When you add stone to your interior you add nature, texture, a rustic vibe, and a sense of luxury. I call it Rustic Luxe. And adding stone elements is one of my fave interior design tricks.
Stone needn’t be something reserved for paving slabs and garden steps. There are many ways to add stone to your home’s interior for an earthy and elegant look. You’ll see why I call it Rustic Luxe and how you can add this interior designer’s tip for luxury surfaces.
Add Stone for Rustic Luxe Interiors
Stylish Ceramic Floors
Ceramic tiles are formed with clay, sand, and natural products then fired in a kiln. Glazed or unglazed, ceramic tiles are an ideal material for flooring, particularly in the bathroom and kitchen. They are easy to clean, durable, dirt resistant, heat and slip resistant, and impermeable to water absorption.
Ceramic tiles can imitate many types of precious stone from granite to Carrara marble, whilst costing a fraction of the price. They are also an excellent choice for flooring because they are cool in summer and retain heat in winter.
These tiles are very easy to install. With a few tools, such as a grout float and a trowel, many homeowners will choose to take on ceramic tiling as a DIY project.
Similar are porcelain tiles, with both made from clay, the clay used to make porcelain tiles is more pure and refined making the tiles a bit harder. Benchtops in porcelain are heat-flame-stain resistant, easy to clean and won’t scratch.
Enigma Interiors – slate benchtop
Wipe the Slate Clean
Slate is a natural product of fine-grained, foliated metamorphic rock. Whilst it is highly suitable for roofing, many rustic loving home owners use it for flooring, fireplaces, and counter tops.
As a countertop material it adds a beautiful rustic touch due to the range of natural colours including tones of black, charcoal, grey, rust, bronze, copper, gold, peach, cream, and blue. When you add stone like slate you can be sure it’s easy to clean, tough, and non-porous, so it won’t soak up spilled liquids.
This material is generally cheaper than many stone countertop materials whilst still providing top quality appearance. Generally laid in formal patterns including square, rectangular, and herringbone, slate looks amazing laid in a ‘crazy’ pattern with various sized pieces laid randomely in a designated area, such as a foyer.
I am recently provided interior design services to the owner of a mid-century modern home. The entry foyer is ‘crazy’ slate abutted to the gorgeous smokey wood flooring laid throughout the living areas. Divine!
Schulberg Demkiw Architects – concrete benchtop
Consider Concrete
Yes, this material used to construct pavements can, in fact, look beautiful in your home. When finished properly, it can make an elegant material for a countertop, a sink, and even for a bath.
For a kitchen or bathroom, a concrete bench top with integrated sink is both modern and rustic, and easy to clean. An integrated sink has no borders into which dirt can sit.
There are even instances of furniture such as a concrete coffee table. Concrete has many properties that set it apart from other stones. It can be easily moulded into pretty much any shape you desire making it great for custom pieces.
When finished, it’s also stain proof. Unlike many types of stone, concrete can also get more character as it ages. You even have the option to add colour to a concrete mixture and make it match other décor within your home.
Quality Building and Renovations – granite bathroom counter
Go Granite
Granite is one of the more expensive and luxury stones out there. It can look great on a kitchen worktop, offering a durability that few other types of stone can match. You can also carve bathroom fixtures out of it for an earthy cave-like feel.
Whilst granite will cost a lot to buy, having it in your home will up your property’s value. There are lots of granite imitations out there that could be worth considering for those on a budget – these imitation materials may not offer the strength that true granite brings but could still bring the classy appearance.
Don’t Call Me Penny – Mirostone benchtops
Effortless Engineered Stone
I have recently designed two kitchens using engineered stone benchtops and they look FABULOUS. One was with Mirostone and the other used Essastone, which is a Laminex product.
I love Mirostone for it’s stone qualities, practicality, beauty, and hygienic properties. It feels and looks exactly like stone adn comes in seven designer colours from pure white to speckled grey.
Essastone by Laminex is 95% quartz and, like Mirostone, an easy to clean and resilient surface for kitchen and bathroom benchtops. This product has a wider colour spectrum – about 18 natural colours – and you can choose matte, gloss, igneous, or weathered finishes.
Dehumidify with Salty Stone
Why should surfaces have all the fun? Why not add stone with a unique lamp?
Salt rock lamps and candles can be a great form of mood lighting, ideal with a relaxing bath or to add a romantic feel in a bedroom. These lamps are also great natural dehumidifiers, sucking up moisture in the air that can otherwise cause damp and mould growth. They are relatively cheap and can be bought in all different sizes.
Stone in all its guises adds rustic luxe in earthy, natural, organic, and spectacular ways. It’s also wonderful paired with wood and metal. Don’t think of it as cold, because it’s not. When you add stone you add value, luxury, WOW factor, and very hard working surfaces that are easy to clean.
Don’t Call Me Penny
Interior Design Services
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