Luxury and sophistication suit the tastes of the owners of this house in Florianópolis, Brazil, designed by Ana Paula Ronchi Arquitetura. In this house, natural lines and a range of neutral and light tones create functional and versatile spaces in which customised pieces designed by the architecture studio itself have been added.

Dekton Arga was used for this project, not only for its beauty but also for its technical properties. ‘We chose Cosentino materials for their strength and sophistication, as well as for their perfect integration with the range of colours designed for this project,’ the studio explains.

A home with plenty of light

Natural light is the main feature of this 230 m2 family home located on Calle San Juan de La Salle in Madrid. The Villalón Studio team needed to create functional and versatile spaces that could suit all members of the family, regardless of the occasion or time of day. To this end, the abundance of light entering the house, thanks to its position, has been key to optimising the space to the maximum and making the most of each room.

For the dining room, María Villalón and her team opted for light cream and grey tones, both for the upholstery of the sofas (Tapicerías Ilarcuris) and the rugs as well as for the walls, flooring and furniture, while darker colours were used for the wood in some of the chairs and for a small bar designed to make and serve cocktails, one of the owner’s passions. Furthermore, rattan plays an important role, as it is found in the doors of the auxiliary unit situated in one of the sides, as well as in the screens, designed by Pablo Yubero, which act as mobile separators that can adapt the room and the lighting, depending on the desired intimacy or openness.

A large travertine table has been chosen as the centrepiece. A unique piece that undoubtedly draws all the attention and gives this space a great prominence, due to the exclusivity and originality of natural stone. The result is a welcoming, ever-changing and stylish space in which works of art such as those by the Gärna Art Gallery and Beatriz Aiguabella add a touch of colour.

A demanding interior design

The interior designers of this home, located in a popular residential area on the outskirts of Madrid, faced a double challenge: on the one hand, they had to connect and give structural coherence to two independent semi-detached houses, transforming them into a single large family house with fewer but more spacious rooms; on the other hand, they had to bring new life to the interior appearance of the construction, creating an urban atmosphere inspired by New York lofts, something more in keeping with the needs of the owners, a young couple with several children and international tastes.

To do so, the space was redistributed allowing for a large open-plan floor of 100 m2 with part of its ceilings at double height. The staircase leading to the basement and the first floor was placed in the centre of the new room, which houses the living room, the dining room, a work area, the kitchen, a toilet and some additional relaxing and reading areas. Made from iron, wood and glass, it acts as an almost sculptural element that visually connects the various areas and, at the same time, helps to create different atmospheres depending on its use.

An industrial yet warm look dominates the décor, combining fine wood with natural finishes, brass, velvet, exposed brick and large-format floors reminiscent of concrete with metal accents, but with better technical performance in terms of resistance. The owners wanted an ‘all-terrain’ flooring solution that could withstand a lively social life (that would not get stained by a glass of wine, for example) and the demanding use of children (scratches, knocks, etc.). The interior designers recommended a safe bet, Dekton Nilium.

This US company’s aim was to create unique and timeless common and kitchen areas at its North Carolina headquarters. Both the client and the architecture studio in charge of the project, Gensler, were looking for a material that would be aesthetically powerful and at the same time stand the test of time, bearing in mind that these are areas of heavy traffic and daily use.

Both fell in love with Dekton Rem when they saw a sample of it. The architects knew right away that it was the perfect material, but it lacked something to add sophistication. So instead of using Rem in a matt finish, they came up with the idea of a polished finish. Thus Lincoln was born – a new and original colour designed specifically for this project. This was made possible thanks to the features of Dekton iD, a technology that allows for unlimited customisation of Dekton slabs and the creation of unique textures, colours and patterns.

The main challenge of this house is to dialogue with its own site, an iconic building of national architecture designed by the Catalan architect José Antonio Coderch in the mid-1960s. The Girasol building, on the corner of Madrid’s exclusive Ortega Gasset and Lagasca streets, is characterised by a masterful use of natural light. Each house rotates on its axis towards noon and this rotation is calculated according to the most favourable positions of the sun throughout the day and the different seasons of the year.

‘The owners – a young couple who live with their friendly beagle dog named Milka – wanted to respect its essence as much as possible, maintaining the brightness of the spaces, but with a larger and more continuous layout. They asked for the best quality and specially designed materials to be used, such as those by Cosentino. They were looking for modern and functional finishes, but at the same time they wanted to create a cosy space,’ explains Domus Arquitectura studio, in charge of giving this flat a second life.

‘The initial layout, typical of the period when it was build, was irregular, made up of suspended ceilings that reduced the usable heights and fragmented spaces that lost part of their potential. In addition, despite being a penthouse with two large terraces, there was no connection between inside and outside,’ the studio continues. The new layout solves these problems by focusing on attention to detail, elegance and uniqueness. A good example of this is the flooring, for which large-format reformulated Dekton Rem with fewer veins was used, thus achieving a unique finish that enhances the sense of continuity.

The architectural project for this flat in Turkey, designed by Pinar Çagatay Kizil from Pera Design İç Mimarlik, posed an ambitious challenge. The aim was to link two flats of the Kuzu Effect mixed-use building in Ankara. The result is a 105 square metre area with plenty of light that has been balanced by a design with dark colours.

One of the most striking aspects of the project was the creation of a virtual corridor with mirrors and partitions that allows spaces to flow, all aligned on a single façade. ‘The kitchen is the only area where we could not intervene, since the plumbing work had already been completed. We only enlarged the size of the island a little and gave it continuity by using Dekton Radium for the worktop, which is also found in the entrance and corridors of the house,’ the studio explains.

In the Italian city of Taranto, Apulia, there is a legendary meeting place that is now coming back to life after the renovation carried out by the architect Lello Nigro. Caffè Tarentum is a historic café restaurant that has been run by the same family for 35 years. The owners want to freshen up this place that offers coffee, pastries and home-made ice cream.

This renovation, carried out by Scrimieri Lab under the supervision of Nigro, aimed to create a warm, welcoming, restrained but elegant space. Materials such as Canaletto Walnut, Dekton by Cosentino and an array of natural matt lacquered finishes have been used to add a sophisticated and very comfortable character to the café.

Casa Decor, the discovery that shaped a house

The owners of this house were very clear when they visited Casa Decor 2020: they wanted a kitchen with the White Macaubas quartzite by Sensa and they wanted their home to be designed by Gärna Studio.

The couple, with 3 independent children, needed an open plan home with spaces that flow and communicate with each other. A cosy house to welcome their children and grandchildren and spend time together. These were their requests to Laura and Enrique of Gärna Studio, an architecture and interior design studio that the couple already knew well thanks to other projects that the architects and designers had carried out.

The project had two clear objectives: to create versatile spaces that could be used at different times depending on the needs; and to achieve a sense of unity in its design, with little variation in terms of elements and textures. To achieve this, Laura and Enrique looked for materials that were easy to fit and that would serve as a guiding thread between the different spaces. “We also played with different ceiling heights and lighting to achieve a greater sense of spaciousness and functionality, creating a welcoming atmosphere”, says Enrique García, architect and project manager at Gärna Studio.