Timeless in both style and sturdiness, stone and wood are two of Mother Nature’s best mediums. Together, they’re a match made in heaven. From towering stacked-stone fireplaces to luxe marble countertops to river-rock trimmed exteriors to hardscaped back yards and rugged stacked-rock fire pits, stone is everywhere you look in custom home design (even the faux stuff!). For log and timber homes, it’s not just an accessory but a key player. To get your creativity flowing, we’ve corralled some hot stone products — real and manmade; indoors and out.
OUTDOORS
A big reason log and timber structures are right at home in remote and even rugged locales is their use of natural materials — including stone. Here are a few ways to put both the beauty and brawn of stone to work on your home’s exterior.
Manmade: Stack ’em High
This Montana half-log home from Expedition Log Homes is a study in masterful mixing of materials, with its turret and foundation encased in an Owens Corning cultured (manufactured) stone. Shop similar products at culturedstone.com.
Photo courtesy of Caesarstone
Manmade: Kitchen Duty
As the way we live in our outdoor spaces has become more sophisticated, so have the furnishings and finishes we choose. This year, longtime household favorite Caesarstone introduced not just porcelain and natural stone into their collection, but also additional outdoor surface materials that are sturdier and chicer than ever. With options like outdoor-ready porcelain and quartz that mimic the beautiful veining and colors of natural stone, your kitchen just may get jealous.
Natural: Step it Up
Swap standard concrete in garden pathways and patios for striking stones that reinforce the natural beauty of an al fresco setting. Slate is gorgeous but potentially slippery, so options like flagstone or limestone may be a safer and equally attractive selection. (Bonus points for local stone, as seen in this Texas back yard!) Using a base of gravel can help it all stay in place.
INDOORS
Some say the heart of the home is the kitchen, for others, it’s a grand fireplace in the great room. Wherever you prefer to gather, stone deserves to be there too.
Manmade: Supersize Me
When it comes to stone and tile, big is in. Companies are offering increasingly large tiles and slabs to keep up with consumers’ taste for seamless surfaces. Take, for instance, Cambria’s new “Super Jumbo” slabs stretching 76 square feet for uninterrupted display of the detailing. Shop the look at cambriausa.com.
Natural: On Solid Ground
There are a lot of reasons to opt for stone floors — they’re naturally cool in hot zones; they’re prime for radiant heating in cold climates; they’re generally durable and clean; and you can even install them to seamlessly transition from an inside space to an outdoor room. Plus, each piece is totally unique. Achieve a look like that of this Colorado basement bar with limestone.
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Best of Both Worlds: Old-World Style
Take a cue from this home by Wisconsin Log Homes, in which the great room’s over-grouted fireplace echoes the stone treatment on the exterior. In combination with the “Old-World” stone, the application cements the family’s self-described “coastal-European-cottage” style. Shop similar ideas at oldworldstoneveneer.com.
Stone Art Elevation
Before. Photo courtesy of Alma Fine Art.
Not just Mother Nature’s medium of choice, stone is often artists’ preferred material as well — and has been for centuries. Today’s technology puts a new spin on the long legacy of stone art.
ALMA, which stands for Accentual Light Mapping Art, is a New-York-based art studio transforming rare slabs of natural stone into fine art using light mapping projection, creating what they refer to as Fine StoneTM. In a process that takes four to six months, a team of eight people scrutinizes slabs of natural stone like quartzite, marble, onyx and granite in search of an artistic scene within the veining. Once found, the scene is accentuated using light projection. To learn more, visit almaartstudio.com.
