Designer Erin Munson works in the Materials Marketing showroom in San Antonio, TX. The challenge she faced was to design a modern fireplace surround in natural stone from “scratch”, so to speak. Certainly there are many homeowners that are faced with the same, “how do I design a natural stone fireplace”, question. Well here are ...
For the purposes of this post, let’s go through a few quick definitions. Natural stone is millions of years old. It is quarried from the earth and has gone through many natural changes over time. Cast stone is a type of precast concrete designed to simulate different types of natural cut stone. Let’s now review ...
In an earlier post, Fifty Shades of…… Stone! , we discussed at some length the shading and veining of natural stone products. We hoped to explain what you should be prepared to understand during the selection process and also during the installation process. Lately it seems that we left something out of the equation and ...
The inspiration that drives creativity has been discussed since mankind first found the word. Mr. Woody Allen, love him or loathe him as you might, was once asked about his “genius” and his life as an artist. He replied that “90% of it was just showing up”. Mr. Pablo Picasso said that “Inspiration finds you. ...
The fireplace, in most cases, is the focal point of a room. Designs vary from traditional French and English to transitional modern and contemporary, to name just a few. The style should complement the style of the room. There are a number of components to consider when selecting a natural stone fireplace besides just the ...
After many years of observing trends in the interior design industry, here is one simple thought. As night follows day, so does a period of design minimalism follow a period of design opulence. The collapse of the real estate bubble in 2008 and the resulting carnage in the luxury home design market has sobered us ...
One school of thought would suggest that the resurrection and restoration of South Beach in Florida, as a cultural and tourist destination, has contributed mightily to the public appreciation of Art Deco as both an expression of style and a design movement. On the other hand, some friends of mine would cry “foul” and simply ...
Materials Marketing Limited is proud to be aligned with the American Institute of Architects and their Continuing Education program. As an AIA CEU provider, we offer a course, “Fireplaces in Time”. In general, this course reviews historical design periods and briefly discusses the typical fireplace characteristics of the era. Let’s touch briefly on one of ...
In May of 2011, the newest Materials Marketing showroom opened in Denver, Colorado. Since then, we are still hearing the same reaction from the designers, architects and clients who enter, “Wow!” Everything from the floor plan, to the displays, to the lighting, was taken into consideration. We aspire to present all of our products, materials ...
Architectural elements from the British Regency era have resurfaced in home construction across the United States. In our showroom, this is manifested in the design of the fireplace. “Regency” style fireplaces are fairly simple in outline and profile yielding a clean uncomplicated piece. The mantel is relatively thin projecting further at the sides to accommodate ...
