As a busy interior designer, I have incorporated natural stone in many of my designs. I can’t begin to express how much I love using natural stone.
I’ve always believed that in my work, I must produce a space that radiates more than beauty. If a space doesn’t make a reaction that evokes the senses in a positive way, then I haven’t generated my best design. Natural stone is one of the elements that will add to the richness of any space and can help create an important visceral reaction. I believe this is due to the connected or rooted feeling that natural products arouse in us as human beings.
Natural stone has been used as a building material for many thousands of years. Stone is obviously abundant and practical as a resource for building but is also used as decoration.
Some of the stone products are marble, limestone, travertine quartzite, sandstone, onyx, and granite. These products are hand-selected from the most consistent sources for beauty as well as durability.
When I am designing a project I consider the composition, color and texture that will suit the design optimally. This thoughtful review results in designs that are distinctive and unique.
A professional such as a licensed interior designer can be a great resource in guiding the consumer through the menagerie of choices.
Design expertise matters
Some stones are more durable, some more porous and some not able to endure a freeze/thaw fluctuation that results in outdoor applications in some climates.
As an example, I used a stacked stone veneer in a project that I had the entire length of a hall clad in a quartzite stone from floor to ceiling that intersected a glass pivot door at the home’s entrance and again with the glass window at the rear of the home. The quartzite was a great choice because the crystalline structure reflects and bounces light beautifully and holds up to the dramatic freeze thaw environment in the high mountain desert climate of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Natural stone can be used in so many ways and in so many areas of the home. Stone can be used outdoors as well as indoors on floors, countertops, walls, furnishings, tub surrounds, shower surrounds, walkways, patios, fireplaces etc. Many natural stones can be enhanced by a variety of finishes; the most common are polished and honed. The list is almost endless.
Some of the most captivating finishes are bush hammered, leathered and flamed. The beauty, texture and feel of these finishes are sublime, and I enjoy the variety of the aesthetic features these finishes can bring out in the stone, resulting in an exquisite, timeless design.
