About stone coverings

“Again and again, there is the sensuality of the material – how it feels, what it looks like: does it look dull, does it shimmer or sparkle? Its smell. Is it hard or soft, flexible, cold or warm, smooth or rough? What color is it and which structures does it reveal on its surface?” — Manfred Sack

To choose the right material. What a complex task!
It has its color. It has its sound. Its temperature. A specific material doesn’t only create a warm or cold atmosphere – it is physically warm or cold.

Different materials feel differently. They are different to touch.

They absorb or reflect sound (waves). They absorb or reflect light.

Even more than light or colors, materials set the mood.

And the stone is probably the most expressive material to use in interiors. Completly rough, natural, or perfectly smooth. So smooth that it becomes reflective. Slippery, if used on floors.

Multicolored. Shimmery. Stone cold.

About stone coverings: NimTim architects - Westbourne Gardens — NimTim architects – Westbourne Gardens // photo: © Megan Taylor

It is luxurious. And expensive. Often too expensive to be used as floor or wall finish. Luckily, there are amazing pieces of furniture partly made of stone, to help us add at least a pinch of that luxury.

From the bathroom to stairs, you can use it everywhere. But in our opinion, don’t use it literally everywhere. Like we said, it’s quite expressive. Even marble coasters are sometimes enough.

About stone coverings: Eleanna Horiti - The White House — Eleanna Horiti – The White House // photo: © Vassilis Skopelitis

Stone can be natural or composite. The difference between them is quite obvious. Natural stone is unpredictable, unique, and there is no such thing as two identical tiles. With composite stone, you choose a color and a finish. Advantage? Maybe. We always say interior design is about control over space. Yet, we can’t deny unpredictable can also be exciting.

Check out a gallery of our favorites. We hope to inspire you, not only to consider stone as a material of your choice but to consider all the wonderful materials available for interiors before settling for the most common ones. That’s the whole point of our ‘About materials’ series.
In case you missed it, we already wrote about tiles, about wallpapers, and about hardwood floors.