A very 'arty' house where everything revolves around the kitchen

In this renovation project, interior designer Mónica Diago was clear that it was essential to “harmonise noble materials: marble for floors and frames, oak and natural stone, without making the overall design feel overwhelming.” To achieve this, she found the perfect material: Sensa Vancouver by Cosentino.

Located on Barquillo Street, in Madrid's Justicia neighbourhood, the home has been renovated by Mónica Diago's studio for boutique developer Lumier. “It is conceived as a contemporary reinterpretation of an 'arty' house: spaces with character, standout pieces, and an elegant atmosphere without being excessive. The foundation of the project is built on natural marble and a warm palette balanced with a natural oak kitchen,” explains the designer.

In this context, it was necessary to “give prominence to the kitchen without overwhelming, making it a central and elegant piece, integrated into the atmosphere of the Justicia neighbourhood, without appearing out of place or overly modern.” With this premise, “the Sensa Vancouver worktop acts as a focal element: it adds depth, pattern, and a stony aesthetic that aligns perfectly with the overall language of the house.”

Cosentino's material has been used as the main surface in the kitchen (worktop and work area) and, seamlessly, as a splashback in the most exposed areas “to reinforce the monolithic feel and to protect the wall. The intention was for the stone not to be just a finish but an architectural gesture, a piece with visual weight that interacts with the oak and the marble in the rest of the home.”

For Diago, this “meant working with a material that offers a very strong natural aesthetic but with added confidence for everyday use: when a project seeks a significant presence of stone, it is important that the client does not feel they are sacrificing functionality for beauty. Additionally, from a project perspective, it allows for precise solutions (joints, edges, continuity with the splashback) and a very clean result, which was key in an oak kitchen where any imperfection is noticeable.”

In this case, Sensa was the natural choice “because we wanted genuine natural stone (with its pattern, depth, and variation), but with the right performance for a kitchen that was going to have a lot of prominence and use. Sensa Vancouver fit perfectly with the Arty concept: elegant, with character, but without being over the top. And it also offers excellent durability over time, thanks to its improved maintenance and performance.”

The project “required a material with aesthetic identity (veining, movement, depth) to support the narrative, but we also needed a surface that conveyed ease of use. We chose the slab thinking about how it would coexist with the oak and the marble floors: we were looking for a warm-cool contrast and a pattern that added sophistication without competing with the rest.”

The design and definition phase was crucial to ensure the piece “felt architectural, not just like a placed worktop. In a kitchen where oak is so prominent, we needed the stone to be installed with great precision so that the finishes were impeccable, with minimal joints, continuity, and clean edges. Additionally, in daily use, cleaning is very simple: water, neutral soap, and done. For us, it was important that the client did not have to worry about the worktop. Of course, as with any kitchen, basic habits are advisable, but the overall experience is low effort and highly satisfying.”