Concrete Countertops: Brutalism in the Kitchen

Written by Matheus Pereira | Translated by José Tomás Franco
Published on January 06, 2020

Gone are the days when the kitchen was relegated to a service area. Following the traditional system of bourgeois residential tripartition (dividing the house into social, intimate, and service areas), the kitchen was originally designed as an independent and closed space. Today, more and more, projects seek to integrate and relate it to other rooms in the house, facilitating different interactions among its residents. Due to this transformation, the appearance of the kitchen also changed, and traditional ceramic and stone cladding gave way to new materials.

In relation to countertops – cutting, preparation, and cooking zones – the use of marble and granite seems to have given way to new solutions, with designers instead using materials commonly incorporated into structural or other architectural elements such as concrete. With continuous surfaces and a polished finish, in addition to being a waterproof and resistant material, the concrete is easy to clean, doesn't deteriorate, prevents the accumulation of fungi (which is usually present in expansion joints), and allows contact with wet areas. With all this in mind, we've assembled below several projects to inspire your next kitchen project.