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.

DYS architecture chose Dekton for the stylish façade cladding of the Leon Judah Blackmore Pavilion at Vancouver General Hospital. The renovation of the building is a tribute to Leon Judah Blackmore, a Polish immigrant who made Canada his home and flourished as a businessman and real estate developer. In memory of his passion and contribution to the community, his philanthropic foundation donated $18.4 million to the hospital after his death.

Two years after that, the hospital’s Centenary Pavilion has been renovated and now bears his name as a tribute. The Vancouver-based Cosentino team collaborated on the project by supplying the Dekton Aura15 cladding material used on the façade that frames the entrance to the building.

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.

The new corporate image of the metal recycling company Carprometal, based in the province of Lecco (Italy), can be seen from its very façade. This 1970s industrial building has a new look after the renovation carried out by the architect Ivo Pellegri, who has managed to give it a contemporary and forward-looking appearance.

The 200 square metres of ventilated façade with concealed DKT fixings have been made from Dekton by Cosentino, a material that has not only managed to update the aesthetics, but also to technologically implement the architecture, thanks to its durability, resistance and other technical features.

The concept of Hayal Kahvesi, a restaurant chain in Turkey, goes beyond serving lunch and dinner, as it turns into a concert hall at night. And in keeping with this multi-disciplinary concept, one of its premises in Istanbul has been refurbished. ‘During the day it is a good place to eat and to meet. At night, it turns into a club-lounge,’ explain the architects and interior designers working with Tanya Ildiroğlu and her studio Margo Interior and Product Design on the project.

The entire design revolves around both experiences and tries to meet the needs of the customers. ‘We are organic beings, who need food to nourish the body and music to nourish the soul. We live in one of the largest metropolises and have to deal with a lot of hustle and bustle. Therefore, one of the objectives was for the interior design to be able to restore all of the negativity of the day and turn it into something positive,’ the designers explain.

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 new building of the AXA insurance company in Northern Ireland boasts a contemporary façade with a combination of materials and textures. Designed by architects Tim Robinson and Aron Ramage of GM Design Associates and installed by Heron Brothers, the façade brings together design with efficiency and sustainability. The chosen surface was Dekton, not only because of its design, but also because of the technical advantages it offers for this type of application, making it the ideal material for façades.

“I was familiar with Dekton as I had seen it in the Cosentino Belfast showroom, as well as in some Heron Brothers projects, and it has always impressed me. As an ultracompact surface, it suits façades perfectly. The fact that it is resistant to harsh weather conditions and UV rays means that its colour will not fade with prolonged exposure to the sun”, explains Michael Connolly, Commercial Director at Heron Brothers and head of the project.

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.