Did you know?

Concrete isn't a modern creation--the oldest found concrete wasn't even man-made; It's a 12-million-year-old natural concrete deposit. The oldest man-made concrete structure was found at a Neolithic site in Southern Galilee, Israel, and it dates back to 9000 years ago!

The Ancient Romans perfected the concrete recipe; adding sandy volcanic rock to the mix. Not only did this increase usability—the new concrete recipe could even set under water—this high quality concrete was also of such high quality that some Ancient Roman bridges, even after 2,000 years of river erosion, are still in use to date. Talk about built-to-last.

Joseph Aspdin, father of Portland cement, was an advocate of building concrete houses. So was Thomas Edison (pictured above with a tiny concrete model house). Now it seems as though concrete home furnishings such as clocks and pots are gaining popularity. Though there are a few things that are still off-limits, it’s safe to say that concrete is a good choice for various applications.

Sometimes paired with architecture, and interior design, other times paired with sculpture and other visual arts. Stained, stamped, or geometric—concrete transforms our consciousness, visually imprinting us with bold and abstract ideas.