Bespoke Sintered Stone surfaces from Neolith® have been specified for a cool and contemporary hotel on the Costa Brava

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For award-winning architect Pau Llimona, the Mediterranean Sea has always possessed a romantic mystique. The centre of the world for many classical civilisations, its rugged coastlines and azure waters have inspired many who visit from poets and authors to painters and sculptors. It has also had a major impact on the architecture that surrounds it.

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Sea changes
Hotel Llevant is located in Llafranc on the Spanish Costa Brava. When Llimona was commissioned to redesign and redecorate the interior, he saw the perfect opportunity to incorporate the intrinsic link between the local area and the sea. Employing custom-made slabs of Neolith®, it was during this project that the architect discovered the unrivalled aesthetic potential of Sintered Stone.

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“Working closely with Neolith on the Enigma project gave me a deep insight into the properties of the material and the huge scope of what can be achieved using the surface”, explains Llimona. “From a designer’s perspective, the advantages are threefold: you can achieve decorative effects not possible on many naturally occurring stones, it’s super resistant and it’s very easy to cut to size and install.”

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From sea to shining sea
Llimona approached Neolith at the beginning of the design process to discuss the textured flooring, which is used throughout the hotel and is a major aesthetic component. The architect wanted a surface that would recreate the roughness and shine of the seabed, appearing ever so slightly pearlescent. In response, Neolith developed a unique, custom-made colour and employed a Riverwashed finish to achieve the desired surface texture.

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For Llimona, it is Neolith’s willingness and inventiveness that set it apart from other materials manufacturers. “We chose Neolith because, aside from its already extensive collection of patterns and colours, it is one of the very few brands to offer bespoke designed surfaces”, says the architect. “Standard manufacturing procedures and processes usually are what they are and it’s impossible to deviate. Not so with Neolith.”

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World of water
To further harness the effects of the Levantadas, Llimona focused his attention on the ceilings. His aim was to represent the dissipating foam of a breaking wave, placing guests in the heart of the tide itself. To achieve this ambitious stippled effect, the architect detailed layers of plaster punctuated with cleverly angled lighting to imply the gaps in the salty froth where the darker colour of the sea comes through.

Commenting on the finished interiors, the owners of Hotel Llevant said, “Pau has done an incredible job. The interiors offer guests a totally immersive experience; it’s like stepping into another world! A real highlight was having the opportunity to create a material unique to our requirements, one which reflected the architect’s vision.”

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