Note: An earlier version of this article appeared in the Spring 2022 edition of Building Stone Magazine. All photos appear courtesy of Andreas Kunert and Ancient Art of Stone.

Philosophers and artists have long been fascinated by geometric forms and what gives them meaning beyond their shape. In art and nature there are aesthetically pleasing proportions found, as Michelangelo purportedly did, in what’s referred to as sacred geometry, or the golden ratio (1:phi or 1:1.618…). By channeling an innate sense of this proportion, stone artists Andreas and Naomi Kunert can imbue their unique works with movement, depth, and feeling.

Owners and principal artists of Ancient Art of Stone, the Kunerts create what they call “one-of-a-kind stone portals for individuals, businesses, public museums, and art galleries.” At their 15-acre studio in Cowichan Valley, British Columbia, Canada, they first source stones, then design and build artistic and functional fireplaces, stone doors, spas, mosaics, megaliths, and murals and ship and install them across North America.

According to Andreas, “Everything we do is personal — it’s an intimate experience — and built intuitively. We delve in and go down the rabbit hole and become inspired; our work is the product of this experience.”

Meeting of the Minds

Andreas credits Vermont for his love of stone. He grew up in a sparsely populated rural area in that state and spent a lot of time on his own outdoors. An artist by nature — he would eventually dabble in painting and photography — he always loved what he could do with stone, “from the minute to the megalithic; it’s very appealing,” he says.

As a younger man, Andreas was an avid extreme skier and discovered a passion for “life’s mysterious flow.” His adventures took him to the mountains of Europe, and wherever he went he photographed the landscape. He was intrigued by the patterns he saw in nature. He moved to Canada and started K2 Stone Quarries on Vancouver Island. The business grew and was successful. In 2009, he met Naomi, who had been on her own journey.

“I had an early fascination with archaeology and the native Cree people,” Naomi says. She grew up on the Saskatchewan prairie in a home located near a stone grotto and a natural spring where people would visit on pilgrimages for healing. “We’d find arrowheads, stone hammers, teepee circles,” she says, which ignited an “interest in the ancient in terms of stone and how people used it.” In 2000, she got an undergraduate degree in fine arts at the University of Saskatchewan and focused on sculpture and extended media, stone being one of them. Faced with cancer in her late 20s, she found solace and healing with the First Nation medicine people. She credits them with helping her develop visionary abilities that still guide her today. By the time she met Andreas, she says, she had already dreamt of him. More than a decade and five children later, they complement each other in spirit and in business.

Passion Embedded

The Kunerts’ projects usually take a year or more and begin with individual stones—lots and lots of stones. While clients often offer them stones, the Kunerts also travel around to fill a trailer with stones from gravel pits and glacial moraines, or they’ll select pallets of natural stone from quarries. “The First Nations also gather stone for us. We’re always searching,” Andreas says, adding that the type of stones they prefer are flat and curved, formed by glaciers. “They’re not river stone. A river tumbles stones round: it doesn’t flatten them. But a glacier will cleave them. We often find them wherever a glacier has been and has left stones behind, even in [a place you wouldn’t expect] like Utah.”

The fireplace project known as “Memories Surround Me” was commissioned by a couple in Spokane, Washington, who were about to move to a home they were having built. While the project did begin with stones, it also began with a client wanting to have something that represented love writ large.

“They met as teenagers and have been married 50 years. They love fly fishing. Every time they go fishing, they bring home a pebble or a saucer-shaped stone. The wife joked that [they’d collected so many stones] they could hardly park in the garage anymore,” Andreas says. The husband asked the Kunerts to use the stones to create a fireplace that he could give his wife as a Christmas gift in tribute to their years together.

The Kunerts work hard to know their clients. “Naomi has the ability to tune into a client and who they are and what we should bring to them in stone or crystal,” says Andreas. She sees working with clients as a spiritual journey. “Not necessarily something religious,” she says, “but the nature of the stones and their honoring can bring connection and peace and stability to our clients’ lives. We build with that intention. We’re building a sacred space that’s also functional artwork.”

As the Kunerts spent time with the Spokane clients, they learned about their hobbies like fly fishing and traveling, that they loved their old home’s unique architecture, and that they wanted to include niches on their fireplace to feature pottery and other small artworks. “We channeled the inspiration into three different design options for them,” Naomi says. Although their hand-drawn sketches can sometimes be detailed, the drawing ultimately has to be open ended. “We tell clients that we let each stone speak. You can’t always find an exact stone for the design.”

The Spokane couple brought about 10 percent of the stones to this project, and the Kunerts supplied the rest of the approximately 15 tons of stone used. Once the sketch was approved the heavy work began.

Built For Legacy

The fireplace eventually would live in a great room that had yet to be built on a home in a residential neighborhood. When completed, it would stand 22 feet tall. The first step was to make a poured-concrete and rebar substructure of about 18 feet that would be strong enough to hold the stone design embedded on it.

The fireplace was built from the bottom up, in two parts that would be connected on site. On the bottom half of the fireplace, the design incorporates two vertical pieces of sandstone, each two feet thick and each weighing one and a half tons, placed on either side of the firebox. These are connected across the top of the firebox by a 40-inch horizontal piece of sandstone, which is topped by a 12-inch layer of intricately placed individual stones and then an organic-edged granite mantle. Once on site they would add a hand-polished basalt hearth at the base.

The sandstone arrived as square blocks. Using a hydraulic chainsaw, ring saw, hammer, and chisel, Andreas carved into the basic shape to create alcoves and nooks. He then bolted the blocks from behind to the concrete substructure.

The top half of the fireplace holds the central inspiration stone to which the thousands of individual smaller stones find their way.

When the stones arrived, the clients’ contribution and others (from quarries in Colorado and British Columbia), the Kunerts organized them by color and hue, shape (flat or curved) and size. “Some were covered in lichen. Some could be used as feature stones; some would create flow,” Naomi says.

The stones were not numbered or laid out. Knowing where to place the stones, which are essentially a cladding, is where the magic happens. “As much as possible, even though we’re sculptors, we try not to alter the stone, and we use its natural form,” Andreas says.

While there’s a sketch to go by, “We try to honor the shape and color of the stone and how it connects to a particular client. We listen to the stone to see how it wants to be honored or incorporated,” Naomi says. “A stone is as much of a living thing as a plant; it has a certain biology and a matrix.”

The Spokane clients had one large round stone that they wanted to use as the central focal point. “The idea was that the design showed their life together leading to this stone,” Andreas says. “The stones would mean nothing to the average person; they would see just a pile of stones. But to us, they have meaning.” Adds Naomi, “We talk about noticing if a stone is missing from a pile of thousands. They become part of you; it’s like an artist knowing if they have all their tools.”

As with every project, while Andreas mortars the stones to the substructure, he says he takes his time and “feels the stones, listens to the stones. Every day you don’t know which stone is next. You go with a feeling and follow that feeling. It’s hard to describe.”

Which brings us back to the golden ratio and sacred geometry. Andreas says that his perception of the world has always been mysterious and remarkable, and that he has an innate ability to see the sacred geometry and recognize this pattern in nature, people, and materials. “As a child, I discovered I could play with stones on the ground and make these patterns. I wasn’t told about sacred geometry and the math behind it until well into my career.”

Working from the bottom up on this fireplace, Andreas placed the stones in curve and swirl patterns with mortar, bolts, or fastening pins depending on the stone’s size. He also incorporated arrowheads, hammerheads, scrapers and other “hidden treasures.” It was a complex dance to match the design to the concept and make the piece still feel natural and unassuming.

Conscious that the final product would flex and stress on a truck bed, Naomi says, “It’s overbuilt. Probably stronger than anything someone might have built in their home.” Within the concrete is a metal substructure of rebar and plates that runs all the way to the top to connect with lifting eyes, or eye bolts, so a crane could hook into and lift it.

Once the structure was completed, the Kunerts had it loaded onto a truck in two parts and driven 450 miles to Spokane, where the next challenge faced them: craning the 30,000-pound artwork into an exclusive residential neighborhood with homes surrounding the client’s newly built but unfinished home in freezing temperatures. “Usually, our clients have major acreage. This was a tight site,” Andreas says.

The house itself sits on a concrete slab. The great room would be built around the fireplace, whose own foundation goes six feet into the ground. Once the fireplace was craned into place, the two parts, bottom and top, were welded together on the back with steel plates.

“The fireplace will be the strongest part of the house,” Andreas says. “The builders ran the beams into the top, so the fireplace is actually holding up the roof.”

The fireplace’s concrete structure is embedded into the wall, along with the firebox. The builders placed drywall against the sides of the fireplace “nice and snug,” Andreas says, with few gaps for the Kunerts to fill in.

Letting Go

The clients are thrilled with their fireplace, their amazingly beautiful and unique piece of functional art that captures their love for one another and their lives together. “On the day it was delivered and lifted into place the client’s wife cried, exclaiming her joy,” Andreas says. Now that the home is complete, they describe the commission as the heart of their home and their favorite room to sit in.

For the Kunerts, after a year of living with and working on a project, it’s always difficult to say goodbye. “It’s personal to us. That’s a piece of our life. Everything that happened in our lives during that year is written into that artwork. Each piece becomes a part of us. When the truck leaves, it’s like ‘There go the children.’ We’re happy and proud but we’re hurting.”

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All photos courtesy of Ashley Goldman.

Hi! I’m Ashley, I’m a type-A homebody fixing up my historic home in San Diego, CA. My old house renovation is chronicled on my blog The Gold Hive. I’ve been slowly renovating my kitchen to create a new space fit for a modern family in an old home. While it’s taken me years to decide on the layout and cabinetry color, there was always one thing that was certain. Marble countertops.

It’s been a year since installing our dream marble counters. So, I’m reflecting on the experience of living with the natural stone. We’ve had many coffee spills, oil splatters, and citrus squeezes, so how is it holding up? I’ll tell ya!

First, let’s back up and go over why I chose marble. I elaborate on my entire thought process in this blog post, but in summary:

1. Our historic house deserved a classic material in keeping with its old age.
2. We wanted a work surface that had the visual movement and the physical texture of a natural stone rather than a manmade material.
3. We required a countertop that was ethically sourced, so we found a quarry that prioritizes worker safety, land reclamation, and required little transportation (learn more here).
4. We desired a material that would be timeless rather than trendy.

After browsing hundreds of stone slabs, I decided on Imperial Danby for its warm coloring, a honed finish for its ability to hide etches, and Vermont Quarries for the ethical sourcing of the stone. It couldn’t be a more perfect fit for our goals! I share more about the quarry and even link to an incredible tour of their facility here.

I went with a 2cm thick stone and didn’t add any thickness with an apron. I also added a backsplash with curvy cutouts and a small shelf to create something extra special. I adore the unique shapes yet the simplicity and timelessness of the marble. You can learn more about the design process here.

Once the slabs were installed, I immediately got to sealing the marble to prevent stains. I outlined the entire DIY process here.

Now, this is where marble gets a bad rap. Stains! Marble is indeed a porous material so it can take in penetrating liquids and stain. Think red wine, marinara sauce, coffee, turmeric. These things can indeed leave a serious mark on natural stones. But they can be prevented (and even reversed!)

So how have my countertops done with stains? I kid you not, they haven’t stained at all. I mean it! I worried about staining when a coffee ring went un-wiped for 12 hours, when the marinara sauce spilled, and when the berry kombucha bottle exploded. But not a single one of those incidents left a stain.

This is all thanks to the top-notch sealer that I used. I’m constantly impressed by the lack of stains!

The only discoloration in the stone is by the sink at the seam where the fabricators joined the two slabs. Water tends to pool in this high-use area and the seam started to yellow. However, this discoloration is easily reversed with a DIY poultice solution of baking soda and water (or hydrogen peroxide). See how to apply a poultice here.

Let’s take a brief intermission to admire the stone. Holy cow! I can’t get over the veining in this particular slab. The browns and greys are so lovely and add such warmth and character.

While stains are basically nonexistent in our countertops, there is a significant amount of etching. Etching occurs when acids like lemon juice dull the surface of the stone. These blemishes are only noticeable from certain angles as light hits the stone. See the photo above where the marble looks perfectly pristine, then compare it to the photo below.

That’s the same slab from a different angle. Do you see those faint marks near the sink? Those are etch marks. They are super common and nearly impossible blemishes to avoid. Etches bother some people, but I prefer to look at them as a natural patina on a natural stone. If folks love marble but don’t like etches, I recommend getting a honed finish rather than polished as the matte finish hides the etches best. And, for those really afraid of etches, there’s good news – it can be reversed! I’ll show you below.

First, here are more photos of the etches in my countertops.

They’re subtle, right?

This section of countertops takes the biggest beating. We do all of our meal prep here, pile dirty dishes here, and clean baby bottles here. This slab of counters has the most etches, but you only see them when the lighting hits them just right. Notice how they disappear in the shadows?

I’ve come to embrace the etches as the character of the stone. They demonstrate that our kitchen is a place of activity rather than an unused showroom. They are reminders of meals made and shared in our home. They’re gentle marks of history.

But, I understand that even the most sentimental person may not want to see etches in their precious counters. So the good news is the etches can be removed!

The etches disappeared with a couple of minutes of rubbing an etch remover product into the dulled mark. It’s a truly magical transformation.

I used the etch remover last year when I had a hard time seeing my freshly installed marble get its first blemish. But since then, I’ve let the etches pile up. Maybe one day I’ll buff the entire counter with the etch remover to start fresh. But more likely, I’ll let the stone naturally age and patina with wear.

Another worry folks have is staining from cooking oil by the stove. But frankly, I forgot all about this concern until I sat down to write this post. There are no stains or marks from stovetop cooking! Sure, we get some oil splatter on the backsplash, but it wipes right up.

That’s about it!

We used to be really sensitive around our counters, but now we don’t treat them so delicately. Sure, we try not to squeeze lemons directly onto the stone, we wipe up spills, and we’d never cut directly on them. But we don’t baby them beyond that. We simply keep them clean with a plant-based acid-free cleaner or dish soap and water.

So, would we install marble counters again? Absolutely! We love them and can’t imagine any other work surface material. I’ll happily be rolling out pie dough on this marble for many many more years.

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Photo © Jude Parkinson Morgan

Outdoor spaces have magical powers. As we spend more time at home and look for ways to integrate our backyards into our living environments more seamlessly, many of us are looking at these spaces and wondering how to transform them into a place of respite.

Nina Mullen, landscape designer and principal of northern California-based Mullen Designs, admits she’s always trying to figure out ways to bring people out into the garden. Mullen is an award-winning landscape designer—in 2019, she was named Landscape Designer of the Year by the Association of Professional Landscape Designers for her panoramic haven project.

Before the global pandemic, our outdoor spaces were a place where we’d come home to gather with friends, to grow things, and to play, she says. Since then, Mullen has noticed our outdoor spaces have become a refuge, a safe and embracing space that can help protect us from the world.

Home improvement projects have surged in the past year. Many people are realizing what the growing body of research has been showing for years: spending time outdoors can improve our health, from being able to better focus to reducing the risk of major health issues such as cardiovascular disease, stress, and high blood pressure.

Natural stone plays a pivotal role in our outdoor spaces. Stone can help unify a space, through a path or patio, and pull together flowers and plants for aesthetically-appealing environments. Sometimes, natural stone can provide seating so people can spend more time outdoors.

Photo © Jude Parkinson Morgan

When Mullen begins working with homeowners, she asks them to fill out a questionnaire to get a better understanding of their needs and wants. Sometimes the end goal is to create a serene environment, so she might look at a Zen garden. Other times clients want something more contemporary.

“When I’m designing a garden with a client’s landscape, I really want to understand their family’s culture and how they move through the space; what will get them out there,” says Mullen. “I want to create an outdoor space that’s really functional, but also just really inviting and feels right.”

For Mullen, what “feels right” also comes down to what types of natural stone to use in a project. She tries to identify stone that is native to the area and will work with their landscape whenever possible. In California, where she’s based, many clients love the rocky granite landscape, for example.

“I want the stone to feel like it belongs,” she says. There are several types of natural stone she tends to use regularly including Pennsylvania full color flagstone, “which is a really warm, green gray, that sometimes has a little bit of gold or a little bit of rust tones to it. I find that works really well for this area.”

One Stone, Many Uses

For her own home project, Mullen fell in love with black basalt remnants from Washington state that were available at a local stone yard. She didn’t even know what to do with them when she first saw them.

There were some big basalt columns, she says—about four or five feet in diameter, by her estimation. There were also two pieces of the stone that were just sitting there: triangular pieces about 14 inches high and maybe 18 inches by two feet.

“I knew I wanted to do something with those two pieces,” she says. “They’re so cool, what can I do with them?” She brought them home and those pieces created the impetus for her yard entryway and a retaining wall.

“The outside of the stone has a ‘skin’ that’s like a gold color,” Mullen explains. “The inside is a really dark, rich gray. The retaining wall is basically these triangular pieces that are just set in the soil, kind of battered back, but they’re heavy enough, they’re not going anywhere.” Those stones, she says, show off the “skin” of the basalt.

Mullen knew she wanted to continue to work on her entryway and went back to get those columns and had them cut off the “skin” to show off the beauty inside the natural stone.

“You know how they have these chef challenges where the chefs have garlic and they have to make all these dishes with just garlic? This is basically that same idea – we’re using the same stone in different ways,” she adds.

She added a bird bath but notes she didn’t do anything to the stone to create that groove. Again, that’s the beauty of natural stone—it’s natural and while it can be manipulated, sometimes nature’s work is perfect as it is.

Photo © Jude Parkinson Morgan

Field Trip: Visiting Stone Yards

What most of her clients don’t realize is they’re often welcome to visit a stone yard and get inspired and see how it makes them feel to touch and see the stone in-person.

“They’re kind of surprised at the range of different kinds of stone and how they can be used in different ways,” she says.

Mullen recommends asking the stone yard if you can take samples of stones you think you might want to use. She recommends choosing pieces that are at least a foot square or larger, so that you can get a real sense of what it might look like in the space.  It will be worth the sample size investment. “Think of it like you’re bringing home a paint swatch or small can of paint to use on a wall inside your home,” she says.

Many of Mullen’s clients find that although they fell in love with one type of stone, after bringing home samples, they discover another stone that looks better in the space—perhaps because of how the sunlight hits it, or how it looks next to the house or other outdoor elements.

At the end of the day, our outdoor spaces contribute to our health and wellness. After all, as Henry David Thoreau once said, “Nature [is] but another name for health.” Taking the time to consider how natural stone can affect the overall look and feel of your outdoor space can reap rewards for years to come.

TAGS:  inspire case study megy karydes residential landscape basalt

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An earlier version of this article appeared in the Fall 2020 edition of Building Stone Magazine.

Inspired by the historic stone architecture surrounding the Boston area, the Archangel Estate is an elegant display of the use of natural stone at its finest. The exterior façade and landscape elements of the 6,300-square-foot residence in Brookline, MA are built from cut-to-size regional stone—grounding the home to its natural habitat and relating it to its surrounding environment.

“Our client showed us favorite homes in their neighborhood so we could get an understanding of styles they like, and didn’t like,” explained Laura Brooks Meyer, IIDA, principal, interior design, at Meyer & Meyer in Boston, MA. Meyer collaborated with her husband, John I. Meyer Jr., AIA, LEED AP, principal, architecture. “Although the house design is completely unique from both the both the interior and exterior, certain building details—especially those of the exterior stone—were inspired by lovely stone bridges that were built in and around Boston. Specifically, the Agassiz Bridge, built by H.H. Richardson in Boston’s Fenway Gardens with its natural arboretum setting, influenced the bold front archway. The center of the house focuses not only on the stone detailing, but also on the 100-year-old Beech tree located in the backyard of the bridge-like entry.”

Native Puddingstone and fieldstone were the primary building materials for the estate. The stone was applied extensively for the façade and the hardscape, which was designed by the landscape firm Pressley Associates. Stone was also specified for interior applications, including floors, architectural details, and countertops. The cut stone was supplied by Swenson Stone Consultants of Hanover, NH. Deer Isle granite was used as cap stone for the project.

“Meyer & Meyer treats sustainable material equally with quality and permanence,” said Meyer. “This home was designed with the character of the established neighborhood and as the ‘forever’ home of our clients and their family for years to follow. Our homes have a charm about them—looking like they have always been there even though they are newly built. Besides availability and price, it was important that the stone be natural to the surrounding areas, such as old stone walls in the immediate neighborhood. Many old homes and public buildings used a great deal of Puddingstone, which is now very hard to find.”

To ensure a successful installation, the architect and designer viewed mock-ups of the stone prior to the start of construction. “We insisted on mock-ups on all sections of the exterior,” explained Meyer. “The weightiness of corner pieces, the shapes of the details at windows, and particularly the mortar color were important.”

The shape of the property had to be considered when designing the residence. “It’s very narrow along the street, but deep in length,” said Meyer. “To maintain a graceful street presence and the client’s program, including a large patio and pool house, the design prompted an L-shape, unbeknownst to the passersby. Stone wise, the challenge was scaling the pieces to look naturally in place, as well as color offset, to draw attention to certain details such as over the windows.”

Installing the Stonework

Meyer & Meyer worked closely with the install crew from The Stonemasons Inc. of Westport, MA, to ensure the stonework was secured successfully. “We see our function and responsibility as stonemasons to fulfill the design intention of the architect and landscape architect,” said David von Jess of The Stonemasons Inc. “We work to bring our technical expertise of the use of the stone to the designs and artistry of the architects.”

The project was designed to look like it had always been one of the original homes in the historic community. “The selection of the fieldstone and how the arches would be constructed was a critical point in discussion and design,” said von Jess. “The elliptical arches are a single piece of stone. They are 30-inch-deep pieces. We built the wood frames for the arches at our shop and then cut and honed the joints of each stone—dry laying it out. Upon final assembly in place, we pinned and epoxied 1-inch stainless steel rods between the stones for structural support. The top keystones were pinned with vertical rods tied into a steel superstructure above for additional support and safety.”

According to the mason, the fieldstone veneer employed for the exterior façade of the house is a full 10 inches thick. In the landscape wing walls, the stones average 400 to 2,000 pounds apiece.

“One of the reasons we love working with Meyer & Meyer and Pressley Associates is that they always bring new challenges and details to each of the projects we perform for them,” said von Jess, adding that the project required six stonemasons who completed the job in approximately seven months, along with the hardscape. “It is always an honor and a privilege to complete projects under their guidance,” he said.

When asked how their clients responded to the finished project, Meyer said, “Tremendously! The intrigue of the unusual entry, along with the exposed Beech tree, is a novelty that has received much acclaim. Once the clients saw early presentation drawings by John Meyer, the design was, dare we say, ‘set in stone!’ This home is one of our most recognizable designs and is a perfect example of our creative process that blends local materials and historic detailing into new construction. Best of all, it maintains the integrity of the neighborhood.”

TAGS:  case study exterior residential inspire jennifer richinelli

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An earlier version of this article appeared in Building Stone Magazine.

From the moment you see the private residence in Los Angeles, it is apparent that a keen attention for detail and a love for natural stone went into the design and construction of this home. Meticulous details in every facet of the design were carefully imagined and implemented, and extensive research, including visits to international quarries, contributed to the overall success of the project.

The homeowners wished to create a living space as a sanctuary for a young family—a place of rest and repose—a quiet place for savoring nature and expansive views. “It was to be a house for collectors to live with and enjoy their design and art collection; a thrilling and luxurious place for hosting and entertaining guests—with moments of privacy and peace; a place for family gatherings and for relaxation,” said Bob Goodwin of RPG Consulting in Pasadena, the builder of the 8,800 square foot home. “The use of stone throughout the home was a direct response to the owners’ passion for, and collection of, beautiful stone slabs, as well as a response to the natural landscape into which the house is situated. What is sustainable is the timelessness of the modern design and the very high-quality construction and intricate craftsmanship by the stone masons involved, as well as the durability of the material in the harsh California sunlight.”

The homeowner personally visited the quarries to participate in the selection of all seven stone varieties that were used throughout the home. “Emphasis was placed on slab yield, as much as visual dynamism, and was considered area by area based on the nature of the rooms and stone-to stone, as well as stone-to-other material adjacencies,” explained Goodwin. “Great consideration was given to how the stone was transitioned from the exterior to interior in a unique manner sympathetic to the architecture and the landscape. Warmth, color, vein movement, and surface texture variation contributed to the exciting visual contrast of the stone used throughout the house. The bathtubs and kitchen island stones were selected for their unique and striking beauty, as a visual punctuation within a harmonious field of color and texture.”

Because such a high degree of attention was given to every application throughout the residential design, the project evolved over a 10-year period. Carnevale & Lohr of Bell Gardens, CA provided their expertise for the stone installation, as well as consultation during the stone selection process. Specialty stone was selected with the assistance of experts at S.I.T.E.M Italia, Salvatori, and Antolini Luigi & C. S.p.A.

“The intense collaboration with the team at Carnevale & Lohr, who continued throughout construction to take on challenges and to challenge themselves with difficult details and flawless execution [was instrumental],” said Goodwin. “We all learned a great deal from them, and they were very generous collaborators.”

Elaborate Stone Applications

The residence’s exterior is elevated high above the Los Angeles skyline and is beautifully eye-catching. The façade features split-face travertine and Bianco Lasa marble panels that cantilever out an amazing 30 feet.

For the interior space, leather-finished Cippolino marble paving was painstakingly end-matched to create the illusion of one continuous piece of stone traveling throughout the entire interior level, under a bathtub made from a single block of Cippolino marble, and transitioning onto the master bathroom’s shower walls. “The tubs were brought in by hand.,” said David Carnevale, president of Carnevale & Lohr. “We rolled them in and raised them with hand rigging because you couldn’t fit a crane on the property.”

The kitchen is outfitted with a 15-foot-long bookmatched Lapis Lazuli island countertop shaped at its perimeter with a knife edge—adjacent to a countertop and sink made from bookmatched Cippolino marble. “The stone used for the island was not an easy material,” explained Carnevale. “There is an edge detail that was very delicate. There were six pieces. Each piece came from one slab and they were all bookmatched.”

Matched vein-cut travertine paving covers the floor and seamlessly continues through the living room and out onto the exterior sundeck, terminating at the swimming pool. Travertine pool coping contained slots for drainage that allow the top edge of the pool’s water to become perfectly aligned with the top edge of the adjacent travertine paving creating a level surface from the kitchen to the infinity edge of the pool.

Another stunning feature of the home is a backlit onyx-clad elevator, which allows access to the home’s lower level. “The elevator was a project on its own, with the idea that the elevator can be a unique ‘room’ in the house,” explained Goodwin. “All the slabs were selected by the owner based on the quality of light transmission and the exciting vein movement.”

The flooring on the lower level is again paved with matched vein-cut travertine—traveling to three unique rooms. The caretaker’s bathroom contains vein-cut Palisandro Blue marble with a distinct linear pattern that covers the floor, walls, ceiling, and vanity—merging into shower walls shaped in unique marble picture frame moldings. The bungalow bathroom features dark Pietra d’Avola limestone and the guest’s bathroom has a travertine-clad shower with a bathtub fabricated from one single block of travertine.

“The stonework by Carnevale & Lohr is second to none, both in quality and in composition,” said Goodwin. “The stone masons treated the house as a labor of love and it shows in the care taken throughout the house, in the precision of the stone joints, in the artistry of the mitered joints and stone massing, vein matching, and alignment.”

A True Collaboration

While high-end custom stone fabrication is not new to Carenvale & Lohr, this was a special project. “When Bob came to us with the job, we looked at our schedule and said we can squeeze this in as we had about four months before starting our next big project. It ended up we were there for eight years. This was because the homeowner’s involvement was above and beyond typical clients. They were someone who really cared about the details. For instance, on the backside of the vanity in one of the bathrooms there is a 3-inch space and then a full-height mirrored wall. There is marble work on the backside of the vanity so you can see it in the reflection. The backside had to look as perfect as the front.”

Carnevale and his team consulted with the homeowner when choosing some of the natural stone. “For some of the house, the owner went out and personally picked the stone, and then for the rest of it we were told what they were looking for and we picked it up.”

The project earned a 2019 Pinnacle Award in the Residential Single-Family category from the Natural Stone Institute. “I have always said that it is a blessing to have a patron give us a project like this because we tell everyone we can do incredible things, but without someone actually giving us the chance to show what we can do, we can’t prove that claim,” said Carnevale. “This let us show what we are capable of doing, and we are so grateful to have had the opportunity to prove it.”

Judging by the tremendous amount of stone displayed artistically throughout the residence, it is clear that all those involved with the project were proponents of natural stone. “Open your mind to the possibilities and the beauty of natural stone—it can be a forever material,” said Goodwin. “Be a part of the selection process. Understand the limitations of the material and weigh decisions for usage accordingly. Rely on experts for advice and pay attention to the physical characteristics of different stones, such as porosity, surface durability, and sensitivity to sunlight. Find a great mason and installer and open yourself to collaboration with them.

“The clients are at peace when at home—relaxed and happy,” Goodwin continued. “And the home continues to evolve as they use it, as it should over time.”

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Natural Stone in the Home

When you chose natural stone for your home, you knew it would perform beautifully, but did you consider how to keep the integrity of the stone intact and optimize the role it plays in your home? Natural stone is a sustainable material that is durable, improves with age, and does not off-gas. Even the most beautiful and well-installed natural stone will be subject to general wear and tear from people, pets, and objects. Maintaining the stone should be a top priority.

There are many different materials and finishes within this kitchen. Each must be considered in order to keep the entire room functioning well over time. Photo courtesy of Pacific Stoneworks.

How to Choose the Right Cleaning Products

The level of quality and care given to the design of this bathroom should be of the same level to maintain it.

It is important to use the right product and process for the type of stone and specific issue you are addressing. Different stones have different characteristics and will respond differently to cleaning and maintenance.

Ask the following questions before getting started:

• What type of stone is it? Marble, granite, slate, limestone, travertine, etc.?
• Is the stone porous or nonporous?
• Is the stone resistant to scratching, etching, and staining?
• What kind of finish does the stone have? Is it polished, honed, flamed, or something else?
• Where is the stone installed? Is it on a countertop, floor, backsplash, fireplace, or somewhere else?

Also ask which of these issues are being addressed:

• Dirt and debris build up
• High-traffic areas
• Normal wear and tear
• Chemical spills
• Stains or etches from an acidic or oily substance
• Damage such as a scratch, break, or change in appearance

Whenever possible, ask these questions before the stone is even installed. That way you can plan appropriately and understand what maintenance practice will work best for your stone. For example, if you are considering a stone that is prone to stains and you cook and entertain a lot, you can either select a different stone or choose appropriate finishing options. If you have pets and small children, the durability of the stone will be a major consideration. Choosing a stone that does not damage easily will reduce maintenance issues.

Eco-friendly Maintenance Practices

Regular preventative maintenance keeps dust and dirt from building up on the surface of the stone as well as on the surrounding materials. It also prevents the stone from deteriorating and the finish from dulling. Some of the simplest maintenance practices are also the most eco-friendly.

First, keep dirt and debris from entering into the home from the outside. Install floor mats at entrances to reduce the dirt that could enter the space. Create a transition area to contain dirty clothes, shoes, and pets. This will reduce the likelihood of dirt, debris and chemicals that are present on these items from coming into contact with the stone elements and the rest of the indoor environment.

Before and after maintenance. This extreme condition could have been prevented by regular maintenance. Waiting this long adds time, resources, and often a process that is labor intensive and expensive.

Second, address the daily habits that can impact any surface material. Use coasters to prevent etching from acidic drinks. Do not set hot pans directly on the stone surface. Dust or mop regularly with a soft microfiber cloth to prevent dirt and grit from getting ground into surfaces, which can wear away the finish. Do not use mops or brooms with a rough or abrasive surface to prevent scratching. Remove excess water from shower stalls, sinks, and vanities to prevent mold, soap scum, and mildew.

Next, use natural and simple cleaning solutions as your first choice whenever possible. A pH neutral cleaner will not damage the stone surface. Small nicks, scratches, and water spots can be buffed out very gently with a 00 steel wool pad. Remove spills as soon as they happen with a mild dish soap or vegetable soap and hot water. Small nicks, scratches, and water spots can be buffed out gently with a 00 steel wool pad. Consult with your stone professional to understand the best practices for your stone.

Sealers can also play an important role in keeping the stone looking and performing well. Sealers are often applied at the fabrication stage, but can also be applied after installation.

Always make sure to check labels and make sure the products you use are safe for use on natural stone. Acidic cleaners like vinegar and lemon juice will etch the surface of calcitic stones like marble and limestone. Ammonia can also dull the finish on certain stones and has also been linked to breathing difficulties. Ammonia and bleach should never be combined—this combination creates an immediate toxic gas.

These simple eco-friendly maintenance practices go a long way in sustaining the stone. However, it is possible to go beyond this with products that have credentials that will give you peace of mind, not only for your home, but also for the planet.

Certified Maintenance Products

Testing cleaning products on various stones in a lab.

Environmentally friendly cleaning products have been tested to ensure they are safe and healthy for indoor environments and are certified for low and no chemical emissions. They also reduce the impact of chemicals that often end up in waste streams and water systems. These products have the following characteristics:

• Water based
• Contain no harsh chemicals
• Produce no toxic fumes
• Contain no Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
• Biodegradable
• Packaging is minimal and recyclable

Select a cleaning product with a certification label from a trusted and respected green product certification labeling organization. This will ensure that the ingredients in the products meet strict requirements and standards for indoor air and water quality and contain no harsh chemicals.

Cleaning products with these types of labels are becoming more widely available worldwide. So whether you live in coastal California or are staying in your vacation home in the hilltowns of Italy, you can find a sustainable cleaning product for stone. Remember to use these types of products throughout the home so that you are addressing the stone, the system, and the indoor environment as a whole. For the optimal result, plan for and implement maintenance regularly and consistently.

Additional Resources

• Global Ecolabel Network
• GREENGUARD Certification
• Green Seal
• Natural Stone Institute
• US Environmental Protection Agency Safer Choice

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All photos courtesy of Gordon Beall Photography. An earlier version of this article originally appeared in Building Stone Magazine.

Although 500 years have passed since the construction of the Palladian villas of Italy’s Veneto region, this architectural style is still a source of inspiration in the design world. In Albemarle County, Virginia, a couple whose lifelong dream was to have their own Palladian villa sought to create a structure that also incorporated contemporary touches and seamlessly integrated current technologies and practices.

Re-envisioning a Classic Design

“The residence is comprised of three buildings joined by curved colonnades, a classical design that brings human scale to a large home and connects the buildings to the landscape,” explained Robert Paxton, principal at Dalgliesh Gilpin Paxton Architects in Charlottesville, VA. “The five-part composition allows abundant daylight in every room and capitalizes on magnificent views to the south, west, and north. The contemporary glazing at the two-story west wall engages the portico’s classical architectural detailing and the panoramic views beyond. Landscaping ties the house to the setting and provides a multilevel progression from the entry courtyard to the west lawn that features cascading terraced gardens, fountain, pool, sculptures, and stone walls and pyramids.”

The expansive home, built to last for centuries, embraces the characteristics of a classic Palladian villa. Several varieties of natural stone were used to create the three-story structure, including limestone, marble, granite, bluestone, sandstone, and slate.

“Stone’s timelessness and versatility make it a natural fit for this home inspired by history,” said Paxton. “Its sculptural qualities enhance classical detailing, evident in V House’s entablature, pediments, columns, and mantels. The stone’s cut and color range differentiate the residence’s layers of sophistication; finishes grow more refined moving from the landscape walls to the  structure’s exteriors and then to the interiors.”

8,000 square feet of stone was used on the interior floors, with over 5,000 square feet of Antique French refined limestone comprising the main rooms’ floors, elliptical stair tread risers, and stringer. Refined European-cut limestone crafted the mantels in the sitting room, living room, and gallery; the unique mantel in the dining room/library features Statuario and Sienna marbles. Countertops throughout the house are made of granite, marble, limestone and soapstone. 1,500 square feet of mosaic marble and limestone adorn the floors in the bathrooms and dressing areas.

Contemporizing a classical appearance

Palladian villas traditionally see functions distributed both vertically and horizontally. Kitchens, storage rooms, laundry rooms, and cellars were located on the low ground floor, while the more public rooms, such as the loggia and living room, were on the main living floor near the center of the home. The left and right wings were generally symmetrical suites of rooms, which lengthened the overall layout.

V House adheres to this traditional layout, which presented some hurdles for the architects. “Even though the house is multiple levels, the biggest challenge was trying to achieve the one-level floor plan,” Paxton explained. “We were trying to maintain proper proportions of the house. As your plan gets bigger, to maintain proper proportions, the house has to get taller for it to look right, so it was a real struggle to try and make the house not look so big, although it is a big house. When you approach it, it appears more as one-and-a-half stories. However, as you go to the wings, the scale of the home breaks down to something smaller, with stone growing out of landscape and building up to the main block.”

To achieve the correct scale, careful attention had to be paid to the land grading. “We worked with the grade, in the sense that the house opens up to the grade on the lower level,” Paxton said. “You can’t perceive that at all as you drive up the driveway. It’s a sloping site, so we worked with the lay of the land as much as we could to make the house look smaller. It looks like it has a walkout basement — called the ‘terrace level’ — which is something that most people can relate to. On the main block, we brought the grade up so you could walk out from the terraces. Big bluestone stairs cascade down on each side.

“To make the house look right proportionally, we also had to squeeze the floor system using concrete planks,” Paxton added. “This is mostly seen in commercial construction; however, it allowed us to have an 8-inch structural system for the floor, which helped a lot.”

A thin 8-inch precast concrete plank was used for both the main level and the second-floor framing systems, which allowed dimensioning the entry pediment as a square and the overall proportion of the main block as a root-2 rectangle. “The resultant 12-foot, 8-inch interior ceiling height in the main public rooms is appropriate for the size of the spaces,” said Paxton. “The use of precast planks also led to a structural steel framing system with prefabricated insulated steel panels for the exterior walls. This energy-efficient exterior wall includes 7 inches of solid foam insulation.”

The architects also combined the dining room and library into a unique two-level space to accommodate the one-level plan — shaped around a 178-year-old wooden table from the owners’ antique collection. “That room was designed around that table in its largest dimension [10 feet],” said Paxton. “That informed the size of the floor plan and size of the house.”

The owners’ vast architectural book collection also aided in this room’s stature. “If our clients have important pieces, we’re always trying to think about that in our initial sketches,” said Paxton, who is no stranger to designing homes around particular items of importance for clients. “We’re always trying to think about interiors, landscape, and architecture all working together as one in each of our designs.”

Taking advantage of the landscape

The exterior design of V House is integrated with the interior design, with rough-cut Ohio limestone veneer cladding the majority of the facade and retaining walls. Distinctive Indiana limestone was used to craft the entablature, columns, pediments, balustrades, and window and door surrounds.

Ballasted slate roofing — which required 13,213 square feet of slate— was also implemented, along with stainless steel flashing, 6-inch stone veneer, and bronze windows and doors.

To create the sprawling landscape walkways, terraces, stairs and pool coping, 525 square feet of Pennsylvania bluestone was hand-placed. Hand-molded brick was also utilized for various accents in the traditional Palladian style, while tumbled Iowa sandstone shapes the driveway cobbles.

“Stone acts as a unifying design element at V House, creating a layered and harmonious transition between interior and exterior spaces,” said Paxton. “The visual appeal and texture of stone complement a palette of enduring materials. The roughest cut and most varied color range are found in the reclaimed fieldstone site walls, which seem to grow from the landscape. The narrow color range of the natural cleft limestone utilized on the buildings is complemented by classical detailing executed in highly refined cut Indiana limestone.”

A custom installation

“There was a lot of stone involved in this project,” said Cary Broocks, vice president of operations at Empire Marble & Granite Co. in Richmond, VA. “We were on site for two years.”

Broocks worked closely with the fabricators from 3D Stone, Inc. in Bloomington, IN, who shaped 12,000 cubic feet of stone for the project. “The architect, fabricator, and installer were all on the same page from day one,” said Kurt Sendek, owner of 3D Stone. “The details on the drawings were superb, and the installers from Empire Marble & Granite knew what they were doing. The team worked seamlessly from the beginning of the project.”

During the construction of the home, there were many intricately crafted pieces that needed to be transported almost 600 miles, which was done with ease, according to Sendek. “There were less than five pieces that needed adjustments,” he said.

“Out of my 30 years of experience, this was the smoothest project we’ve ever worked on,” added John Cunningham, 3D Stone’s head estimator and project manager, who was on the jobsite throughout the duration of the project.

After the home’s completion, the team from 3D Stone engineered a 22-foot-tall obelisk at the owner’s request, which Kurt described as a “great feat.” “There were three pieces that had to match identically on each side,” he explained. “We had to lay that out in the factory to make sure all four sides, as it tapered, were perfect — and as it went up, it would be perfect. This was a very unique part of the project that stood out as being grandiose. It was the first time we’ve ever done something like this.”

“We’ve done some small projects on the property for the owners over the past couple years since we finished,” Broocks added. “They’re very happy with how everything turned out.”

V House took four years to complete, with equal amounts of time focused on the design and construction. The project was the recipient of a 2017 Pinnacle Award in the Residential category. “It was our first time constructing something like this,” said Paxton. “It is custom from the ground up. People don’t come to us for something they’ve seen before.”

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