This is particularly important in our homes, where we encompass both the colour and movement of family life and entertaining, and the serenity and tenderness of rest, contemplation and self-care.

In designing and delivering Amanah Residence at Corrimal in the Illawarra, Madina Developments has thoughtfully considered the details for a home that provides for an expansive, generous life.  The Mediterranean-inspired, elegant double-storey home combines European architectural sophistication with the Australian love of spaciousness and simplicity. Warmth, character and a timeless approach to materiality suffuse the rooms with a certain understated sumptuousness.

Comprising four bedrooms, three bathrooms, generous open-plan living area and entertainer’s kitchen with connected Butler’s pantry, primary palettes of timber, bronze and stone weave a coherent narrative of impeccable style. Shapes including arched portals and shelving and seamlessly configured cabinetry invite the eye to linger, flourishes and textures bring delight.

Abundant daylighting plays across carefully chosen natural stone in both the living area and the kitchen. In the lounge area, rich and dramatic Arabescato Viola marble from WK Stone makes a focal point of the arched bar area, console table and the surround of a designer gas fireplace.

The Arabescato Viola marble is a premium natural stone with a unique colouration that combines burgundy, violet, creams and white. Sourced only from the Apuan Alps in the Tuscany Region of Italy, the depth of veining and the rich honed finish showcase the vibrant variegation of each original slab. It has the power to draw the eye and create a focal point that enhances the overall harmony between light and dark, space and substance in a lounge area crafted for convivial conversation and family connections.

In the kitchen area, the benchtops and splashback are given a calm and unified aesthetic with Crema Marfil marble extending seamlessly throughout and into the adjacent Butler’s Pantry, complementing the dark timber finish cabinetry and brass tapware and task lighting.

The air of glamour is subtle and expressed in the detailing, including a fine rounded bevel edge on the side of the island bench, and exquisite book matching across the marble of the splashback. The marble’s natural hues of cream, white and subtle misty grey have an organic flowing patterning that is reminiscent of water rippling over sand.

In the two main bathrooms and the Master ensuite, Ceppo Monet marble, also known as ‘Nature’s Terrazzo’, has been selected for the bathroom and ensuite vanities. The satiny honed finish of the natural stone leaves the gorgeous natural tessellations and mesmerising shapes and colour variations that echo the masterworks of Impressionist painting with shading between greens, pinks and creams.

This creates a bathroom experience that is spa-like in its serenity and sophisticated in execution, with the visual language of brass tapware and mirrors, and dark cabinetry continuing the materiality story that gives Amanah Residence a coherent, timeless interior aesthetic.

The three marbles, each with their innate beauty and inherent durability, demonstrate the reason natural stone has been utilised in beautiful buildings for millennia. Since 1989 WK Stone have been ensuring architects, designers, builders and specifiers can continue this design tradition, offering more than 100 different kinds of natural stone slabs sourced from responsible quarries in Italy, Spain, South America, Asia and the Middle East.

Their three showrooms in Sydney, Melbourne, and the Gold Coast give designers and specifiers an opportunity to see and feel thousands of unique slabs including Granite, Quartzite, Breccia marbles, Classic Carrara Marble, Limestone, Onyx, Travertine, Dolomite and Soapstone.

WK Stone also offers a variety of finishes to suit a range of applications, from velvety leathered stone and warm, matte honed stone to highly polished finishes that gleam with inner light highlighting each crystalline facet. In addition to the showroom displays, the company has an extensive online gallery of stone in stock or currently on order.

In an era where lasting quality, classic design and the calibre of craftsmanship are becoming prized attributes in the places we inhabit, natural stone stands apart as a timeless and exceptional material choice.