Is there a more versatile hardscaping material than the humble concrete block? In the garden, you can use it to make: a wall, a privacy screen, a breeze block window, a planter for succulents, a raised bed for your tomatoes, a carport, a front stoop, a path, a fence, a potting bench, shelves, a bench, or a wine rack. Plus about a million other things.
We admit that concrete is not always a good idea. Some concrete block structures look like Lego gone wrong. But when you get it right? Nothing looks better than concrete against a garden-green backdrop. The secret to success is proportion and context. To show you what we mean, we've rounded up 10 genius hacks with concrete—from humble DIY projects to architects' designs—that can improve any outdoor space:
Above: A concrete block wall in the garden of a beach house in Australia by Kennedy Nolan Architects. Photograph by Derek Swalwell via This is Paper.
Above: A cinder block stoop at a Danish summerhouse. For more, see Steal This Look: Summerhouse With Outdoor Shower.
Above: Breeze blocks create an impromptu window to allow air to circulate on a brick-walled patio created by Toronto-based Earth Inc. See more at Steal This Look: Cinderblock Chic on a Toronto Patio.
Above: Concrete blocks frame a garage on a house by San Francisco-based TD Architecture, a member of the Remodelista Architect/Designer Directory.
Above: A concrete block wall provides poolside privacy without blocking a panoramic views from a house by Sydney-based MCK Architects.
Above: Large blocks of concrete mixed with basalt stone frame a courtyard in Khopoli, India. The concrete house, designed by Spasm Design Architects, is perched on the side of a cliff. For more, see The Sheltering Sky: A Vacation House in Khopoli.
Above: DIY concrete block planters fill a corner of a patio at Allison Bloom's house in Mill Valley. See more in DIY: Concrete Block Planters.
Above: A concrete block garden pavilion by San Francisco-based TD Architecture.
Above: Concrete blocks hold redwood planks in place to create shelving in my next-door neighbor's garden. For more, see Garden Visit: The Hobbit Land Next Door. Photograph by Tom Kubik for Gardenista.
Above: Spotted via Urban Gardens Web, a cinderblock planter wall made by photographer Zac Benson.
For more, see DIY on a Budget: $30 Mini Concrete Planters and Steal This Look: An Open-Air Concrete Bath.
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