To support and care for the families of hospitalised children, the Ronald McDonald Foundation, established in 1994, has provided parents with warm, welcoming homes in the vicinity of hospitals. In France alone more than 57,000 families have stayed in the ten homes run by the Foundation. Cosentino has donated material and equipped the kitchen of one of these homes, located in Paris, near the Robert-Debré hospital. This is Cosentino’s small part to help build a welcoming space that allows hospitalised children to be close to their families, thus maintaining an emotional balance that is crucial for their healing.

The Nouvelle Maison house in Paris was built two years ago next to the second leading children’s hospital in Europe, and welcomes families of children from all over the world. Families have free access to the building and have a separate bedroom at their disposal. The kitchen is a common area open 24 hours a day for parents’ use. Here they can relax, socialise with other families and recharge their batteries away from the hospital environment.

When designer Mauricio Gutiérrez of Design Influence undertook this home renovation project in Illinois (USA), it was clear to him that he needed quality materials that were aesthetically powerful and durable. Gutiérrez had collaborated with Cosentino in the past and was familiar with the wide range of materials and applications, and knew that they not only allowed him to bring his creative vision to life, but also to offer solutions for every room in the house.

For more than a year, the Cosentino team worked hand in hand with the designer and fitter to bring this impressive project to life. A house that never ceases to amaze in which materials have been used in a very innovative way. The result is a true testament to the versatility and ability of Cosentino materials to translate the ideas of the plan into reality.

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.

Aimed at young people and professionals with a dynamic lifestyle and a travelling soul, the new Noli Studios hotel opens its doors with a very flexible concept of short and long term accommodation. This is the third hotel of its kind opened by NREP, a Nordic real estate development and investment company. Located in Myyrmäki, on the outskirts of Helsinki (Finland), the hotel offers common areas, affordable prices and an atmosphere as comfortable as that of a hotel and as relaxed and intimate as that of an apartment.

The eight storey building features 322 contemporary style studios and over 1,000 m2 of common areas, including a gym, sauna, bicycle parking and a variety of spaces for relaxation and work. Functionality and minimalism are key to both the architectural design by Avarrus Architects Ltd and the interior design by dSign Vertti Kivi & Co.

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.

This house was literally designed for film and television stars to stay in while filming for a content production company that broadcasts in the New Mexico area. An ambitious challenge that Steven Storms, project manager and lead design consultant at Apex Homes, undertook with a complete refurbishment after finding the perfect house for this purpose. With a privileged location, stunning city and mountain views and plenty of privacy, the home was ideal for the project.

Storms managed to create a real oasis for celebrities, a place to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. And to all this he added luxury, sophistication and elegance in every detail. The design was based on the highest quality products and materials. Among them, Dekton and Silestone were two of the key features to add the perfect finishing touch. Both were chosen for their contemporary design and high consistency and can be found in the home in various applications.

‘Our architect, Michael Cardinale, wanted to reinterpret the style of typical European villas in a contemporary manner and planned to use marble as the main feature. However, he quickly dismissed this idea. The owners of the Izvor House are a big family with a very active social life and needed a much stronger material’, Kylie Petrou, Project Manager at Axon Homes, explains.

They found the right product in Cosentino’s materials: an extremely compact quartzite with unique stain resistant protection and a classic pattern. Sensa White Macaubas also fitted perfectly with the other finishes they wanted to use, such as walnut veneer, terracotta accessories and Japanese tiles in olive green or Mediterranean blue.