Concrete Canvas Sets the Stage for Design in Greenville and Beyond

Juliet Farmer, ConcreteNetwork.Com Columnist

With his background in engineering, precast concrete and floor coatings, Robbie Harrison has built Concrete Canvas into a solid business. Four years ago when the company first started, Harrison focused mainly on concrete countertops. Today, anything goes, including countertops, vanities, floors, sinks, furniture, mantles and hearths.

Concrete Canvas specializes in creating original, one-of-a-kind pieces for both commercial and residential applications. They create concrete art that comes in many shapes, colors and sizes and lends itself to an array of styles including traditional, formal and contemporary.

"Concrete is a different product," Harrison explains. "It's high-end and has unlimited design potential. It appeals to my technical side well." Being able to look past the initial reaction to concrete -- that it's cold, gray and unyielding -- Harrison instead sees endless possibilities including a myriad of colors and textures.

Harrison says that one of the many appeals of concrete is that it can be anything, depending on how one decorates around it. "That's why designers love it," he says. "They can design through it, because concrete accents a room but doesn't dominate it."

Though Harrison says he gets a lot of requests for natural looking concrete, he also turns out a lot of pieces in black, green and adobe shades. He has a standard set of 12 color values, but often creates custom color ranges and finishes to work with any color scheme.

Since color is integral to each piece, Harrison makes sure every color is long-lasting and resists fading. He says that although most clients prefer a smooth concrete surface, some do request the surface be enhanced by treatments such as adding aggregate (glass, stainless steel, copper, etc.), imprinting or even fossilizing.

Though they are located in Greenville, South Carolina, Concrete Canvas serves a widespread metropolitan area including Charleston (NC), Savannah (GA), Raleigh (NC), Atlanta (GA) and Charlotte (NC). Harrison isn't surprised by the popularity in those areas, saying, "Larger metropolitan areas are going to go for (concrete). In smaller areas, it's harder to get people to understand (the concept)."

Greenville is coming around, thanks to clients such as well-known Greenville restaurateur Carl Sobocinski, who has used Harrison's work in two of his three restaurants (the first restaurant opened before Harrison started his company) and also in his corporate apartment.

The restaurant Soby's on the Side features a unique and functional solid surfaces that "wows" clients the second they step inside. Harrison worked with designers to develop a process that gave a "cast bronze" appearance to the countertop. The color integrates itself into the overall look and feel of the surrounding area. The counter also features a thick, three-inch edge and irregular shape.

Soby's Corporate Apartment -- used for corporate meetings, dining and lodging -- incorporates the owners "o" logo into a kitchen countertop. Harrison also added a handsome under-mount sink, which compliments the artistic, flowing lines of the counter. Harrison and the designers created other unique surfaces throughout the apartment, including a buffet top, bar top, vanity top and fireplace mantel.

For another project, a residential kitchen, Harrison created a kitchen countertop that flows into the window above the sink. He cast paver-like pieces with slight shading differences and leaf imprints to mount on the wall, then cast the windowsill and surrounding area so it would flow into the surrounding countertop.

Another residential kitchen that posed unique problems led to impressive and creative results. The owner developed a "P" design for a kitchen counter and asked Harrison to make it a reality. However, the geometry and mass of the one-piece top would have cause enormous stress and increased the possibility of cracking, something Harrison would not stand for. He got around the issue with pinpoint calculations and special reinforcement techniques, and the top is still performing beautifully today.

Another client, Brains on Fire, wanted a lobby area like no other. Harrison created a coffee bar with a distinctive curved countertop that tapered in width. The substantial piece measures four inches in thickness with a rust-colored stain that fits in perfectly with the modern décor of the office. Harrison also employed a special technique to create a marble-like effect for the floor leading to the office front door. And for the front door, Harrison crafted "orange-flamed" concrete. He also provided some functional café-style tabletops for Brains On Fire's dining area.

Harrison is currently working on another restaurant, a New York-themed steakhouse that will feature concrete bars, something you'd expect to see in New York, but not necessarily in Greenville.

He also recently completed renovations on a Charleston home that used to be a church. "The Castle," as the owners refer to it, now has a brand-new kitchen complete with concrete countertops with gothic-style revealed edges. To match the gothic style of the former church, Harrison created inserts in forms that made gothic-like arches in the edges of the countertop. He also created a concrete farmer sink with a rounded front, which showcases the entire front of the sink.

Harrison explains that he doesn't just lay concrete, that there's definitely artistry involved in his work. "Concrete is the least of my worries in this business," explains Harrison. "It's finding the perfect form, recognizing the customer's needs, sealing and protecting the piece, finding the perfect color – (these) are my worries."

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