Some surfaces ask to be used. Others demand to be designed around.
Ahead of the New Zealand launch of the new Laminam collection, we invited interior designer Sarah Harding of Spaces Ink to explore the possibilities of Bronzite. Fresh from EuroCucina in Milan, Sarah drew on her experience and the latest European design influences to create a kitchen that celebrates the décor's distinctive character and demonstrates what's possible with large-format porcelain.
First impressions
“What struck me first was the mood,” she says. Bronzite is dark, brooding and sophisticated, threaded with dramatic veining and fine flashes of rust. Rather than let those warm notes disappear, she pulled them forward. Laminex Burnt Ochre laminate became the starting point, echoing the rust tones “so it felt considered rather than coincidental.”
Designing with the flow
Bronzite’s veining has a natural sense of movement, so the design moves with it. Slabs are installed vertically so the veining reads top to bottom, running up the splashback and down the island. The stone stops being a benchtop and becomes the feature.
Softened edges, influences from Milan.
A dark, modern kitchen can easily feel hard-edged. Sarah’s answer was curves: arched cut-outs, a rounded island end and a fluted rangehood, bringing a mid-century warmth that plays against Bronzite’s sharp, crystalline character. To create them, she drew on a technique spotted at EuroCucina, cutting porcelain slabs in sequence and tiling them around vertical curves, so the stone’s continuity follows the form. It’s rarely seen in New Zealand. “I wanted to bring it here and show what’s possible with the product and a bit of creativity.”
The supporting cast
The palette deliberately reaches beyond everyday choices. “The best way to bring out the colour inside one surface is to highlight it in another,” she explains, and Laminex Laminate Burnt Ochre does exactly that for Bronzite. The blood-red stools pick up the curves, while a single vase ties the whole scheme together.
Stone as architecture
Large-format porcelain opens up far more opportunities than the benchtop. As a wall covering, it removes large quantities of grout, fewer lines, easier cleaning and a bespoke finish, ideal for splashbacks and bathroom walls. “It lets designers treat the stone as architecture rather than just a work surface.”
Her advice for your next project.
The instinct with a dark material is often to surround it with more dark surfaces. She takes the opposite approach: “I prefer to make the stone pop by balancing it with lighter colours and a variety of shapes.” Here, that meant a light parquet floor, white drawer fronts and Laminex Melteca Urban Oak Ash in Organic finish veneer – contrast that lets Bronzite take centre stage and sharpens everything around it but works harmoniously.
See it for yourself
Renders only go so far. Bronzite’s depth, rust-flecked veining and crystalline finish are best experienced up close. Order your Bronzite sample today and start imagining where it could take your next project.
Design: Sarah Harding of Spaces Ink Interior Design Studio
Visual: One to one hundred
Benchtop: Laminam Bronzite
Splashback: Laminam Bronzite
Cabinetry: Melteca Urban Ash Organic Finish
Island: Laminam Bronzite
Island front: Laminex Laminate Burnt Ochre
