Trends
One of the main advantages of using natural stone or tile in your design is the durability of these products, so you may be thinking that trends are unimportant. However trends gradually evolve and knowing where we are headed can keep your project from looking dated.
Over the last two years, the Green Building movement has become mainstream, and being environmentally responsible is changing the design aesthetic. Designers are looking for durable and practical choices to increase the longevity of the look, with a neutral color palette and an emphasis on quality over quantity. New products are being introduced to the market at an incredible pace, and combining these new green products with more rustic or traditional elements is creating unique new styles, such as Rustic Contemporary. Natural elements like stone and glass fit into this new eco-friendly aesthetic perfectly. Global Granite & Marble is also proud to distribute such products as Celenio recycled wood tiles, ECO by Cosentino, and Vermont Danby Marbles which have specific appeal to those looking for potential LEED qualifying building materials.
We hear “neutral, neutral, neutral” all of the time, and the range of neutral colors is expanding. Gray has become the new workhorse of the neutral palette. Now gray is being tweaked and mixed into thousands of shades of taupe, mushroom, charcoal and oyster colors, all of which are common in natural stone, and ideal choices for large spaces. Also, the expansion in the number of gray options in glass, ceramic and quartz surfacing products is astonishing. Designers now have lots of choices available to create rich palettes of subtle neutrals that can calm the eye and visually enlarge a space. Classic, crisp Carrara marble makes for a master bath is a choice that will endure the years. For a stunning kitchen incorporating gray, consider Sage Brush, Ghibli, or Azul Aran granite for countertops.
Although there is an emphasis on neutral, don’t forget about color. Greens are very comfortable, natural colors to add to a neutral palette. Use Coast Green or Costa Smerelda granite to create a soothing kitchen, or Olive Green limestone for a serene bath with Zen appeal. Especially as we move toward 2011, expect to see more colors used as accents—especially gorgeous shades of azure blue and violet. You can add just a touch of these brighter colors with glass or ceramics to enliven a simple design.
With the use of more tone-on-tone color palettes, texture becomes a key component of any design. Layering reflective polished surfaces with matte and antiqued elements gives a design depth as the light plays across the different textures. Glass, ceramic and stone mosaics alike now take advantage of the different textures available to create surfaces that sparkle and flash as the light changes. As new methods of processing natural stone have come to market, like suede finish granites, we see them consistently gaining popularity.