Brutalist Design Is Back—Here’s How to Weave the Edgy Style Into Your Home

Brutalism may sound like a rough and not particularly homey form of home design, but the truth is, it's anything but—with its natural hues and materials and dramatic vibes. With interest in brutalism architecture on the rise, we set out to give you an overview of what brutalism is, why it's on the rise, and how you can incorporate elements of Brutalist architecture into your home—whether you're looking for a little touch or a larger renovation.

What Is Brutalist Design?

"The philosophy behind Brutalist architecture and design is to hone in on functionality first, aiming for everything to be in order," Goldberg says. "Brutalist design is known for using industrial, textural materials, minimal shapes, and massive forms. The emphasis on materials and textures in unexpected shapes is really beautiful and mixes into designs to make a space feel more custom and unique."

The Brutalist movement began in the 1950s, as countries looked to rebuild quickly after World War II. The design features a simple set of materials and stark, raw surfaces. It gradually lost favor as it was considered too austere—but never entirely went away.

The current rise in Brutalism seems like an evolution from the clean modern design elements of the past few years, Helft says. "The modern look was more stark, clean, and cold. But Brutalism is still modern, but with a softer, neutral palette."

How to Add Brutalist Architecture to Your Home

Ready to go full-bore into a Brutalist look? Try these tips to incorporate it into your home.

Consider whether it makes sense with your home's architecture.

Not every architectural style makes sense with Brutalist design. For instance, it would look out of place in a traditional Victorian, where you'd be looking more for maximalist design to stay true to your home. "I think that traditional design does not lend itself to Brutalism," Helft says. "It’s definitely a bit of a more modern feel." Brutalism is a natural fit for homes that feature contemporary, transitional, or mid-century modern design.

Decide what materials to use.

Traditional Brutalism utilizes a simple palette of materials, such as unpolished stainless steel, brass, and wood finishes and lots of concrete, Goldberg says.

But often, modern Brutalism utilizes different materials to achieve the same effect—either to save on cost or to make the design easier to live with and keep clean. For instance, you might use a high end, textured vinyl wallpaper to give you the look of a concrete wall, a sandstone or limestone countertop in lieu of a concrete one, Helft says. She likes using porcelain for a fireplace front due to its durability and heat resistance. "If it's a real fireplace, you should use porcelain," she says. "You can still get that grainy, concrete feel to it."

Add touches of brutalist design to refresh a dated room.

If you're dealing with a dated kitchen—such as a 1980s vibe—a touch of Brutalism will help make it modern without necessarily ditching the current cabinets. You can update the countertops with sealed concrete (or a concrete-like material like sandstone) and use concrete accessories like light fixtures and cabinet pulls to update older stained-wood cabinets. "Concrete works best with other natural materials," Helft says. "Stained cabinets will look better with concrete, as you're using another natural element."

How to Add Brutalist Touches to Your Home

Maybe you're not ready for a big renovation project on your home—but you still want to add touches of Brutalist design. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to do it without investing a lot of money or effort into the update. That's also ideal if you aren't quite sure you're fully committed to the architectural look, and want to test it out to see if it's something you love.

Add subtle touches of concrete.

Look for accessories to add in wood, metal, and concrete. Helft recommends a concrete bowl placed on a kitchen island, or concrete planters or vases. You can also find accessories like candlesticks or soap dishes to add a small touch of it.

Texturize the walls—or the floor.

You can use natural stone or concrete tiles, textured wallpaper, or even a colored plaster finish to give you the Brutalist look in your room.

Add a concrete piece of furniture.

Most major retailers—including Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel—are offering concrete tables and other furnishings that'll give you that Brutalist feel.

Incorporate other natural elements.

"When you add natural items with concrete, it becomes softer and warmer, it doesn’t have that cold, Brutalist feel," Helft says. Think textured wool blankets, dried flowers or plants, warm-stained wood, and jute rugs or accessories.