Beyond Countertops: 3 Great Ways to Use All of Your Stone Slab

Reprinted with permission from Artistic Tile. All photos courtesy of Artistic Tile.

Buying a stone slab is an exciting process. Finding your own slab is an activity relished by connoisseurs and seductive to the uninitiated. Each piece us completely unique; a cross section of natural beauty—a freeze frame of geologic splendor caught in time, exposed in giant slices, and polished, honed, leathered, or otherwise finished into a fine piece of art.

Once you’ve found your slab, you may find that your design does not require the entirety of it. What, then, should you do with the rest? We’ve pulled together some of the best slab repurposing ideas we’ve seen in the field—some inspiring suggestions to maximize your investment, and to help you gain the maximum enjoyment possible from the slab that called your name. If you’ve ever admired marble home décor in high end retail stores, this is an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.

1. Coasters

Ask your fabricator to preserve the material left after fabrication is complete and ask if they can cut a set or two of luxe coasters. You’ll never get a better chance to perfectly coordinate your slab with your dining accessories!

Use these coasters on or near the slab to tastefully echo the look, or use them elsewhere to carry the aesthetic into other spaces in your home. You can also gift them to someone who would appreciate sophisticated décor.

2. Serving Trays & Trivets

If you have a bit more material to work with, consider repurposing the remnants into serving trays. Attach handles of your choice and quickly create a tasteful, luxe piece from the material you love.

Trivets are another useful kitchen accessory that are relatively easy to create. Ask your fabricator to craft some round and some angular trivets for interesting options. These can be used for hot plates and cold drinks to help protect your countertops.

3. Accent Tables

If you have a considerable amount of stone left over from your project, you’re in luck! Natural stone makes a highly desirable surface for the top of accent tables, both for the durability and the rich aesthetic created when contrasted with other materials like metal or wood. Use your slab to create a stone-topped table with a wooden or metal base. While this can be done as a DIY project, we recommend consulting with your fabricator.

Natural stone can be found in an astonishing variety of colors, finishes, and textures. From pure white Thassos marble from Greece to deep blue Sodalite Extra granite from Bolivia, the range encompasses the enormous diversity of nature’s creation. Picking your slab is an important step in creating your home’s look and feel.

Choose carefully—and once you’ve found it, use every last bit. It’s your slab, after all.