The Resurgence of Stone…….

The last 5 years or so has seen the resurgence of stone as a fashion product. It is interesting to note that almost by definition “fashion” implies transience – ever changing, therefore “timeless fashion” is almost an oxymoron, but if ever there is a context it is applicable it is with the current trend of stone and stone look. That is, stone has been used since B.C. while other fashion trends tend to last 5 minutes…..think the pink and grey pastels of the late 80’s (are they coming back?)

There are many types of stone and marble; it seems like we have discovered a new dictionary full of a wonderful array of names… Calacutta Oro, Travertine, Bluestone, Carrara, Crosscut, Vein cut etc. However most stones are not very hard and have ongoing maintenance issues.  For example – marbles have a MOHS hardness of 3 out of 10 and are made of calcium (same as our teeth.) Corrosion can occur to form cavities in the stone. If you choose stone you also choose to enter an ongoing regime of stone care or risk damage and losing its natural beauty.  Along with the variety of different types of marble s and stones there is also huge variety in quality.

With this in mind, several years ago we made a deliberate choice to go down the path of stocking quality Italian porcelain stoneware as stone substitutes. This decision was helped by several technical advances not least being the high definition digital ink jet which can create an exact aesthetic replica of a particular stone, if done well. This breakthrough combined with the low porosity and high production standards of our leading italian manufacturers Cotto D’este, Panaria, Fioranese, Unicom Starker, and Novabell, means choosing a stone reproduction does not mean compromising on design and function.

In following posts we will take a snap shot of some of these products.

 

Brian Brady