Because of my childhood, I retain a deep fondness for concrete. As the child of an engineer/contractor, I spent many weekends and afternoons visiting job sites (from Saudi Arabia to South Florida no less). Besides rebar, which looked to me like giant Pick Up Stix, and cage lights, there was nothing I liked better than concrete—especially if it was still wet. And I liked the look of it when it dried too: smooth gray expanses like metropolitan fields gleaming in bright sunlight.

Flaster Wall and Floor Tiles. Designed by Andras Rudolf. Manufactured by Ivanka.

Decorative & Durable Wall and Floor Tiles

The people behind Ivanka Studio and Concrete Works seem to agree with me. The Budapest-based company capitalizes on the appeal of the material, making everything from outdoor sculptures to wall tiles. Ivanka’s Flaster, combination floor/wall tiles, showcases the unique approach of the Hungarian firm. Designed by Andras Rudolf, Flaster transforms a pedestrian material into an unexpected ornament. The tiles—made of High density fiber reinforced high performance concrete—work for both exteriors and interiors.

Flaster’s medallions recall traditional tiles you might see in Italy or Morocco, although their industrial material works against notions of romantic grandeur. The colors, in combination with the matte finish, belong in an urban atmosphere where they blend in with black asphalt and yellow traffic lines. And yet Flaster also complements more bucolic settings, where the texture plays off the flocculent violet of pansies or the rich green of moss. Flaster wall and floor tiles may be ordered in custom colors, but the standard hues are quite varied: midnight black, off-white, sky blue, red, grey brown, rock grey, cement, beige, mouse grey, lichen green, ervin grey, and sargi yellow.

The Flaster pieces are available in two sizes, measuring approximately 11.5 inches and 8.5 inches. Put them together like a jigsaw puzzle or leave spaces in between. Either composition will stand the test of time, because Ivanka’s concrete “is an extremely persistent and resistant material, suitable for indoors and outdoors, domestic and public use.”

Via Trendir.

About the Manufacturer: Founded by Katalin Ivanka and Andras Ivanka in 2004, Ivanka Studio and Concrete Works produces distinctive designs exclusively in concrete, a material “chosen for creative expression through discovering unexpected attributes.” Ivanka works collaboratively with designers and architects—they believe in sharing ideas in order to reap the benefits of “synergy coming from the fusion of practices and an endless curiosity.” From speakers to gravestones, Ivanka manufactures unique products in concrete, always pushing the expectations and parameters of the material.