Earlier this month, three of our Contour Interior Design (CID) team members partook in an incredible trip to Spain to visit the factory of one of the world’s top producers of surfaces for commercial and residential spaces, COSENTINO. In a week-long trip hosted by Cosentino, the CID team [which included Elyse Krueger, Andres Vanegas and Nataly Montoya] started their trip in Barcelona where they had the incredible opportunity to come face to face with some of the members of Cosentino and learn first hand on how these surfaces are produced. The CID team spent the first couple days in Barcelona getting acquainted with the Cosentino team and taking in some of the local sights and beautiful architecture that Barcelona offers, such as the Sagrada Familia Church and the Contemporary and Modern Museum. Not at all a bad use of time while getting over jetlag!
The wondrous visit in Barcelona ended with a group dinner at the famous Asador de Aranda Restaurant with members of the Cosentino team. On day three, the second half of the trip began with the team flying into Almeria, a city in Andalusia, Spain, to visit Cosentino’s official headquarters and factory. The CID team spent the following day touring the Cosentino natural stone factory, storage, and showroom where they were able to experience each of Cosentino’s brands and products, along with our favorite Cosentino brand, Dekton, and its newest industrial collection.
[Andres Vanegas, Elyse Krueger and Nataly Montoya with Dekton’s newest industrial collection]
Touring the factory, provided the CID team with a better understanding of the intricate production process of natural stone and the opportunity to learn more about the various types of slabs and all its unique applications. The factory in Almeria is the heart of the Cosentino operation, producing over 1,500 slabs per day under complete quality control from beginning to end.
Since our first introduction to the Cosentino brand, Dekton, during the Saks Fifth Avenue – 51fifteen Restaurant Project, CID has extensively used Dekton and Silestone in several projects for commercial, residential and hospitality use. Dekton has become one of our preferred surface materials due to its high resistance to heat, scratches, stains, and abrasion making it the perfect product for high traffic spaces, not to mention the versatility it offers in application, sizes, patterns and colors. The Dekton Aura color was largely used in the 51fifteen restaurant’s floors, walls, and ceilings, which at the time was the largest installation of Dekton in all of North America. Most notably, it was used to create the restaurant’s accent wall of octagonal pieces that extend to the ceiling.
Dekton is only one of the numerous brands offered by Cosentino. The Cosentino Group encompasses brands such as Silestone-made up of 93 % natural quartz, Sensa- the exclusive stain-resistant granite line, Scalea- made up of various types of natural stones, and Prexury- made up of semi-precious stones and other natural materials. Cosentino currently distributes its products and various brands to more than 80 countries and operates in more than 20 countries worldwide.
We are very grateful to the Cosentino family and its team for giving CID the opportunity to learn not only about how the Cosentino brands and products are produced, but also to realize the complexity and the high attention to detail and quality that goes into each piece. I know the experience and knowledge the CID team acquired during this trip will be of valuable use in many of our future projects. Thank you again Cosentino, for your hospitality.
Here are a few more photos from our incredible experience: