Marble and natural stone are favourite finishes among many for their ancient essence and the way time travels through their pores and veins. However, material innovation has paved the way for a welcome alternative. Combining the textural elegance of marble and other natural materials with durability, Dekton surfaces by Cosentino demonstrate resilience and define the aesthetic identity in Horizon Home.
Cosentino, a family-owned Spanish manufacturer, has been providing the design community with specialised surfaces for over four decades. Beyond an aesthetic that harnesses the grace and intrigue of natural stone, the Dekton range emphasises a sustainable point of view as a cradle-to-grave carbon-neutral surface. One hundred per cent of its CO2 emissions are offset during the product lifecycle. Andrew Samuel, founder of Naarm-based practice Samuel Architecture, has a strong background in residential, multi-residential and commercial design. Horizon House presented the ideal testing ground to explore Dekton’s versatile application. Underscored by craftsmanship, precise detailing and enduring design, this collaboration combined Dekton’s technical expertise with Samuel’s design nous.
Designed as a coastal family retreat, Horizon Home is a large four-bedroom residence that needed to accommodate an active family lifestyle while connecting to the natural landscape. Uplifting the luxury of Horizon Home, Dekton surfaces play a dual role as both foundational, resilient surfaces and a hero design element.
Flexing Dekton’s versatility, the first floor living space stars Dekton Portum as a hovering feature wall. This bold uses lassos attention like a carved, ivory-toned fresco. Expansive application, ceiling-height to hearth, sees it become a formative feature of the interior architecture that balances focus in social spaces that are often disrupted by a central television. “The design approach was simple: create a stone composition so refined and visually compelling that the eye is naturally drawn to the materiality, proportions and detailing of the wall itself, rather than the TV,” Samuel explains.
Sculpturally framing the fireplace of a living space, a charcoal and white Dekton surface design anchors the room. Treated more traditionally, Dekton surfaces add a refined layer to benchtops, including in the bathroom and laundry. Its durability is harnessed outdoors, setting the tone of luxurious living by backdropping the BBQ. Allowing for seamless material continuity without compromising utility, Dekton’s surfaces have also been used to quietly clad and conceal the more practical, yet less glamorous facts of life, such as AV storage.
Beyond its visual appeal, every aspect of Dekton surface development is geared towards longevity and durability. The ultracompact press used by Cosentino generates pressure that equates to more than two times the weight of the Eiffel Tower, eliminating imperfections that could cause weakness or cracking. Forgiving of the missteps and spills of fast-paced everyday life, it is also heat, stain and scratch resistant. Particularly important in Australian architecture, Dekton has been developed to withstand UV exposure. Samuel notes, “Its consistency and technical performance also gave confidence that the highly resolved design details would continue to perform well over the lifetime of the home.”
In addition to slim-lined specifications, gloss finishes and a range of sizing, Dekton’s collections each celebrate the aesthetic of a different naturally found material, broadening relevance for diverse interior design visions. In a palette of soothing whites and creams with golden and ashy silver veining, Dekton’s recently released Nomak collection elevates the elegant, marble-like offering. The Amazonik collection, launched earlier this year, is inspired by natural timber grains, from the textural depth of natural oak and the airiness of bleached oak.
Building on state-of-the-art Dekton surfaces, Cosentino recently launched ĒCLOS a new brand of surfaces harnessing recycled materials and minerals, fusing them together through next-generation INLAYR technology that eliminates crystalline silica in from the material composition.
Through innovative application of Dekton surfaces, Horizon Home exemplifies beauty with ease; a sentiment at the heart of Australian living, where interiors are functionally and aesthetically attuned to the natural landscape.