Meditnor

Concrete was having a bad time in the latter half of the 20th century. Brutalist buildings in the sixties and seventies, though theoretically bold and visionary, were often depressing and unloved in reality. They contributed to an increasingly negative public image of concrete, a material that was seen as cold, grey and inhuman. It was the stuff of which car parks and flyovers were made, the architectural equivalent of giving up.

Something has shifted. A stroll through an important architectural exhibition or a scan through the work of the practices winning the awards that matter is enough to suggest that concrete is back on the agenda. Not with any sort of shyness or embarrassment, and not because it’s cheap. It’s because it does things that no other material can. For Concrete Forest Of Dean, contact https://www.monstermixconcrete.co.uk/concrete-forest-of-dean/

Part of the reason is a deep sense of honesty. As we’ve seen with the cladding scandal, synthetic finishes and everything from glass fibre to glitter, we seem to be addicted to hiding what our buildings are actually made of. There’s something very appealing, then, about a building that tells you exactly what it is. The structure becomes the aesthetic, and the construction is the design.

Another part of the reason is that concrete can do things that other materials can’t. It can be moulded into curves and cantilevers, with surfaces that change as the light catches them. The formwork is the mould, and the mould can be anything you want.

The implications are genuinely extraordinary, especially if you’ve never really thought about it before. Finally, it’s just that enough time has passed. The brutalist buildings that survived long enough have been listed and celebrated. The preservationists are already fighting over them. Concrete, it seems, wasn’t the problem. It’s what we did with it that was.

Brise soleil is French for “sun breaker,” and that tells you precisely what it’s designed for. It blocks direct sunlight during the hottest parts of the day without blocking ambient light. This is how it works.Continue reading →

When you’re planning a kitchen renovation, one thing that often comes up is whether your top and bottom kitchen cabinets should match. While matching will create a consistent aesthetic and style for your room, mixing cabinets is becoming more and more popular recently.

Why Matching Cabinets Still Work

There’s a reason matching cabinets have stayed popular for so long. Using the same colour and finish throughout your room creates a balanced look that feels nice and easy on the eye. If you have a smaller kitchen or a space that already feels busy, keeping everything consistent can help keep things simple, too. Want something timeless that you’re less likely to get bored of? Matching cabinets are often the safer option.

Why Mixed Cabinets Have Become Popular Recently

On the other hand, matching everything isn’t the only option anymore. Two-tone kitchens have become much more popular recently because they can make a kitchen feel more customised and less like every other showroom display. Darker lower cabinets with replacement kitchen cabinet doors, such as from //www.happy-doors.co.uk/, matched with lighter wall cabinets are probably the most common combination because they create contrast without making the room feel closed in. If you want your kitchen to have a bit more personality, mixing things up can work really well.

When Different Colours Work For Kitchen Cabinets

Thinking about going two-tone? The size and layout of your kitchen can make a big difference, too. Bigger kitchens often have more freedom to experiment because there’s enough space for contrast without things feeling crowded.