As both a photography studio and a creative event space, Narroway Studio is occupied almost every day by a whole host of different clients. From commercial food shoots to life drawing evenings, we knew when we started renovating the studio that the kitchen would be at the heart of the space. With that in mind we had to design somewhere that was not only beautiful enough to be a location kitchen, but would also be as practical and functional as a restaurant kitchen. When we came across Diapol, a worktop producer from Estonia, we instantly knew what we needed in terms of material choice. The wonderfully efficient and professional team measured, cut and fitted us with a 20mm Dekton Lunar ceramic surface, which for us is the perfect marriage of style and durability.
A beautiful pale grey colour, the surface that Diapol fitted our kitchen with has a natural texture to it that shoots incredibly well (see below). The strength of the quartz makes it impossible to mark, burn, stain or scratch - which we have put to the test many times by (accidentally) spilling turmeric yellow curries on it and dousing it with lemon juice. What would normally leave unsightly marks just wipes right off. More importantly, the surface withstands the intense heat of the many saucepans that are placed directly onto it. It is safe to say that we are totally in love with it!
‘The base ingredients are different types of minerals, which are melted into a liquid mass at 1200 degrees celcius and then are poured into the form of a slab. This slab is then vibrated to remove all possible air bubbles, which is what ensures the strength of the material. Once the vibration phase is complete, the slab is taken into a machine which heats it again and pressurizes it under 25,000 tons of force (the weight of two Eiffel Towers). The final stage takes place in the printing machine, which is where the pattern is transferred onto the slab.’