Q: Why is this stone so unique? A: The intense colorations of Picasso Onyx make it not for the faint of heart; it’s prized for its extreme movement of brown, black, cream and gold swirls. Known as the “sexy” stone, Onyx is quite rare and considered to be a semi-precious stone.
Q: Where can this stone be used? A: Create your own masterpiece by lining the walls of your living room with this breathtaking stone using four book matched slabs. Or make a grand statement by mounting a framed slab over a minimalist fireplace. IRG’s Picasso Onyx truly reflects the art of opulence.
Q: How do I care for this stone? A: Calcereous stones such as Onyx require more maintenance due to their more porous composition. We recommend sealing and cleaning regularly. Onyx Is sensitive to scratching and any liquids should be wiped dry immediately. Keep these points in mind when deciding where to place your slab.
Q: Where can I find Picasso Onyx? A: Picasso Onyx is only one example of the vast in-stock inventory of Onyx slabs at IRG. Visit an IRG showroom near you (conveniently located in Brisbane, Dublin, and Sacramento) and IRG’s staff of surface experts can guide you through your selection. Schedule an appointment today.
Bold, Quiet, Excited, Relaxed, Energized, or Calm: Design Choices make a difference.
The studies are in, and they support the commonsense notion that interior design does indeed affect how you feel—emotionally and physically—inside your home. Whether subconscious or intentional, a person often makes design choices based on texture, color, and space. In other words: the immediate and emotional impact that an item evokes when you first see it can make you fall instantly in love…or not.
Let your feelings show.
Leaving all design decisions up to a professional is, of course, an easy way to operate. But that influencer must know you—what you like and how you react to color, surfaces, texture, and space. The newest looks, today’s design trends, and daily Twitter feeds don’t necessarily represent your preferences or the emotional impact you feel when reviewing these beautifully photographed surroundings.
At IRG, the designers we work with tell us customers are asking for new and statement-making uses for natural stone. While island waterfalls have become today’s norm, book-matched slabs used in home offices or as standalone art pieces are truly unique, one-of-a-kind applications that you might consider. At IRG, for example, our in-stock selections of Onyx or Calacatta Marble make stunning bookmatched natural stone statements.
Color is a biggie.
Almost everyone has a favorite color. Think about yours.
When you think about colors, ponder the following:
Why do you gravitate to that specific color?
How do you feel when you stare at it, does it bring back memories?
Is there a color family or varying tones that speak to you most often?
Besides clothing choices, where do you most often enjoy this color (or colors)?
Color therapy has been used in medical situations, public places, and vehicles. Adding color to a space can help achieve a different state of mind for the occupants.
Green and blue tones historically make surroundings feel more safe, calm, and relaxed.
Reds and oranges can add excitement, passion, and stimulation to an area.
Some color combinations can help us concentrate or feel creative.
Others bring back memories of pleasant times.
Identify colors that tire or depress you and your family and avoid them. It’s important to make your color choices personally and wisely.
Does bold stone speak to you?
Sometimes all you have to do is let the stone speak for itself. Large striking slabs used on walls or in large format design should be left to shine on their own. Rarely is there a need to enhance the dramatic impression natural stone can make by adding strong accessories or equally bold fabrics. When it comes to a brilliant—and often backlit—slab of onyx, no competition is necessary.
Nature is a natural.
Another option to consider is the effect of bringing nature into your spaces.
Natural elements can lower your heart rate and help you feel at peace with your life. Sometimes just the “awe” of a slab of natural stone puts a perspective on a situation. Knowing that a slab of marble has been in existence for centuries and that this element is right in front of you can literally bring you back to earth.
AT IRG, one satisfied customer mentioned “losing themselves” while staring at an elaborate piece of onyx mounted as a fireplace surround. Others tell us it feels like swimming or floating while in a bathroom lined with sensuous blue/green granite.
Design choices can bring out the texture and dimension of the stone and can also set the tone for the room: exciting, calming, thoughtful, energetic…and more. It can become a fascinating focal point or an ethereal transcendent mirage – the options for mood set through stone choice are fascinating.
Leave space for space.
How the space of an area is perceived isn’t totally dependent upon its square footage. Almost any physical dimension can become more inviting through the use of furnishing choices, color and lighting. Feeling cozy and snug versus claustrophobic is an example.
Transforming a small area into a feeling of vastness can come from the inclusion of a wall of natural stone, adding depth to a shallow space. Conversely adding a high impact stone choice to a very large great room can balance the openness. This rule sounds contradictory but don’t be limited by your boundaries.
Ask for Help.
When you’ve thought it through and you’re ready, let IRG help you choose the right surface for the design and mood that you want. IRG’s experienced staff can give you the personal attention you need to make that choice from an unsurpassed in-stock selection of natural stone. Call or visit us at an IRG showroom convenient to you in Brisbane, Dublin, or Sacramento.
You’ve decided that this is the year to get rid of the avocado green bathtub and cracked tile and bring your bathroom to the 21st century. More importantly you want to renovate your bathroom not just to a point where it doesn’t make you groan, but to the point where you feel content in your surroundings.
OK, but where do you start? IRG has put together a list to help you get inspired to move your bathroom renovation to the next level.
Where to start?
1. Take Note.
One suggestion is to sit down with a notepad or iPad and think about how you want to feel when you’re in your newly remodeled bathroom. Think about logistics like:
Is this the one place in your home where you want total privacy, peace, and calm? Or is it OK for your children to have access while you dress and prep for the day?
Do you want a fast, easy dressing area to quickly get ready for work?
Would you like a lounge chair and/or a private dressing table area in an extended master suite to prepare for date-night soirees?
What other features will make this renovated room the bathroom of your dreams?
Now that you know how you want to feel (literally), about your bath space, determine which tactile qualities can make this happen for you.
Do you like soft surfaces?
rounded corners
fabric treatments
hardware that you just want to touch?
Or
clean, straight edgings,
utilitarian cabinetry
minimalist touches.
These are important qualities so take the time to jot down what comes into your mind and take notice—you’ll be living with these details for a long time.
2. Search Your Style.
Whether on the internet or by leafing through books and magazines, search for those images that match the specifics you’ve outlined. A few of our favorite interior design websites are:
Find an interior designer that you feel drawn to and become a follower. You’ll see posts of their latest projects that will inspire your bathroom remodel project and keep your motivational momentum going (See how IRG worked with interior designer Sarah Hoover here). We’ve listed other San Francisco/Bay Area designers who visit IRG in search of the latest surfaces including: marble, granite, onyx, pental quartz, quartzite, and soapstone. And trust IRG’s expertise to help complete their remodel projects:
Did you know movie set design can set the tone for interior design for decades? Think Diane Keaton’s kitchen in Something’s Got to Give or whole house interiors in The Holiday. Depending upon the style you’ve chosen for your bathroom remodel, try looking at historical dramas and period pieces. In-person strolls through art museums never fail to inspire, as does even a shopping trip to the mall where fashion can be your muse. The point is not necessarily to be literally looking for bathrooms that you like but rather to see what gets your attention and speaks to you in any way pleasurable.
5. Come to the Source.
When all is said and done, you’ll most likely want to start with your bathroom surface selections. This is where IRG’s vast in-stock inventory really shines. Nothing helps you visualize your bathroom better than seeing and touching the surface in person. Whether you want marble, porcelain tiles, engineered stone, (or even Onyx!), IRG’s staff of surface experts can tell you which surfaces will work best in bathrooms, help match a slab to your bathroom remodel budget, and guide you through your decisions. Schedule an appointment with IRG today.
Q: Why is this stone so unique? A: The deep blues and blacks take you away to the depths of mystery and peacefulness…
Q: Where can this stone be used? A: …which is why IRG’s Midnight Quartzite is so perfect when used as a backdrop for a luxurious bedroom wall or bathroom tub or shower surround.
Q: How do I care for this stone? A: Quartzite is heat- and stain-resistant, making it a very durable and practical material. That’s why you can use it on a spectacular waterfall kitchen counter or backsplash as well. Nevertheless, proper sealing will keep out the moisture and bacteria while retaining its magnificent appearance.
Q: Where can I find Midnight Quartzite? A: No one has a better selection of in-stock Quartzite slabs that IRG. Visit an IRG showroom near you (conveniently located in Brisbane, Dublin, and Sacramento) and IRG’s staff of surface experts can guide you through your selection. Schedule an appointment today.
Browse IRG’s full inventory of neutral and colorful quartzites here.
Well-used in traditional spaces for centuries, new variations of the established, classic Carrara marble are quickly becoming a go-to for clean, modern interiors. IRG’s Carrara Supreme is one of the most modernistic marbles used today. This white marble is often a budget-friendly alternative to Calacatta. Quarried in the same region as Calacatta, IRG’s Carrara Supreme lends a whiter and brighter background than typical grey Bianco Carrara Marble.
The Young Look For Marble
One might think Carrara marble is unexciting for a modern-look home, having been used for so long. However, local designer Florence Livingston proves otherwise in a remarkable remodel in San Rafael, CA — just across the Golden Gate. Repeated use of Carrara in this home show that the material remains highly versatile and makes for a great choice in today’s open, minimalist design styles.
Marble Makes It Simple & Fresh
Use of IRG’s Carrara Supreme throughout the kitchen and bathrooms contributes to an easygoing California-style interior. Delicate veining in the light marble complements the home’s continuous, effortless design by adding an element of neutrality and depth.
Starting with the kitchen
Carrara Supreme works well paired with the stylized white oak cabinetry, as seen on the kitchen countertops and backsplash. Livingston created a fresh design where the intriguing veining within the marble is on full display. The lovely white marble balances sleek countertops and backsplashes, helping to create a modern minimalistic space with gorgeous natural variation.
Into the Bathrooms
“Tackle vain with vein” is a motto in the stone industry. A lovely vanity choice, Carrara Supreme conveys sleekness and chicness on the bathroom counters and where it lines a cement tile shower wall and marble tile floor. The choice of marble in this space adds richness and depth without being overly fussy or complicated.
The sophisticated aesthetic flows gracefully throughout all spaces in the home’s connected design theme. Patterned cement tiles on the floor of the second bathroom complement a Carrara vanity with bold black accents. Repeated use of clean, simple and homey materials achieves a sense of peacefulness in the home, where design consistency works to create the illusion the house is bigger it than it is.
Bring the Beauty of Carrara Marble into your Space
Now you can mimic this thoughtful and unified approach into your own home in ways large or small. Carrara Supreme is a versatile choice: use it in large-scale slab formats, in tile, or even in a mosaic backsplash. Whichever way you choose to utilize Carrara Marble, it is a wonderful choice for years to come.
Browse IRG’s Carrara marble online, then contact us to schedule a visit to view our collection in-person.
Learn more about the design and materials used in this project here.
Using today’s modern inkjet technology, IRG’s new porcelain Panda White tiles are an amazingly realistic and unique choice for walls, floors and even fireplaces.
These porcelain tiles come in several convenient sizes (12×24, 24×24, 24×48) and are rectified, meaning they have been precisely cut around the edges in order to install with minimal grout lines — for an almost-seamlessly clean look. And this tile’s durability and ability to withstand foot traffic also makes it suitable for residential, medium commercial, and light institutional applications.
Panda White Comes in Marble Slabs, Too!
IRG’s Panda White marble slabs allow you to make a powerful statement in a variety of ways. Its unique play of light adds a distinct dimension to kitchen counters, bathrooms, flooring, and walls. And the contrast is even more striking and dramatic when book-matched and placed upright.
Add Panda White’s Brazilian Sister Stone: Zoriya Dolomite.
Since the beginning of the Portuguese colonies, Brazil has been recognized for producing some of the world’s most strikingly rare and high-quality stones. With its own unique beauty, IRG’s new Zoriya Dolomite is perfect for a chic, modern and sophisticated look in home design. This natural stone offers the aesthetic appeal of marble with greater durability and is quickly gaining popularity because of its one-of-a-kind slabs and many advantages for installation.
Finish with IRG’s Mosaics.
Mosaics are an ancient art form that enhance interiors and add a sprinkle of luxury as a finishing touch. These tiles can have a huge impact on a room’s overall look & feel, adding character, texture, color, movement and pattern.
To apply the art of mosaics throughout your interiors, follow these tips from the design pros:
While mosaic tile can be used in a larger format, they work especially well on an element you want to showcase, such as a fireplace surround or a backsplash.
A bar backsplash is a great place to have fun with mosaic tile. It is a space where unique patterns can create a customized look.
Mosaic tile can also add interest in a more utilitarian setting like a mudroom.
Oversized tile is having a moment right now because or its obvious clean look.
Play with grout choice. Different colors can either contrast or blend with the mosaic itself and grout is now available with shimmer and sparkle for a bit of extra glamour.
Take a Trip with Tile: Moroccan Chic or Zen Getaway
Mosaic tiles can find a home in just about any space: the walls of bathrooms, kitchens, powder rooms and mudrooms, low traffic areas or libraries, ceilings and poolscapes…just let the tile take you away.
Put It All Together And You’ve Got a Look Perfect for Today’s In-Home Gyms!
All white has had its day. Now the classic – and classy – look of black & white is making its way into all areas of design and the home.
What could spark your enthusiasm for workouts more than a snappy black and white look?! Today’s revival for in-home gym and play areas calls for exciting, minimum care and sanitary selections.
Lucky for you IRG has everything you need to create the workout center of your dreams – in-stock – and ready for you to make this important room the new center of your healthy home lifestyle.
The IRG Blog is your resource for stone product information, ideas and inspiration. Use our informational articles, project features, and product spotlights to help create your vision, then come into one of our showrooms to bring your ideas to life!
