Art Underfoot

We’re just wrapping up another facet of the studio relocation to the Book Press building: the new office/showroom space. A 14 x 20 area was partitioned out of the 4800 sq. ft. shop to create a dust-free and “quieter” administrative workspace and display area for our concrete countertops and other cast architectural elements. We approached the project with an intention of honoring the hard-working past by giving it a new task: providing a textural counterpoint to the displays of finely finished artisan concrete which we will showcase there in the coming months.

The pre-existing  40 year old concrete slab floor was in pretty rough shape from its former life as a printing factory – gouges, drilled holes, layers of grease, ink, solvents, oil, and other nastiness had left their industrial mark. We scraped and scrubbed off the topmost layers, then rented a diamond floor grinder to get down to the raw concrete in preparation for staining it with a wash of transparent colors. We removedabout 60 pounds of concrete dust with the machine and an attached vacuum, exposing the aggregate to varying degrees in the process. Then multiple washes and wet-vaccing to clean up all residue before we spray applied 5 shades of water-based stain to create a vivid organic land/waterscape, sealed with a satin floor sealer. The result is a walkable canvas – what we call “Art Underfoot” – which will set the space apart as befits its purpose and “wow” our visitors with implications of concrete possibilities. Stop in and check it out!

A long absence from concrete countertop blogging, engendered by a protracted business relocation, is nearly over. No new posts since early December – wow! But now, six or seven weeks later, the shop is fully shifted and is now morphing back into production as we unpack boxes and crates and attempt to get the office/showroom into the same condition. We have been working the customer relations end from the old location at the Cotton Mill, waiting for the new office build-out to be completed – with mixed success; apologies to our clients and contacts who have been caught in the fallout. The new showroom plans include an overlayed and acid-stained floor!

Several concrete countertop projects have transpired in the interim and pictures and descriptions are long overdue. I hope to remedy that soon with updated posts and accompanying photos showcasing our latest work, including two more kitchens, a couple of vanity tops, a fireplace surround ensemble, restaurant tabletops and countertops, and others. Many more are in the wings as we begin to enjoy our new space and settle into a more efficient and productive studio workspace at the Book Press building in Brattleboro’s north end. Stay tuned, please!

Concrete countertops epitomize customization – and that’s the truth. No other material can be manipulated and personalized to the same degree. It’s the almost-magical phase change from liquid to solid that enables this opportunity; the artisan can work with and through the material to accomplish their design goals, be they straightforward or fantastical. Add to that the endless combinations of particular aspects such as color, shape, texture, dimension, amalgamation and the possibilities become limitless.

One example of the chameleon properties of artisan concrete countertops is the ability to coax several surface appearances from the same base. When concrete is turned out of the form, it has a solid, somewhat homogenous appearnance characterized by pigmented “cream”, the pure binder paste of cement and fines that line the face of the mold upon compaction in the pouring process. Lurking just below the surface are the aggregates that lend their strength to the matrix: first the sand grains and then the coarser particles, such as crushed stone or glass. The fabricator artist can reveal these at will, by varying the amount of grinding and polishing on the various faces of the piece. We have had a run lately (instigated by my friends in Putney) of what we term a light sand finish on the working countertop face, contrasted with a heavy grind on the vertical front edges. The subtle mottling and sparkle of the filled and polished worktop is set off by the multi-colored diamond ground profile of the counter’s edge, accented by a thin bevel where they meet. No other material can match this striking combination. Which is why we love what we do…

A little revisit to a recent concrete countertop project helps to demonstrate the rationale and inspiration behind some of the design decisions that we make when contemplating an upcoming project.  Always a collaboration, of course, between artisan and client – the concrete results incorporate the designer, the owners and their respective environment, be it a home or business.

In this particular case, we knew that the kitchen remodel included a multi-colored slate tile backsplash and the existing natural cherry custom cabinetry. The situation required a little thought about the proper means of tying this together. we opted for a subtle gray/green sage base color for the countertop, with some black sand (recycled coal slag!) added for texture, and a series of one inch square glass mosaic tiles, backpainted in tones to coordinate with the slate’s amazing range of color. These were arranged in a fourquare pattern and embedded at three different locations in the tops. Seen in context, it all makes perfect sense. And that’s why we love what we do – reasons to be cheerful.

Concrete Detail has planning a move to new quarters in a different area of Brattleboro, Vermont which is our base of operations. We are in a 1700 sq.ft. shop right now, part of an old textile mill near the Connecticut River on the south end of town. The property is owned and administered by BDCC as an incubator space to encourage new and growing businesses. They are great landlords and friends.

They also own a former printing facility on the north end of town which we have had our eyes on for awhile. A very large complex, there is a plethora of wonderful space there just begging to be used for cool creative businesses. We are beginning the buildout of our new space, taking 2400 sq.ft. for now (a 30% expansion) and an option for 2400 more, down the road. We will be moving into  true industrial space, 16 ft. ceilings, no obstructions, concrete floors (we’re on wood flors currently, which is a problem for water management),  and lots of very nice access. The slab is being cut in the next couple days to install drainage for our wet processes. Then wiring, some more walls, doors and windows and we can move in (and pay for it!). A little nerve-wracking, but very exciting. The future’s so bright…

Foursquare tiles in Sage

We installed a simple, elegant concrete countertop recently in a peaceful hilltop home in western Massachusetts home which amply demonstrates the “less is more” principle. While one can accomplish  many design concepts through the concrete medium, it requires restraint and a discerning eye to draw on the appropriate techniques and options to create an element that “belongs” and that works with the surroundings, instead of clamoring for attention. This is a deliberate response to the environment and to the dwellers within… A true collaboration of the conceptual and the corporeal.

This project was a change-out of countertops, appliances, sink and fixtures, and a new backsplash. The existing cabinets were handmade of cherry and had aged to the quintessential  orangey-brown that gives cherry its great warmth. The appliances were black with stainless steel; the undermounted Blanco granite composite sink was matte black; the  accompanying fixtures chosen in brushed stainless finish; and the new backsplash was to be a multi-colored rainbow slate.

The concrete countertop base color choice was “Sage”, a soft gray/green that went exceptionally well with the cherry wood. A nice dose of fine black sand was added and lightly ground to add texture and draw in the appliance and sink components. A series of  backpainted glass mosaic tiles in a foursquare pattern was embedded at three different locations, eanch tile a different color suggested by the slate backsplash tiles (still to be installed). A simple eased square edge and a matte sealer finish completed the collage, and a new concrete countertop was subtly inserted into the picture, part and parcel by intent.

PS – Hopefully we will have some additional finished images of the  big picture after the splash is completed and the whole project wrapped up. Stay tuned!

A couple shots of the recent two-tone top and sink combo we are working on:  in the curing room, waiting to be polished. The color combination is pretty sharp, “Slate” with “Night” this time… a small kitchen, so it’s moving along quickly. I will need to modify the existing cabinetry to accept the farm sink installation by cutting out the topmost rail in the sink base unit, and then build a sturdy shelf to carry the weight of the sink casting itself. Not a big deal to an old carpenter…

E-correspondence is amazing and terrifying, all at once. We’ve been working at forging connections and expanding our presence, amateur SEO-types that we are, and the effect is palpable. Talk about ripple effect!  We are aiming to connect with other concrete countertop artisans and anyone interested in the same: designers, architects, specifiers, kindred craftsmen, and the like. Dilettantes and hoi polloi need not apply. We are Twittering and we are LinkedIn; we are blogging and we are surfing; and we check our e-mail like nobody’s business. Let’s hook up!

We are well underway with another local kitchen remodel project: concrete countertops and a concrete farm sink, fully integrated with a cool branching drainboard and soap recess. We performed another first with this undertaking – a simultaneous layered wet pour in two different colors: our “Night” and “Cayenne” shades. As expected, there is bleeding at the freeform interface where the pigments meet, in a very dynamic and organic manner. This is another example of the design possibilities of artisan concrete countertops and elements, made by hand and heart for the individual.  The photos above show the freshly demolded piece, ready for curing and processing in a few days…

Hand-pressed in gray and blue

Sorry folks – I haven’t been able to steal a minute and post lately… the phone’s ringing off the hook. With the launch of Concrete Detail’s website almost three months ago, the news is spreading and the interest is growing. A recent client (the Vermont Verde Antique-inspiration project) was just relating to me a story about their recent trip down South: nearly everywhere they turned, they saw concrete countertops – at a resort, a hotel, in several homes… And now they will have  one of their own in Brattleboro, Vermont! We have calls coming in from Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and of course Vermont. Concrete countertops have caught the conservative eye of New England and made a good impression; and why not? Concrete is a reflection of the owner and the artisan, a collaboration of art-formed. Always original, always extraordinary.

PS   Final install pictures of the marbled top coming soon…