What Materials Enhance Your Home’s Designs Luxury?

Ensuring your home reflects its inhabitants’ uniqueness and stands as a testament to innovative, quality design.
10/08/2023

INTRODUCTION

When building a new home, both interior designers and luxury home builders will consider many elements: orientation, overall design, floor plan and construction techniques. Another is quality materials – those that satisfy both form and function. Making the right choices when it comes to materials is something that can make or break your home – it can elevate you to the luxury market, create a certain mood, stand the test of time and (perhaps!) require little ongoing maintenance.

At KUBE, we work with interior designers to incorporate as many luxury materials as we can in to create a home that looks and feels good for years to come. The heart of our material choices is always the clients. We understand how to use a mix of traditional materials, use them in innovative ways, find lesser known-materials, and combine them in such a way that the home we create is as unique as the people who live there. Kube’s Director, Marcus, sat down with Rachel Collar from R & Co Design Studio to discuss our favourite materials.

Timber

Marcus, Director – Kube

Timber is a popular choice in Australian homes as it is durable, versatile, timeless and a natural insulator, making it a fantastic choice for energy-efficient design. It’s also a sustainable and renewable source that stores carbon dioxide, reducing what is released into the atmosphere.

Rachel Collard – R & Co Design Studio:

We have always seen timber used in hardwood flooring, but what I love about it is that it can be applied in unique ways – for example, with a parquetry design. Panels can be installed on walls to create a focal point, while it can also be used in cabinetry and furniture. As a natural product, it can introduce warmth into any space, softening the overall aesthetic.


Terrazzo

Marcus, Director – Kube:

Terrazzo is a mix of stone, glass, marble and sometimes even metal chips in a cement-based mixture and is often used as an alternative to polished concrete, as it can be laid in slabs or as tiles, and still achieve that elegant effect. Its durability makes this product a great choice for floors and other high traffic areas in luxury homes.

Rachel Collard – R & Co Design Studio:

Terrazzo is one of those unique materials that looks impressive and luxurious but is also able to withstand the daily wear and tear of everyday use – a modern miracle! One of the things that I love talking to clients about is its incredible versatility through customisation – you can choose between white, blue, red, yellow or green base options, some with multi-coloured specks throughout. It means that we can create a truly unique space and feel.


Glass

Rachel Collard – R & Co Design Studio:

Glass is a really exciting material when you think beyond the obvious windows and doors. Previous clients we have worked with have made bold statements with glass walls, which changes the dynamic of the room as the sun moves over the course of the day.

Marcus, Director – Kube:

We often discuss with clients their desire to maintain and enhance stained glass windows, as part of their project. We love them because they satisfy the functional aspects of privacy, but also introduce a distinctive design element as well, particularly with heritage renovations.