"We use Dekton A LOT. It’s so versatile and durable with great colours. For me though, the focus is on sustainability and materials that reflect the durability and maintenance requirements of the owners. Materials that work!"
Interior Designer and founder of White Pebble Interiors, Frances Cosway chose to work in the profession of Interiors Design as she loves to make a sifference in how people live. After renovating her own homes in Amsterdam and London, and then helping friends renovate their homes too, Frances realised that she throughly enjoyed the creative process of creating a home focused on what she loved, rather than trends and fads. After living in Europe for 12 years, Frances came back to Australia in 2009, and founded White Pebble Interiors in 2010, leaving her corporate career of 20 years to pursue a new adventure. Frances always aims to create sustainable homes that reflect the personalities of the owners and are designed around their lifestyle. This is why she focuses on Forever Homes – a long term investment for the owners that needs an Emotional ROI.
Where or with whom did you train?
What was your first project
Who inspires you the most?
Your favourite colours?
Inspiring design period or styles
My proudest project would be my own award-winning sustainable Forever Home we built 10 years ago with many sustainable principles and products that were really hard to source. It was ground-breaking at the time, and we were passionate to create something as energy efficient as possible without it being Passive House (which at the time was near impossible to do due to lack of knowledge and materials).
Also, a Forever Home I created for clients in Yarravillle, Melbourne. It was a property they had had their eye on for over 20 years. We designed it around their lifestyle and two teenage boys so perfectly. Dekton was a perfect match for this home for this reason! Their core focus was on having a home that wasn’t too precious and we designed it ensuring it was adaptable for years to come.
What I also loved about this project is how my client wanted to incorporate her favourite colour throughout. Such fun!
Applications and use of Cosentino materials
Vision for the future
Frances says there is a lot more focus on sustainability and being environmentally friendly.
"Sustainable and environmentally friendly products are becoming a bigger focus. This is such a large focus in Europe, but we are slow on the uptake in Australia."
"The world of interior design is becoming more about what you can do with less. How can materials be used in a smarter way. How can we use smarter design to create smaller homes that are adaptable and functional, without needing to be enormous."
Materials trending
"Natural products and those with a focus on sustainability and the environment. Naturally and organically aged or weathered. Materials that embrace imperfection and reflect nature."
Biggest Challenge
Frances says, her biggest challenge has been the last year or so with interest rate rises and coming out of Covid.
"People are diverting their money to holidays they missed, and postponing renovations with the cost of finance so high at the moment. It’s been a tough time for the industry, but I am grateful we still have clients coming to us to help with their homes, and we need to ride the wave."
Design desires for the future
"That’s a great question! We haven’t done commercial work – a fabulous café or restaurant, however I’m so passionate about making a difference to how people live in their Forever Homes, that I’m not sure I want to digress to something else. Perhaps to work on a home in France or the Netherlands, where the approach to design is really different to here in Australia. A farmhouse in the South of France – now that would be fabulous to work on."
The priority: SUSTAINABILITY
``We specify sustainable materials wherever possible, even if it’s not part of the brief. As long as it’s not impacting other parts of the brief, we specify sustainable products as a normal part of our specification process.
I often review floor plans for clients as part of my Floor Plan Sanity Check service. I review plans for sustainable measures such as zoning, window placement and size, shade provision, orientation for passive solar maximisation, provision for solar and so forth.``
"I love the functionality of this space along with the aesthetic of a ‘hint of industrial’ that the clients wanted. Using Dekton Lunar for the benchtop was perfect! I feel this kitchen is sophisticated, but not too precious – which is what you need in a home with teenage boys!”
Frances Cosway
Interior designer