How to Use Stone in Your Kitchen ft. Base Camp Ewingsdale by Olive Cooke and Henry Tervenski – The Artedomus Expert Series
Becoming the focal point of a multi-concept space, the kitchen of Base Camp Ewingsdale is an impactful display of natural materiality. Designed by Olive Cooke and Henry Tervenski, the feature emerges from a productive collaboration with Artedomus.
Base Camp Ewingsdale sees the careful layering of raw materials to create a superior outcome. In the kitchen, Olive Cooke and Henry Tervenski employ slabs of Artedomus Sareva – a tonal quartzite with delicate markings – to complement the existing material palette of the terracotta and ceramics existing elsewhere throughout the home. Whilst the nature of a benchtop can often drive the direction of an interior design, the quartzite of Base Camp Ewingsdale was chosen to enhance the feeling of warmth proposed by pre-existing timber. The natural stone strikes a balance between visual refinement and innate durability.
Brenton, Managing Director. “A lot of our clients bring their inspiration with them; they’ve seen a project that they love and they’re trying to emulate it for themselves or adjust slightly to their own aesthetic.” After narrowing down their options, clients visit an Artedomus warehouse where a member of staff guides them towards the ideal slab for their scheme. The opportunity to experience the visual and tactile quality of the products often reinforces the eventual selection.
In Base Camp Ewingsdale, the kitchen reflects a thoughtful approach to stone application. On the island bench, Olive and Henry match the veining of the quartzite along its top and front-facing aspects, creating a dramatic and cohesive presentation. By selecting a robust type of stone, the designers can embed a minimal cooking system into the back bench, a feat that cannot be achieved with an engineered stone. The resulting surface is easy-to-clean and proposes an effortless aesthetic that engages with the remainder of the house. As the cooktop and splashback surfaces exceed the length of a single slab of Sareva, Olive and Henry join two pieces of the stone three-quarters of the way across the features, forming a discreet solution.
Artedomus offers invaluable knowledge of the use and maintenance of natural stone.
Artedomus offers invaluable knowledge of the use and maintenance of natural stone. To avoid having joints in a kitchen island – which appear haphazard and often jarring – the size of the island should be accurately matched to the size of the stone slab. All natural stone should be protected using a sealer and the longevity can be increased by using PH-neutral cleaning products. Avoiding a joint near a sink is key, as the cyclical conditions of wet and dry will deteriorate the sealer over time, leaving the stone vulnerable to unsightly marks and stains.
Having spent time in both the Brisbane and Sydney Artedomus showrooms, Olive and Henry chose the ideal stone for Base Camp Ewingsdale. The warm-toned quartzite fits seamlessly into the interior design and testifies to the value of industry experience.
