Material Profile: Concrete

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One of my favorite things about decor is the way it evokes certain feelings based on the materials used, amount of light, and color. I love a happy space but there is something about a solid and isolated interior that I find beautiful.

Concrete is one of those materials that I keep coming back to again and again. Although I traditionally equate concrete with floors, I see it popping up all over the place from kitchen counters to bathrooms to fireplaces.

I can't really imagine Mike and I tearing out our wood floors downstairs, but I did find this tutorial over on Little Green Notebook that has me thinking about how I could incorporate a faux concrete finish into our home and I'm thinking the perfect place would be the mantel a la this guy:

I'm not exactly sure how I would do it, but am thinking that as a 'phase 1' makeover, I could build a box out of wood to go over our existing mantel and then apply to faux finish to it. I would consider making a solid mantel out of concrete but I'm not sure what is behind the drywall and a solid concrete block would definitely need to be anchored on studs.

What do you guys think about concrete in the home? Just a phase that will look outdated in a few years or is it here to stay?