How to Choose the Right Natural Stone for Your Home’s Interior Design

General Category

Oct 21

The inherent characteristics of natural stone add elegance, distinction, and one-of-a-kind texture across a wide range of interior design applications. Make the most of our designer tricks provided in our natural stone guide when selecting natural stone for your space.

Know the Types of Natural Stone

Making the right choice begins with basic knowledge of the types of natural stone available. The three most common stone types in interior design are as follows:

1. Marble

Revered for its luxury and elegance, marble is an igneous rock known for its veining. However, this desirable stone also features a range of characteristics from solids to specks, and high-contrast veining to more nuanced textures.

Applications: Choose marble for its heat resistance to stand up to kitchen work and the warmth produced by fireplace surrounds.

2. Granite

Granite is also an igneous rock often overlooked due to its association with heavy speckling and high-contrast peppering. However, granite is available in varied textures, patterns, and colours, including the highly desirable look of marbled veining.

Applications: Granite’s density and hardness are second only to diamonds, making it suitable for a wide range of applications from kitchens to bathrooms and both interior and exterior projects.

3. Quartzite

Quartzite is a lesser-known stone choice for interior design. However, it is a stunning natural stone that combines the sophistication of marble with the durability of granite as the ultimate choice for design projects.

Applications: Quartzite’s unique properties can be applied across a wide range of projects, from countertops and flooring to tabletops and statement walls.

Selecting Natural Stone Requires Patience

The types of natural stone are abundant, making too many choices the first roadblock when selecting natural stone for your space. Take the time to consider the natural stone's properties and how its distinct qualities will complement your design scheme. It takes patience to first explore the natural stone types and patterns available, and then browse the selection of existing slabs in that stone type.

By assessing individual slabs, you’ll soon discover the unique beauty of natural stone, allowing you to choose the right level of veining, colouring, texture, contrast, and varied nuances that fit your space beautifully.

Pay Attention to Details When Selecting Natural Stone

By approaching your selection with patience, you’ll discover the subtle variations from slab to slab that make a difference once the stone is installed. For example, if you are leaning towards a stone with notable veining, such as timeless Carrara marble or certain types of quartzite, the direction of the veining plays a crucial role in determining the slab’s suitability.

When installing a waterfall counter, veining running at one angle on the top slab and another angle on the waterfall portion disrupts the natural beauty of the stone. So, pay attention to these types of details to help ensure you create a sense of unity in your space. The details should calm the eye and highlight the natural characteristics, rather than distracting from the flow of the room.

Selecting Natural Stone Properties: Colour Variations

Engineered stone materials control the colour variations in each slab to create consistency and clarity. Nature, on the other hand, takes a very different approach over millennia to create the one-of-a-kind colours on every slab. These naturally occurring colours are one of the most appealing aspects of natural stone, but they can sometimes present a challenge if you have a very specific look in mind.

Since natural stone is one of the most sought-after materials in high-end homes, embracing those natural colour variations and perhaps even using those colours as the inspiration for your colour scheme allows you to benefit from Mother Nature’s colour palette. Stone also comes in solid variations such as absolute black, which can make it easier to find a suitable colour.

Selecting Natural Stone Properties: Texture

Some types of natural stone are heavily textured, such as certain slabs of granite. Instead of veining, you can find a speckled or mottled appearance that is more textured than the flow of veining. The peppered texture of some stone slabs offers a range of variants, tones, and hues that expand your colour palette.

Additionally, variations in texture are found on different scales, ranging from microdots, which are less visible, to medium peppering that feels busier, and large “patches” that feel more open and airy.

Selecting Natural Stone Properties: Veining

Veining is the classic stone look in high-end spaces. Veining creates a sense of movement that flows through a space, allowing the eye to appreciate its beauty while taking in other decorative accents and aspects in the room. Be careful when working with veined stone across different surfaces in an open space. You want the veining to maintain a similar scale, flow, and colour variation, or the room can feel too busy.

Selecting Natural Stone Properties: Contrast

Natural stone properties can infuse contrast into a space or soften a space with colours that are similar in tone. For example, a stone such as Bianco Olinda granite is very subtle with soft tones of grey on grey compared to Lilac Extra marble, which is much more dramatic due to the distinct contrast between black and white.

Selecting Natural Stone for Statement Features

Many types of natural stone can be used creatively as standout statement features in a space. Here are a few examples:

Tabletops: Choosing an unexpected natural stone such as White Onyx marble to create a statement piece in your dining room adds drama and elegance with a completely bespoke table design.
Fireplaces: Installing a striking marble fireplace surround elevates this common focal point into a statement feature. Choose, for example, the elegant yet warm contrast of Titanium granite, or the stunning flow of Mystic Black marble.
Kitchen islands: Islands are logical choices for statement pieces, adding sophistication and texture with types of stone such as Jewel marble and Platino quartzite.
Bathroom vanities: Bathroom vanities are instantly elevated into showstopping statement features with the sophistication of natural stone properties, from the soft waves and ethereal clouds of Everest quartzite to the subtle streaks and chicness of Ocean Black slate.

Selecting Natural Stone Based on Thickness

The last tip in our natural stone guide is more practical. Stone slabs come in a range of thicknesses that directly relates to the intended use of the surface. Here are some basic rules to keep in mind:

Counters: Counters require stability, especially in high-traffic areas such as your kitchen. When shopping for natural stone kitchen counters, 3 cm slabs are the standard to maximize durability, making this slab size readily available. In the case of bathroom vanities, you can get away with 2 cm slabs as a more affordable option.
Wall cladding: Weight is a major consideration when cladding walls with stone. 2 cm can work, but thinner tiles ranging from 6 to 10 mm make installation easier.
Showers and tubs: Using a thicker tile works best for shower and tub surrounds of about 10 mm.