Stone Federation Great Britain’s Interiors & Surface Materials Focus Group gives its opinion on issues relating to this sector of the stone industry.

In the world of interior design, in a sector where aesthetics lead the way and individuality is a unique selling point, natural stone is the ideal material.

Quarried and mined from the earth, bearing a unique characteristic that is the result of complex geological processes, natural stone offers the interior designer more than just a material – it offers a story.

Britain is home to a fantastic array of indigenous stones that come in a wide range of colours and textures.

There is sometimes a misconception that British stone is monotonous and not a good fit for interior projects, but this is most definitely a misplaced and ill-informed presumption. 

One of the key steps in correct stone selection for any application is visiting the quarry and viewing a range of sample panels.

This provides the architect, designer or client with a true understanding of the material and the natural intricacies found across the quarry face.

By making use of the range of British stone available to the interiors sector, you can take advantage of the close proximity of quarries to the project, as opposed to flying great distances to view the stone in situ.

The Natural Stone Awards have shown the stunning effects that can be achieved in interiors, using both indigenous stones and stones from across the world.

The Natural Stone Awards are open to anyone involved in a natural stone project (client, architect, stone supplier, fixer…) and therefore provide a good gauge of both the state of the industry and industry trends. There is an entry form for next year’s Awards in the centre of this issue of Natural Stone Specialist.

In the 2016 Natural Stone Awards, 75% of the winning, highly commended and commended projects in the Interiors category involved British stone from a Stone Federation member.

It was particularly encouraging for the Federation’s Quarry Forum of indigenous stone producers to see a high proportion of successful projects in the interiors category using British Stone.

Portland, Baycliff and Purbeck were among the indigenous stones used in the winning and highly commended projects.

La Maison de la Valette, a new Georgian-style house on the island of Jersey, was the award winner in the interiors category in the 2014 Natural Stone Awards (they are held every other year).

The project used Portland stone for floors, a statement cantilevered staircase and cladding to a rear staircase.

The Awards judges were particularly impressed with this project and commented: “Simplicity coupled with the beautiful quality of natural stone laid to such a high standard cannot but help to ensure an outstanding interior.”

To help ensure stone is installed in interiors with trouble-free results, Stone Federation has produced a number of publications offering advice on the use of natural stone in applications such as wet rooms, counter tops and swimming pools.

These guides are ideal for any architect, designer or client looking to specify natural stone for interiors, whether the aim is to use stones found here on the British Isles or the vast range of imported stones available.

So, the message is simple: stone (and don’t forget British stone) offers a great choice of colours and textures for interiors, so why not consider it for your next project?

To see some of the British stones available, go to bit.ly/BritStone.