Category: Stories in Stone Blog

I am not normally known as a style guru but today I want to impart what I hear is the latest in the world of kitchen design. Apparently, granite countertops are on their way out. Where did I pick up this shocking tidbit? None other than the ever up-to-date Home section of yesterday’s New York Times. According to Evan Nussbaum of Stone Source “people have become a little sick of the traditional speckled granite look.”

I was shocked to read this. (Of course, we have kept our retro white Formica countertop, long suspecting that speckled was over rated.) You may wonder what are the new stones that are titillating those in the know. First is quartzite, a stone that “tends to give you the drama” of marble but without that pesky “acid sensitivity.” What else could you desire in a countertop? Now, whether these quartzite are true quartzites is hard to tell, as names in the building trade mostly reflect the whims of marketers and less the reality of geologists.

[nggallery id=8]Quartzite is a metamorphosed sandstone that can consist of as much as 99% quartz. It is usually extremely hard. One place where is what used as a building tone is in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It has a lovely pink hue.

Two additional contenders are basalt and schist, described as providing “a monolithic-gray, minimal-looking countertop.” Again, it is unclear what these stones are. Schist is another metamorphic rock, usually identified by the alignment of minerals such as mica. I came across one popular variety, Pietra Cardosa, listed as a schist, quartzite, slate, limestone, and granite, which actually makes it an ideal stone to use because you can call it what you what depending on what sort of fashion statement you want to make.

I think it’s great that we are seeing these new rock types becoming trendy. Any time the language of geologists can enter the popular lexicon is good. Stay tuned for more style updates.

 

Following up my last post, I wanted to turn to bird houses made of stone. These were designed by Italian designer Raffaello Galiotto in cooperation with Arredo di Pietra. I learned about them from a nifty site, Stone-Ideas.com. Galiotto and his design team also produced houses for other beasts, including dogs.

The houses are made of travertine, one of the most commonly used building stones in the world. Because of the potential for diseases, each house has been treated with a protective coating. Known as the Redoxstone system, it is made of nano-particles of titanium dioxide or titanium (IV) oxide. According to the Stone-Ideas web site, ” This naturally occurring oxide of titanium can oxidize oxygen and organic materials directly giving it sterilizing, deodorizing and anti-fouling properties.” I imagine that this will make the birds happy.

[nggallery id=16]I do wonder how birds will take to these beautiful houses and whether the human owners would want birds dirtying these works of art. Please let me know if you order one and who visits it.