Unique, hand-crafted pieces made of concrete and reclaimed materials. 

About piinkrete

My husband may jokingly(?) call me a hoarder, but that feeling when my compulsion to save something because I could use it again is rewarded, it's just too good. This is probably driven by my personal mission to reduce my waste and my footprint on this planet, and hopefully make people, at the very least, think about theirs. This mission and my need to create are the motivation behind piinkrete.

A girl and a guy walk into a bar.

My love for creating started at a very young age and was cultivated by my Mom. Whether it was Halloween costumes, baby doll clothes, or videos with action figures, my siblings and I were always making things when we were younger, and that's never stopped. Being a Designer and Illustrator for 12+ years, piinkrete forces me to move away from my computer and allows me to scratch that make-with-my-hands itch. 

In 2018, my then-fiance had a storefront we were re-designing and we dreamt of a concrete bar top. We built and poured the bar ourselves, which became the feature of the space and began my love for concrete. I then started making concrete candle holders for the bar, using aluminum cans from the bar. Then I expanded into making items using other materials I've collected, as well as experimenting with mixing various materials with the cement. 

The relationship between giving something one more use, or a whole new beautiful life, and the rustic, moldable nature of concrete resulted in funky, one-of-a-kind, eco-friendly home goods, and was the beginning of piinkrete.

"Ooooooh! That's a good box!"

- Jenny, After a Delivery

The Process

Each piece is designed, poured, sanded, and finished by me. The most fulfilling creative challenge is re-envisioning trash and repurposing reclaimed materials. Whether it's how the piece is molded or what is mixed in the aggregate*, I try to be mindful of the materials I use and the waste I create.

This special transformation means every piece is one-of-a-kind.

*AGGREGATE: the broken or crushed pieces of material (typically stone or gravel) that is mixed with cement, which then makes concrete.

  • The Molds

    Some molds are silicone or plastic, which I can use over and over. For more custom shapes, I use cardboard boxes or I will model and 3D print one, depending on the complexity of the shape. The 3D-printed molds can be used several times, but once they break down, the plastic is cut up and added in the aggregate for new pieces. As well as those failed 3D prints (aka. spaghetti monsters), they are cut up and used in the aggregate, too.

  • The Mix

    The cement gets mixed with aggregate, which uses a combination of sand, stones, and recycled materials, like glass or plastic. The cement globs onto the aggregate during the chemical process, which then turns into concrete.

  • The Finishing Touches

    After setting for several days, the final pieces are sanded down to highlight the raw nature of the concrete and to expose the aggregate, which gives it a terrazzo or confetti look. Because each piece is handmade, there will be imperfections, it’s also the nature of the medium as well as an effort to use each piece poured to cut down on waste.

Reclaimed Materials Include:

Behind the Scenes: Making of a Plant Stand