"Brutalism once suggested stark, monumental forms, with raw concrete presented in uncompromising honesty. Today, that legacy is evolving into a softer interior design language: Soft Brutalism. Rather than a contradiction, it becomes a thoughtful fusion where concrete is shaped into gentler, more human-centered forms. This shift responds to a culture saturated with disposable design and offers a return to authenticity, weight, and permanence."
"Soft Brutalism embraces concrete's structural clarity while softening its presence through refined casting, subtle tones, and smooth contours, transforming a once cold material into a warm, grounding element in contemporary spaces. 1. Texture As Poetic Expression Soft Brutalism reimagines the concrete surface as a sensory landscape. Instead of the coarse, exposed finishes of classic Brutalism, this approach introduces a gentler, more tactile vocabulary. Ultra-high-performance concrete and advanced admixtures allow surfaces to feel like polished stone or soft, leathered marble, shifting concrete from industrial to intimate."
Soft Brutalism reinterprets concrete by combining structural honesty with softer, human-centered forms that emphasize permanence and tactile engagement. The approach shifts design values toward longevity and the emotional bond between people and material, treating concrete as a warm, grounding element rather than a cold industrial finish. Surface refinement uses ultra-high-performance mixes, advanced admixtures, subtle natural pigments, and smooth contours to create stone-like or leathered textures while retaining authentic pores and aggregate patterns. Applications include interior elements and outdoor furniture, exemplified by minimal concrete pieces shaped like enlarged brackets, with recessed grooves accommodating plywood backrests.
Read at Yanko Design - Modern Industrial Design News
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