Using Concrete to Design for an Experience

Length - 02:57

Decorative concrete and good design go hand in hand. Design is one of the most valuable tools from the beginning to end of a project. In the Teance Tea Shop in Berkeley, Calif., award winning kitchen and home designer, Fu-Tung Cheng shows the tea bar he designed and built.

Concrete is used here to bring out the ideas of texture and touch because in designing Cheng is looking to enhance the emotional response that people feel then they experience concrete. Here Cheng uses several design features to create a tactile experience when people sit at the tea bar.

The tea bar has electric heating elements embedded in the concrete countertop. In the winter, people approach the tea bar and feel its warmth. Cheng uses the warmth to communicate with customers. The heat is welcoming and soothing. The concrete countertops radiate warmth and good will.

In the summertime the countertops are cool to the touch. They are refreshing. Customers react to the cool countertops with a relaxing, "Ahh." Iced tea that is served reinforces the coolness of the concrete.

Inlays of stone and fossils are also used to create texture. Customers are able to feel the rough edges of stone or a smooth fossil while they are drinking their tea and conversing at the tea bar. In the shelving, the bug holes in the concrete countertop surface are still present to create a more natural looking finish. All of these design features complement each other to create a dynamic user experience.

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Kitchen Design Ideas	Personalization of Concrete Countertops	Integrating Concrete Counters with other Materials