Case Study
The refurbishment of its bathrooms, carried out entirely with DKTN, brings this Irish hotel closer to achieving one more star
BS Tiling – Brian Stacey
Location
Dún Laoghaire, Co., Dublin (Ireland)
Matériau
DKTN
Application
Wall cladding, shower tray and seat, washbasin, door, cistern lid, window, flooring
End Date
2023
Monteur
BS Tiling – Brian Stacey
Couleur
Rem, Laurent
Épaisseur
4 mm, 8 mm
When the Rochestown Lodge Hotel decided that it was time to modernise its bathrooms – which hadn’t been refurbished since the 1980s –, the hotel’s managers turned to Cosentino with the idea of cladding the walls with DKTN panels. However, they ended up using many more Cosentino products, becoming one of the first commercial projects in Europe to be completely custom-built by DKTN’s commercial department.
“I undertook this project because I have 27 years of experience in the tile and bathroom industry, and I used my knowledge, skills and expertise to bring it to fruition. I was involved at every stage of the process and contributed significantly to the design of the bathrooms and the placement of our products in them”, says Kenneth Birkett, Senior Account Manager at Cosentino Ireland.
Thus, the bathrooms ended up featuring DKTN Optimma wall claddings, cut-to-size floor slabs, Gocce shower trays and a range of customised Cosentino products for the cistern lids, shower seats and window ledges. “Basically, it is a complete pack of all our DKTN products in one single room”, says Birkett.
DKTN Rem and DKTN Laurent, a winning combination to create a well-balanced contrast
Cosentino’s manager proposed a combination of DKTN Rem and Laurent to create an attractive contrast in the bathrooms. Thus, DKTN Rem, a colour inspired by one of the most elegant white marbles on the market, was used for the wall cladding and window ledge. The detailed design of its brown and grey veins with touches of gold enhances the sobriety and almost linear structure of Calacatta marble.
For the rest of the elements in the bathroom, the material of choice was DKTN Laurent, a colour reminiscent of Port Laurent natural stone. Its surface texture creates a play of shades that enhance the contrast of its tones, while its golden veins dominate the space and bring warmth to its dark, cold background, which gives depth to the whole.
Once the products and their arrangement in the hotel had been decided, the DKTN Ireland team created a full-size mock-up of the bathroom to show the customers. The design was quickly approved and the on-site installation was carried out by BS Tiling.
“BS Tiling has worked with an incredible portfolio of hotels. I am delighted that they have undertaken the project, because they have handled the product very well. The final result was exceptional”, says Birkett.
Large but lightweight slabs for low maintenance
The professional also highlights the light weight of these slabs, which have a thickness of 4 mm and a weight of only 26 kilograms. According to Birkett, this feature makes them “exceptionally easy to handle both inside and outside the hotel rooms”.
“Large format DKTN Rem slabs bring a minimalist approach to the bathrooms. As they are 2.6 metres high, there is very little grout, so maintenance is very low”, explains Birkett.
Bathrooms that elevate the status of the hotel
Birkett also points out three interesting little details of the project. Firstly, the use of a cistern lid in DKTN Laurent. In the event of a fault, this lid allows access to the plumbing behind the wall in a very elegant way.
Secondly, the creation of a threshold that prevents water from flowing out of the bathroom in the event of an unforeseen event. And thirdly, the installation of a seat in the shower with a perfect slope so that water does not accumulate. The decision to incorporate this seat was both to facilitate hygiene for people with functional diversity and to add extra comfort for all guests.
Now, thanks to this complete refurbishment, the hotel offers top class bathrooms in its rooms. “Thanks to the high quality of the products used in the bathrooms and bedrooms, the Rochestown Lodge Hotel is able to meet the necessary requirements to qualify and upgrade from three to four stars. I am very pleased that DKTN, a sustainable and carbon neutral product, can help achieve this status”, Birkett says finally.