The brief
A beachfront restaurant in Noosa Heads wanted a reception desk that would set the tone at the door: sculptural, tactile and unmistakably natural, sat against a screen of slatted timber.
Real travertine in that form would have meant heavy stone, visible joints and a crane. The brief was the character of travertine - the open pores, the layered banding - on a single flowing curve.
What we did
The desk was formed as one continuous curved carcass, then finished in a travertine-effect plaster built up in layers and opened with the trowel to create the pitted, banded surface the stone is known for. Because it is applied, the curve is seamless - no joints, no panel lines, no change of pattern around the bend.
Hospitality surfaces take a beating, so the finish was sealed with a system chosen for high-touch use: hands, bags, glasses and the occasional cleaning trolley. The pores stay open to the eye but closed to the coffee.
The tone was warmed slightly against the timber slats behind it, so the desk sits forward as the first thing you see.
The detail
- Travertine-effect plaster on a continuous curved carcass.
- Open-pored, banded surface worked with the trowel.
- High-touch commercial sealing system.
- Seamless around the full curve - no joints or panels.
The result
The restaurant has a front desk that every guest touches and that has handled a busy beachfront trade ever since. It reads as carved stone, weighs a fraction of it and shrugs off bags, elbows and cleaning: sealed microcement over a rigid form, with no joints to fail and a surface that is repaired by hand rather than replaced.
