When Tania Nikolitsis, principal designer at Tanik Design, was asked to design a “kitchen dressed to kill,” she couldn’t go past the striking looks and high performance of surfaces by Cosentino. The client – one of Adelaide’s leading kitchen manufacturers – wanted a sleek, luxurious, state-of-the-art kitchen with an oversized island. Tania selected Sensa by Cosentino® in Orinoco to make a statement on the island and splashback, paired with Dekton® Domoos for the benchtops. “It’s an orchestrated marriage of natural granite and ultracompact material, creating a breathtaking kitchen for an epic and luxury lifestyle,” says Tania.
The exotic beauty of brightly polished Sensa® Orinoco is the showpiece of the kitchen, cladding the front of the island and splashback. Sensa by Cosentino® is a revolutionary collection of natural granite surfaces sourced from Brazil and India. Orinoco has intense, dynamic veining with swirling patterns and strong movement of white and bronze on a deep black background. Each pair of slabs perfectly mimics each other, creating a seamless and uninterrupted effect.
“The stature of the island was instrumental and the pivotal force behind the entire kitchen design,” Tania says. “I wanted a natural stone that was dynamic, heroic and unique in its presence. No other product offered the look of Sensa® Orinoco, hence why it stood aside from the rest.”
The client’s love of race cars provided inspiration for the choice of benchtop, with matte black 12-millimetre Dekton® Domoos being reminiscent of a tarmac. It also provides a heat-, scratch- and stain-resistant surface that is strong and durable in high-traffic areas. “Dekton® surpasses any other product in functionality and aesthetics. It’s low maintenance and easy to clean, with jumbo slabs that catered for the exceeded sections of the island,” Tania explains.
A sunken laneway through the centre of the kitchen island is “like a ‘GT Stripe’ on a high-performance race car,” says Tania. This centre strip can elevate or descend at the push of a button, to provide a large flat surface, or to provide access to appliances and other storage areas within the island.
The kitchen island is slightly raised off the floor as a monolithic art form. “This required considerable engineering, but was worth every investment as it instantly alleviated what could have been an extremely hefty and overbearing look,” Tania says.
The gold, copper, bronze and black colour palette of Sensa® Orinoco is continued throughout the joinery in the kitchen and living areas, including the bar. Tania used Dekton® Laurent for the slab-like benchtop and splashbacks in the bar, where the client’s collection of aged, distilled cognac is on display, and the dramatic lighting illuminates the intense gold veining of Dekton® Laurent.
“The end result surpassed my expectations. Pushing all boundaries, this design is by far one of the most challenging, yet most rewarding, in my career,” Tania says.
Explore the full range of colours across Sensa® and Dekton® here.
Photography by Jodie Allen.
