Decorative concrete in the house: 5 amazing concrete houses

Decorative concrete otherwise known as architectural concrete is one of the hottest trends in architecture in recent years. Concrete is one of the few materials that can be used both indoors and outdoors, and the color palette and design can be inspired by elements in the surrounding landscape, such as a river bed, forest or beach. Architectural concrete is used to finish terraces, floors, kitchen countertops, walls, ceilings, pool beaches and more.

Concrete is no longer sad, gray and boring, now it is considered a beautiful decorative element. Advances in concrete processing tools, concrete dyes, textures and patterns have made concrete the most versatile, durable and cost-effective material on the market.

Find out how you can use custom decorative concrete at home. Especially for you, we have prepared a list of the most interesting houses in which concrete dominates. Interestingly, all projects are from Latin America. Why do Latin Americans love decorative concrete so much?

1. Casa Tiny, Puerto Escondido, Mexico

Near Puerto Escondido, a Mexican resort on the Pacific Ocean and the surfers’ mecca, there is an unusual house – “Casa Tiny”. A small beach house, one of the first works of the young architect Aranza de Ariño, is a romantic place for two. It is decorated in a minimalist style. It consists of a kitchen, bathroom and open bedroom on the mezzanine. Built of concrete and native hardwood, the house opens with blinds to the concrete terrace, which on the one hand wraps around the pool, and on the other extends the kitchen.

The roof, floor panels, stairs and furniture are made of concrete, which appears everywhere in the whole house, giving it a raw character. The second important building material is native Parota wood – dark wood in honey color. It was used to make doors, windows, wardrobes and shelves. Although the house is small, solid and durable materials make Casa Tiny give a sense of security and a kind of refinement.

And check this out – the house can be rented on Airbnb! (prices from approx. 100 EUR  per night)

The concrete interior does not overwhelm, because it is completely open to the garden and the surrounding wild nature.

In the kitchen there is only the necessary equipment – stove, sink and a comfortable, long kitchen island. The island was cast from concrete, but a similar effect can be achieved by using a microcement finish.

A minimalist bedroom, in which there is only a bed and a huge window with a view of nature, will certainly facilitate rest and escape from the world.

The walls in the bathroom and the entire house were left in raw concrete. Check more inspiration with concrete in the bathroom. 

2. Casa Mirador, Las condes, Chile

Another project was created almost exactly on the other side of the world, in Las Condes – a city in the metropolis of Santiago de Chile. House called Casa mirador (from Spanish: observation house) was designed by the architects office +aquitectos.  The building rises on the top of the hill, which offers a breathtaking view of the valley and the Andes.

The structure was made of concrete, and to improve insulation, it was additionally covered from the outside with a ventilated facade made of prefabricated concrete slabs, while maintaining the monochrome character of the design. The building uses various forms of decorative concrete. The aforementioned concrete panels were placed on the facade. The ceiling is dominated by raw concrete with visible formwork. The pool beach and terrace are covered with concrete tiles. In turn, the floor in the interior was made of terrazzo.

Huge round lamps emit warm light that contrasts with the gray of the ceiling and walls and the blue of the water.

The interior is made cozy by accessories in warm earth tones – velor pillows, a carpet with ethnic patterns reminiscent of Andean folklore.

Works of art decorate the raw concrete walls and refer to other additions in color.

Concrete facade panels are an elegant and durable finish to a building.

3. Casa Vila Pinhal, Itirapina, Brazil

The Casa Vila Pinhal, a  project by Alexandre Faccina in Itirapina, São Paulo,  refers to the brutalist tradition, which in Brazil gained immense popularity in the 1960s. The building itself is extraordinary. The house revolves around a round living room and spiral stairs that connect the two levels of the building. The building from the outside looks like a huge bunker, but after entering it, it turns out that due to the use of numerous windows and glass blocks, the structure is quite light.

The original shape of the building promises an equally interesting interior.

The interior is spacious and full of light. Although concrete dominates, it does not overwhelm in any way. Read more about concrete in the living room. 

The designer focused on interesting additions. Yellow and black seating sets harmonize perfectly with the gray of the concrete. In turn, chairs made of transparent plastic combined with a wooden round table bring a breath of modernity.

Going up the spiral stairs to the first floor, we see the living room from a different perspective.

The bedroom is full of light and economically furnished. Polished concrete was used on the floor and one of the walls presents exposed brick. Read more about concrete in the bedroom.

4. Carassale House La Esmeralda, Argentina

Costa Esmeralda is a private house located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean 400 km from Buenos Aires. The house is almost on the dunes, surrounded by pine trees. It was designed by BAK Architects for a family with three young children, which often receives guests. Therefore, the common part – the kitchen combined with the living room and the terrace had to be spacious, while the bedrooms more cabin (the house has 160 m2). The house is built of precast concrete, which was left uncovered. What immediately catches the eye are floor-to-ceiling windows on each side of the building, behind which you can admire nature.

Through huge sliding windows, the terrace connects to the living room. Argentines love to grill together, so a terrace with a grill is a must have.

After opening the sliding windows, the living room becomes one space with a terrace.

The focal point of the living room connected to the kitchen is a concrete table and fireplace that will warm up on cool evenings.

The bed is all bedroom equipment. The designer assumed that since the residents will spend most of their time together in the living room or on the terrace, nothing more than a comfortable sleeping place is needed.

The bathroom has simple, white fittings. The walk-in shower seems to be made of wood, but this is only the effect of the play of light on a concrete wall. After removing the formwork, the rings of planks were mapped on the concrete.

5. Chuburná House, Chuburná, Meksyk

Our last proposal is a simple multi-dimensional concrete house located on a quiet and peaceful beach on the Yucatan coast. The terrace offers an amazing view of the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea. Meet the Chuburná House by Cabrera Arqs.

There is a swimming pool and terrace with a stunning view at the front of the house.

A siesta in a hammock with a sea view is the fulfillment of the winter dreams of many people from Northern countries.

Concrete stairs and wooden entrance door announce a style that we will also find inside.

Living room, dining room, kitchen and terrace are one common space.

Traditional tiles on the floor look almost like a carpet against a background of polished concrete floor. They visually separate the kitchen area from the living room area. Kitchen countertops were also made of concrete and their front was made of wood. The walls were covered with microcement.

Wooden furniture can be found throughout the house. Sunbeds can stand both in the lounge and you can take them to the nearby beach.

Microcement stairs are a practical and elegant solution. See how to make such stairs from microcement.