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trends

Harmony in Hue: Embracing 2024 Color Trends with Natural Stone Elements

by | Mar 29, 2024

Colors have a powerful impact on our overall health and well-being. There are easy ways to incorporate this year’s most popular colors and pair them with natural stone to create fresh spaces. We asked an interior designer, creative director, and color experts to share how homeowners could pair this year’s color trends with different types of natural stones inside their homes. 

How to Use Natural Stone to Create At Home Water Features

by | Nov 21, 2023

Being near water has a calming effect and research studies have shown that water features can positively contribute to our overall mental health and well-being. Incorporating natural stone water features at home can bring both beauty and tranquility into your space. Anne Roberts, president of Chicago based Anne Roberts Gardens Company, finds that people love the sound of water because it’s relaxing. Since not every home has a water feature, adding one is a way to make your home stand out.

Off the Wall: Using Natural Stone to Create a Unique Staircase

by | Feb 21, 2023

A stair project is typically all in a day’s work for an engineer, but what PICCO Group put together for a Toronto homeowner counters logic and the perceived limitations of natural stone.

Cascading Marble Panels and Sustainable Materials Shine in New Community Health Center

by | Dec 22, 2022

Occupying almost an entire city block in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn is the NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital Center for Community Health. The new 400,000-square-foot building, which took the last decade to construct, was designed using a variety of sustainable materials, most notably the Calacatta Caldia marble that adorns the walls, reception desk, kiosks, café counter, and credenza in the main lobby.

Using Natural Stone in Biophilic Design

by | Oct 31, 2022

The last few years have put a laser focus on the importance of our health and well-being. Biophilic design can help you tap into an innate connection with nature to achieve these goals successfully.

2022 Color Trends Inspire and Enhance Timeless White Marble

by | Jan 6, 2022

Color has profound psychological effects on our mind and body. After the uncertainty of the past two years, it is not surprising that color experts are predicting a turn to calming neutral earth tones in 2022. Natural stone trends are also moving to timeless, sustainable materials like white marble.

5 Reasons to Use Natural Stone

by | Nov 10, 2021

The use of natural stone on buildings and paving can be traced back to the beginning of civilization. No matter where you go, around the world you will find beautiful buildings and structures that are characterized by their use of natural stone.

On the Surface: Choosing and Caring for Natural Stone Finishes

by | Oct 27, 2021

Kat Coleman, owner and principal of Long Beach, California-based Topkat Design Group, reminds clients that stone is a natural material so there needs be some tolerance. What some clients may view as imperfections in natural stone, Coleman calls “character.” “Nature is perfectly imperfect,” she reminds clients.

How to Make Natural Stone Play a Starring Role in a Kitchen Design

by | Jun 18, 2021

Jan Neiges is a certified master kitchen and bath designer with the National Kitchen & Bath Association and principal of Colorado-based Jan Neiges CKD LLC. For Neiges, the act of discovery and finding out what is drawing the client to a particular piece of natural stone is part of the fun when working on a kitchen.

Bold Bathrooms Using Natural Stone

by | Apr 16, 2021

Rose Kallas and Christine Morgan, partners and principals of Chicago-based Two Girls and a Hammer LLC, have seen residential design trends come and go. While many classics, like marble, remain popular, the duo is noticing clients asking for more color. Natural stone is delivering.

From the Chemistry Lab to the Kitchen: Soapstone Offers Much More Than a Passing Grade

by | Mar 5, 2021

Soapstone has been a staple material in chemistry labs across the country for decades because of its heat and acid resistance. Glass beakers, Bunsen burners, and hydrochloric acid are no match for soapstone in the chemistry lab, so naturally there is nothing in the kitchen it can’t handle.

Using Pantone’s Colors of the Year and Natural Stone to Create Tranquil Spaces

by | Dec 28, 2020

Pantone recently chose two colors for its 2021 Color of the Year: a gray and yellow, which the company says come together to create an aspirational color pairing, conjoining deeper feelings of thoughtfulness with the optimistic promise of a sunshine filled day.

Using 2021 Color Trends and Natural Stone to Refresh Spaces

by | Nov 6, 2020

Experts say the thoughtful use of color and strategic placement of natural stone throughout our homes can help create that sense of connection and comfort many of us are seeking more than ever right now.

What’s Trending in Natural Stone Flooring

by | Jun 3, 2020

Natural stone flooring is a favorite for many homeowners because of its aesthetic appeal, versatility, sustainability, and ease of care. It can be used both indoors and outdoors.

Philly Chef Prefers Patina Over Polish For His Soapstone Kitchen

by | Apr 22, 2020

“The soapstone countertop has character. It’s not smooth, but it’s not rough either,” Barnieu said. “That’s what I like about soapstone; the more you use it, as it gets older, the patina of the stone gets more and more charming”

Designing with Textured Surfaces Using Natural Stone

by | Mar 31, 2020

While polished and honed are the most common surface finishes for natural stone, leathered and brushed textures are growing increasingly popular to add a unique flair your design.

Living In Color: 2020 Colors Of the Year Channel Calm and Nature

by | Jan 16, 2020

Two decades ago, Pantone introduced their first color of the year. Since then, other companies have joined the fray. We asked several experts how the 2020 colors of the year will impact how homeowners design their homes and what types of natural stone choices they might make.

A Textile Designer Turns to Natural Stone

by | Nov 11, 2019

“We knew Lori would appreciate the challenge of creating her signature textural effect in natural stone, and that she would help us deliver a fresh design carved in classic favorites like Bianco Carrara and Bardiglio marble,” says Nancy Epstein, founder and CEO of Artistic Tile. The resulting collections are organic, nature-inspired, super tactile, and very dimensional, either in actuality or visually.

How Natural Stone Is Elevating Universal Design and Aging in Place Spaces

by | Oct 11, 2019

Interior designers and architects are beginning to incorporate the concept of ‘aging in place’ into their plans and many are finding natural stone is a great way to soften the look of the space while creating accessible environments for everyone.

Caring For Quartzite Countertops

by | Apr 4, 2019

Quartzite has been gaining in popularity as a countertop material in the past few years. With a look similar to marble and a durability comparable to granite, this natural stone seems to have it all.