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Cosentino Showcases Innovative Design at First-Ever Seasonal Living Virtual Showhouse

Cosentino is honored to sponsor the first-ever Seasonal Living Virtual Showhouse, a 20,000 square foot tourable and shoppable luxury designer showhouse, built entirely in the virtual world. This marks the first time Cosentino has sponsored a virtual showhouse to continue supporting the design industry as it adapts to the new normal within the pandemic environment.

From Dec. 3rd, 2020,  the luminary spaces will showcase the very latest from Cosentino’s ultra-compact Dekton® and Silestone® quartz surfaces including Dekton Laurent, Dekton Bromo, Silestone Et. Noir and more. Featuring work from 11 leading interior designers, Cosentino spoke with Arianne Bellizaire, Ariana Lovato, and Carla Aston about their designs, expertise, inspiration, and innovative use of Cosentino materials.

Because this showhouse is virtual and the designers have not been constrained by budget, they have had complete creative freedom to implement their designs. As a result, the virtual showhouse contains hundreds of inspiring and beautiful new ideas, focused around wellness and sustainability, for design enthusiasts around the globe to enjoy and explore from the safety and comfort of their homes. 

Below you’ll find the designers’ inspiration, and to tour the home, visit here. Check back in next week to see the remaining spaces and hear additional participating designer’s inspiration!

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 width=Arianne Bellizaire, Arianne Bellizaire Interiors 

Why did you decide to participate in this virtual showhome? What room(s) did you design? 

I decided to participate in the virtual showhome project because I love that it was an innovative response to the limitations 2020 has presented to us. I have always been inspired by showhouses because I think that they are an incredible source of inspiration, and they allow the designer to push the boundaries of design.

I designed the family room also known as the “flex” room.

Describe the overall aesthetic of your space. What inspired your vision? 

I would describe the aesthetic of this space as a warm contemporary. I prefer clean lines and a streamlined approach to my spaces, but I also love color and texture. For this space, I wanted to take the bland, empty box with it’s soaring ceilings and make it feel warmer and inviting.

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Who do you envision living in this space? From both a design and functionality standpoint, how did that inspire the materials you specified?

We were actually given a client brief for this project, but I found myself really tapping into what I would need in a space that needed to convert from everyday family lounging to a long-term virtual learning environment for my kids.

I started the process by drawing a bubble diagram of where zones of activity should be placed for each of the scenarios (family room vs. virtual learning). Then I overlapped the diagrams to try to combine zones where possible.

So that each space could easily transition from one function to the next, I designed special cabinetry (wrapped in the 4mmm Dekton product) and made sure that each area had access to power sources and lots of lighting! For the main sitting area, I chose a seating option that could take on different layouts so that the room could breathe and still feel spacious even when some of the home learning elements were accessed.

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We understand you specified material from Cosentino in your space. What material did you use, and in what application? From a design and aesthetic standpoint, why did you select this color? From a durability and functionality standpoint, why did you select the material you did? What sets it apart from other surfacing?

The focal point of the room is the stunning fireplace that stretches all the way up to this room’s soaring 22 foot ceiling height. 

I made this feature a work of art by combining different colorways of Cosentino’s 4mmm Dekton product to create an almost mosaic effect on the fireplace facade.

I also wrapped this super thin product around the bulkier beams and the cabinetry.

I used this material because of its ability to be seamlessly installed on vertical and horizontal spaces. I also loved that there were so many colorways to choose from!

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 width=Ariana Lovato, Honeycomb Home Design

Why did you decide to participate in this virtual showhome? What room(s) did you design? 

This is the world’s first-ever luxury virtual showhouse so it was super exciting to me to be involved! I do a lot of virtual reality rendering and modeling in our design firm, so it felt like a perfect fit. We designed the Kitchen and the Solarium, which is used for indoor food growing as well as a greenhouse. 

Describe the overall aesthetic of your space. What inspired your vision? 

The aesthetic is very clean and contemporary, bold and rich, and filled with delicate details. The space envelops you with all of the luxe details but also nourishes your senses – literally and figuratively with the hydroponic sliding wall panels!  I was really inspired by our «virtual» clients who are from China and London, respectively. They both come from backgrounds of growing their own foods and have a heavy emphasis in sustainability, function, and cleanliness.  We are all wanting spaces that truly comfort us and inspire us, now more than ever. We used materials and colors that were intentional, bold,  and with purpose throughout this entire space. 

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Who do you envision living in this space? From both a design and functionality standpoint, how did that inspire the materials you specified?

We were given a brief when we started the project of who would be living in this house. Our virtual clients are Shy and Garrett Morris. Shy was born in China and comes from a family of ancient Chinese medicine. She is a doctor herself and her and her husband have three children. Garrett Morris is also a Doctor and comes from a background of sustainability in farming. They wanted a home that would allow their large family to gather, create and enjoy a space that would truly nourish them.

We chose materials that were beautiful and rich, but also very easy to clean and extremely durable. 

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We understand you specified material from Cosentino in your space. What material did you use, and in what application? 

We used several products from Cosentino! Actually, Dekton Laurent was the first finish material we chose! I fell in love with the colors and the dramatic viening. We chose to use this as the perimeter countertop, full height backsplash, and also on the actual cabinet fronts by using the 0.4cm thickness. I have never seen this material used as cabinet fronts before; it is just stunning!

For our islands, we used a combination of Dekton Odin and Dekton Bromo. We loved the rich wood tone of the Odin finish, in contrast with the concrete-looking Bromo. We chose a really chunky countertop edge and then waterfalled them for a very dramatic look. 

For the planters in the solarium, we used Dekton Trillium, because it looks like rusted metal that has been there forever! It had a great industrial feel to it. They are perfect finishes for the natural aesthetic!

From a design and aesthetic standpoint, why did you select this color?

We wanted a neutral color palette, but still wanted it to be bold and dramatic. the finishes we chose from Cosentino feel very classic and pure, and are the perfect compliment to the other finishes. 

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From a durability and functionality standpoint, why did you select the material you did? What sets it apart from other surfacing?

I don’t know of another material that is as durable and beautiful as Dekton is! They are the ideal countertop for kitchens!

It was a perfect option for this project because these clients wanted durable, easy to clean, functional, and stylish. With Dekton, there is zero water absorption, heat tolerance, UV resistance, and thus super easy to clean and manage. With a busy family that cooks and wants durability and function, this was an easy choice to make. I also loved the idea of facing the cabinetry in this material because it’s not only durable, it’s seamless – no more grooves to clean on the face of the cabinetry!

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 width=Carla Aston, Aston Design Studio, LLC

Why did you decide to participate in this virtual showhome? What room(s) did you design? 

I designed the living room, which is a really large and open space. I was so excited to have this opportunity to explore having a room in a virtual experience. I also loved the idea of designing a space with not many limitations.

Describe the overall aesthetic of your space. What inspired your vision? 

It’s light and fresh with a bit of drama. I did an overall light blush-toned space with touches of dramatic black to add contrast and glamour.

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Who do you envision living in this space? From both a design and functionality standpoint, how did that inspire the materials you specified?

We had a client avatar that was given to us, a family of five, with professional, entrepreneurial parents who, no doubt, would be using the living room as a place to entertain. I also wanted the living room to feel comfortable and be used as an escape for family members to rest, talk and recharge with those magnificent views of the ocean.

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We understand you specified material from Cosentino in your space. What material did you use, and in what application? 

I used Et Noir Silestone for the dramatic black color and distinct white veining. I used this on the fireplace wall and then as surrounds around the elevator doors and two other door openings in the space to add quality and architectural interest in the space. I used Dekton Laurent as two console tabletops in the space. It’s perfect for the occasional drink that might be left on the top and I loved the dark gray tone color and the warm veining of this piece. It worked so well with the color scheme I was using in the room.

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