckwheat loaves, savoury porridge and other coarse recipes.
Form Follows Food showcases some of the remarkable similarities between the latest concrete quartz finishes and these artisanal foods – and in the process highlights the fact that form does indeed follow food.
Slices of chunky buckwheat bread, cheese loaves and untempered chocolate blocks are interspersed with slices of the oxidised cement- look of Excava. Raw slabs of tactile chevre sit atop the remarkably similar textural elements of Caesarstone’s Rugged Concrete.
In other imagery, slabs of textural buckwheat bread sit side by side with industrial-looking slabs of Caesarstone’s freckled Nougat and the smoother Sleek Concrete and Raw Concrete (shown as cutting boards), together with Excava.
Caesarstone has been working with Li Edelkoort for the past five years, using her unique talent for predicting long-term home design trends to ensure the brand’s quartz surface collection is the go-to finish for designers and consumers.
The brand’s Metropolitan Collection – designed by Caesarstone in consultation with Li Edelkoort – comprises 10 concrete finishes: Fresh Concrete, Sleek Concrete, Raw Concrete, Cloudburst Concrete, Topus Concrete, Rugged Concrete, Airy Concrete, Excava and Primordia.
Go to www.caesarstone.com.au for more details.