Brandon Gore accepting the award for 'Best Furniture Design' at Dwell on Design

Concrete is an amazing material. Unlike other artisan materials, concrete is created by the craftsman. What do I mean by this? Think about it - all other materials are equal in the hands of the expert, they are all preexisting. Wood is wood, metal is metal, Corian™ is Corian™, granite is granite, but concrete alone is a material that is made, and each person makes it slightly differently. This is really quite amazing and often times maddening, but there is beauty and discovery in chaos.

Unlike other slab/sheet products (wood, metal, stone, etc.), concrete is amorphous. This is the genesis of limitless design, which is a blessing and a curse. I have said it before and I'll say it again, "just because you can doesn't mean you should." With great power comes great responsibility, and it is the duty of the concrete craftsman to exercise design restraint.

Design is the primary purpose for which a client purchases a concrete product. Sure, the imperfect natural aesthetic is great, but a blob of concrete on the ground isn't alluring. It's the shape you coax the concrete into that gives it value, meaning and desirability.

Our name, 'Concrete Design School' is not by accident. The elements and processes of great design are a key focus of our training. There is a method to the madness, and we'll share our insights with you.