1930 by Etereo for Cosentino

Time travel to an era of elegance at Downtown Design with “1930” by Etereo for Cosentino 

First-of-its-kind lounge experience at the fair promises to be a sophisticated blend of materiality, historical inspiration, technical innovation and daring geometry.

Dubai, November 2025 – Architectural surfaces leader Cosentino partners with award-winning Milan and Dubai-based studio Etereo to create “1930”, a contemporary lounge experience at Downtown Design 2025. Inspired by the 1930s design movement, a golden era that blended the glamour and sophistication of Art Deco with the functionality of Modernism, the installation captures the charm of private clubs and brings it to the heart of the fair from 5-9 November.

Since 2018, Cosentino has been a regular at Downtown Design, each year creating stand-out installations in collaboration with some of the region’s most well-known design practices. Talking about this year’s brief to Etereo, Cosentino’s Regional Director Middle East & India, Eddy Abou Khalil says, “It was an open invitation to reinterpret our surfaces through the lens of Etereo, not by way of creating a static product showcase, but using the materials as integral elements to create an atmosphere, a language, a way of inhabiting space. The only caveat we had was that it had to be a space that brings people together. That’s how the idea of a lounge was born, and we have left no stone unturned to make it one that transports visitors to the age of elegance. It is our most ambitious installation yet.” 

Founded by duo Stefania Digregorio and Mirko Sala Tenna, Etereo has, since its inception in 2017, carved a niche in the design landscape for projects that fuse Italian artistic heritage with contemporary influences. As a studio whose philosophy is rooted in creating authentic, material-focused spaces, Etereo was a natural choice as a design partner for Cosentino.  

“Our response to the brief was to enhance the materials, give it rhythm, narrative and emotional weight. We treated Cosentino’s surfaces as foundational design elements, capable of shaping experiences, rather than acting as neutral finishes” explains Stefania. 

To develop the interior design concept, the firm took inspiration from the aesthetics of the 1930s, a style they believe to be a rare balance of opposites: industrial innovation and traditional craftsmanship. Turning to their own design heritage by drawing from the geometric harmony of Piero Portaluppi, the sculptural sensibility of Carlo Scarpa, and the bold architectural gestures of Ettore Sottsass, Etereo sketched out a vision and titled it 1930, a namesake that alludes to the spirit of their favorite design era.  

Crafted as a sophisticated balance of geometry, materiality and historical inspiration, the immersive installation will go beyond aesthetics to evoke sensory experiences. The studio’s Co-Founder, Mirko, imagines 1930 as “a classic jazz composition, with the smoky scent of sandalwood and aged leather: elegant, timeless and slightly rebellious.”  

A sneak peek 

The space, a perfect place for soirees, will be composed of a sculptural bar serving signature mocktails, a piano lounge, a game table for playful moments, and a salon for animated conversations. A secret bathroom, inaccessible to enter but visible through a porthole, will add a sense of mystery to the narrative, referencing the covert and forbidden nature of speakeasies from the 1930s. 

Right from the refined vertical cladding to the ornamental flooring, countertops and bespoke furniture, the entire setting will be crafted in Cosentino materials. The installation will feature colourways from the brand’s range of innovative architectural surfaces: Silestone®, Dekton® and Sensa®.  

Earthy browns, rich blacks, opulent jewel tones and touches of brass will dominate the palette to recreate Art Deco’s signature glamour. Green-hued Jardin Emerald, black-toned Romantic Ash with bold grey veining – both from the Silestone® Le Chic collection, Nahoa from Sensa® – a unique Brazilian quartzite, and Dekton iD, an exclusive technology that allows printing customized patterns on Dekton® ultracompact surfaces will be Cosentino’s materials highlighted in the installation. 

Luxury kitchen and bath products brand Kohler, Czech artisanal lighting company Kolektiv Ateliers, Dubai-based interior fit-out contractor Cherwell and landscape design and build firm Secret Gardens are on board to transform the interiors into a space from a period novel.  

Kohler will elevate the bathroom with a vintage style toilet in aspen green and accessorize with re-imagined Edwardian faucets in brushed brass. The featured products will be curated from the brand’s Memoirs and Artifacts collection - heritage pieces for today’s spaces.  

Kolektiv Ateliers will dramatically illuminate the space with bespoke chandeliers. Recreating the elegance and allure of era, the statement piece will be composed of ribbed and angular glass fins arranged in rhythmic precision – like a visual score suspended above the bar.  

The other pieces in the lounge are imagined not only as light sources, but as architectural punctuation marks and storytellers of rhythm, geometry and craft. Designed and produced through contemporary glassmaking techniques unique to Kolektiv Ateliers, these works of art will appear as precise and structured crystalline volumes from afar but up close, reveal its shifting character and hidden layers.  

Cherwell will bring their exceptional craftsmanship and attention to detail to produce to a line of bespoke furniture, designed exclusively for the lounge by Etereo. The capsule collection comprising of tables, consoles and seating will be crafted in high-end materials: wood, lacquer, velvet, chrome, brass and Cosentino surfaces, featuring geometric patterns and elaborate inlays.  

Secret Gardens will add a touch of green by incorporating a selection of palms and decorative plants to enhance the space.   

Conceived as a timeless escape, 1930 by Etereo for Cosentino will be an immersive dive into an era where elegance was a ritual, not a style:

“1930 is not a space to look at, but a place to feel: intimate yet open, familiar yet cinematic. Through rhythm, materiality, and light, the installation aims to spark nostalgia and wonder. It will be a quiet celebration of slowness, beauty and connection” adds Stefania. 

ACCESS THE COMPLETE PRESS KIT HERE

(Link will be updated with the latest details on the first day of Downtown Design 2025)