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Integrating Concrete into a Functional Space

Length - 01:32

Fu-Tung Cheng designed and built the interior of the Teance Tea Shop in Berkeley, Calif. where he is still part-owner. This is a great example of where concrete has been used in a commercial environment and integrated with other materials.

Texture was created with fossils and stones inlayed in the concrete countertops. Smooth on some surfaces, the concrete is incorporated with natural stone right beside it creating a dynamic contrast between the rough stone and smooth concrete.

Shapes have also been incorporated into the space by using concentric circles around a central tea bar where patrons gather to drink tea. The circular shape is reinforced by curved concrete countertops.

Concrete also serves a practical use throughout other areas of the tea shop, including the bathroom. The use of concrete and other materials combine to bring out a commercial environment where the public is welcomed by the refreshing design, they experience the space, they are impressed, and it holds us to a lot of hard use.