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by Rachel Lyon, Editorial Director for The House Designers®
The difference between a boring interior and a beautiful one isn’t completely decided by what you put into it—consider how you finish your spaces before bringing in window treatments, rugs, furniture, and artwork. You can add variation with colors and textures to create a backdrop that draws the eye on its own and adds depth and character to the room. Stone elements accompany all sorts of schemes with awesome results, so check out some ways to incorporate them!
Areas with Traditional & Natural Design
If you’re inspired by the natural world, you probably want to add some touches in your home. Have you considered where would work best? Stone is extremely flexible stylistically, so you’ll find it in a wide variety of uses—here are just a few of our favorites.
Transitions – In the foyer or around patio doors to an outdoor living space, stone elements fit beautifully in the areas between inside and out. If you have a lot of land and views, blurring these lines will immerse you in it even more!
Demarcations – Like stone walls between colonial property lines or a rocky border between beach and woodland, there’s something charming about interior partitions made with stone. For example, columns and the kitchen island/peninsula, both of which can be used to define an open floor plan, are often embellished with stone to provide a solid look that balances all the airiness around them.
Bathrooms – So many people love stone embellishments in their luxury bathrooms, whether they want a rustic or chic design. The natural texture breaks up the monotony of so much smooth porcelain, acrylic, tile, and gloss paint. Try accenting an exterior wall, or around a drop-in tub, to play up the natural, built-in vibe.
Interior/Underground Spaces – This means wine cellars and basements, of course! Older cellars were made with stone walls, and the look is still preferred in Mediterranean and classic cottage designs.
You don’t have to take our word for it! Get creative and see where you can add natural charm to bring out the best in your home. Start by taking stock of all the facets and permanent features of the interior, and don’t be afraid to defer to an experienced professional. Some places just work better than others!
Plain Expanses
Not particularly moved by natural or rustic design? No worries—there are other reasons why homeowners gravitate to stone. It doesn’t even need to stand out and make a statement; let it blend in and contribute to a better backdrop discreetly. You’ll often find this approach used in bright and cleanly designed contemporary homes, because unless you’re going for a very stark, clinical aesthetic, you’ll want to visually soften the space.
Surface texture and grout lines both make stone walls more interesting than painted ones, even if they’re subtle and the same color. Large-face pieces are usually preferred for their simplicity, and they also make it easier to mix and match different products if you have a pattern in mind. Shades of white are popular in this context, but not requisite. Light hues work well, too, and both in warm and cool schemes. This is ideal if you appreciate the uncluttered atmosphere of modern design, but you still tend toward another style primarily.
The Fireplace
Whether your tastes fall on the traditional or contemporary side, stone wall cladding around a fireplace just looks right. And it looks right in different formats—whether you have a wood, gas, or electric fireplace, and whether it sits on a wall or between interior spaces, like many see-through and three-sided models do these days. It all comes back to creating a varied and balanced backdrop, but here, it highlights the natural focal point of the room. Fireplaces are meant to draw the eye, so help yours out and keep it from falling flat!
No matter your style, you’ll find lovely options from Eldorado Stone to suit your design vision. Their veneers are molded from real pieces of stone and hand-painted to a unique and authentic finish each time. Eldorado Stone makes it easy on homeowners with helpful design resource materials and tools as well as personalized design services, if you’d prefer an expert opinion. Rest assured you’ll come up with the perfect stone scheme for your home!