A gathering of gorgeous concrete lighting.

Since the era of the Roman Empire, concrete has been romancing our built environment by way of sidewalks and skyscrapers. Any urbanite is all too familiar with concrete jungles, but here’s a dose of unexpected concrete, formed and porous, suspended from a ceiling near you.

While the same concrete that layers your driveway can be adapted into solid little lighting delivery suspensions, the simple composite of cement, sand, and water adopts a look of industrial elegance when fitted around a light bulb. The combination of cold, raw material encasing soft, warm light is a dichotomy worth hanging.

The Heavy Light (above and below) by Benjamin Hubert is a thin walled cast concrete pendant available in a handful of sizes and finishes. Mr. Hubert (remember his cork oak wonders?) has also designed a concrete desk lamp worth drooling over.

If your aesthetic is more modern and less industrial, the Aplomb Pendant will charm you. The elegant geometric structure was designed by Paolo Lucidi and Luca Pevere for Foscarini and flaunts its personality in white, brown, or traditional gray.

Personally, I adore the pure and honest application of concrete and steel in The Real Concrete Tube by Stefan Zickert for Diffikult. The surface imperfections and texture delight my imagination.

If you are longing for the charm of a concrete pendant and you cannot possibly wait for the charisma to be delivered from Europe, give your construction skills a polish and try this project by Brigg – I will be.

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I have to admit, I love cork – and not just because the source (the Cork Oak tree) bears an uncanny resemblance to my last name. I love the texture, color, and possibilities this humble material offers. I love that a porous material with contrasting rich earthy substance and negative space molds into sheets of two-dimensional strength. Here are just a few reasons for you to love cork, too.

Benjamin Hubert designs a heap of gorgeous products to suspend from your ceiling. The Float pendant (a hand turned Portuguese agglomerate cork lamp) is just one of Mr. Hubert’s creations to covet.

The Phillip Jeffries Java Cork Collection is an inspired wallpaper gathering; Ebony Cork with Gold is a dream of natural cork with a gold metallic underlay. This unexpected partnership of earthy and gleam is absolutely stunning. These Balloon Shakers designed by Japanese architect Masayuki Kurokawa (available at Merchant 4) are a translucent and enlightening way to display salt, pepper, and vivid spices.

The Puf Fup by Corque (designed by Ana Mestre) is envisioned to “challenge the creativity of its user” through a cohesive, continuous string of perfect cork spheres that invites sculpting your perfect (wildly comfortable) seat.

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