The trendy restaurant in Lima is a sensory space featuring Dekton in the kitchen

Virgilio Martínez is one of those visionary chefs who advocate for the promotion of Peruvian gastronomy in what he himself calls 'market cuisine' or 'signature cuisine'. To the delight of his admirers, he has opened Masi, a new space that serves as an extension of the Central restaurant, one of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, located in the Barranco district of Lima, Peru. The project was led by architect Adriana Floistad Mir, who stated, 'The space was designed with the intention of using natural materials represented with great subtlety. An ordered and very sophisticated nature.'

Based on this concept of ordered nature, the project is centred around the kitchen as the visible and operational core of the restaurant, where the large Dekton Grafite worktops define the preparation and service surfaces, with a continuous mineral presence that interacts with dark wood, exposed metal, and subdued lighting. The floor, finished in Dekton Laos, enhances the dense and enveloping atmosphere that characterises the space.

The colour choice is directly linked to the territory. According to the client, Diogo Miranda, 'The worktop was chosen in Dekton Grafite because it resembled a stone from the Andes. And the Dekton Laos flooring because the powdery black colour added depth to the space.' This reflection highlights a precise understanding of colour as a spatial tool. 'Flat colours do not provide depth; on the contrary, colours with grey do,' he adds, emphasising the value of nuances and surfaces with visual complexity over uniform finishes.

As explained by the project team, the choice of Cosentino is due to 'its technology and high-level design finishes.' This decision is particularly relevant in a demanding environment such as an open professional kitchen, where materials are exposed to heat, impacts, humidity, and constant intensive use. In this regard, Dekton surfaces offer 'guarantees that the material will not deteriorate or stain over time,' an essential condition for preserving the architectural integrity of the space in the long term.

Beyond aesthetics, the technical features of Dekton were also decisive. 'Heat resistance, non-porous, resistant to cuts and impacts,' lists Miranda, who also highlights a key aspect from a visual perspective: 'The formats have a composition that, when joined, does not appear as a repetitive pattern but rather the opposite; for me, this is highly valuable in aesthetic terms.' This absence of obvious repetition allows large surfaces to be perceived almost as continuous stone blocks, reinforcing the concept of natural material.