How Quartzite Became A Designer's Choice

Post by: Camila | Source: CocoWeb

Quartzite is a type of stone which is naturally perfect for home design. It combines elegance and subtlety with the character hard wearing natural quartz as an all purpose tile for the modern home. Quartzite is one of the new fashionable stones on the market, and it’s getting rave reviews from some designers for its colors and toughness.

Even though some people confuse quartzite with natural quartz and the engendered stone that also goes by "quartz" (because it is made by natural quartz dust bond by resin), quartzite should stand in its own category. This amazing all-natural stone consists of over 90 percent quartz grain naturally held together by mineral silica (SiO2). The fact that Quartzite is a 100% natural appeals to the growing number of eco-conscious homeowners in America and around the world who appreciate the fact that natural stones have the lowest carbon foot print when compared to Engineered Stones and Porcelain. Quartzite also wins points over traditional quartz because it doesn’t’ involve mixing polymer resins and pigments that often go into "Quartz" countertops.

Quartzite color and range

The color range with quartzite is really surprising. If you don’t know much about this stone, it’ll be worth researching, because it’s pretty spectacular. There are reds, oranges, blues, greys, browns, and some very subtle, beautiful compound mixes of colors. Even compared to the famous designer stones like sandstone, slate and granite, it looks good. It’s also a reliable material to work with in terms of design needs.

Quartzite and high usage areas

Quartzite is getting compared with granite for its versatility and durability. That’s no overstatement. This is a very tough stone indeed, flexible, with low absorption in relation to stains. Even sump oil makes little or no impression on it. In high usage areas, it’s an obvious choice for taking the pounding of heavy traffic and people coming in from outdoors.

This is a natural non-slip stone, and is often used as a veneer around saltwater pools for its high resistance to salt. It’s particularly good in wet areas where installation of tiles may be difficult due to water exposure. The fact that these beautiful tiles also look fantastic around a pool doesn’t hurt, either. Quartzite is becoming a “must have” look in design features of these areas.

Designing with Quartzite

The design features of quartzite have been somewhat of a revelation. This stone combines beautiful aesthetics with performance, ranking as a class 7 on the Mohs Scale (A 1 - 10 scale, with a diamond being 10). Being this tough, quartzite can also be used from paving to countertops any day!

Another design factor with quartzite is that it requires very little working, and therefore has an almost zero footprint in terms of emissions. It doesn’t even need a major manufacturing process, just cutting. It’s extremely resistant to weathering because of its chemical composition, making it a good outdoor option in many design scenarios.

Ancient stone, modern look

Quartzite is a hard metamorphic rock, formed from an original sandstone. This sandstone is put under great pressure, and heated, to produce this unique stone. The color ranges come from minerals incorporated into the stone during this process.

In the Scottish highlands, there are mountains comprised of Cambrian quartzite. That was 400 million years ago! Everything else around these mountains, including ancient continents, has long since gone. If you’re a homeowner who’s had enough of seeing your outdoor work dissolve in the weather, quartzite may be just what you need.

In the United States, formations of quartzite can be found in some parts of Pennsylvania, eastern South Dakota, Central Texas, southwest Minnesota, in Wisconsin, in Utah, and other mountain regions.

Brazilian quartzites

The Brazilian Quartzite selection is probably the most famous in the world. These unique, high performing stones look like marble, act like granite but are yet to be fully recognised as much as its counterparts, for their worth. They're definitely the most beautiful quartzite that are out there. There is a huge quartzite belt surrounding the state of Bahia, approximately 3000 square kilometres (over 1864 miles) in size, hosting a huge variety of colours, ranging from the Fusion to Taj Mahal right through to the most amazing Cristallo.

If you are interested in seeing these beauties, come pay us a visit at our warehouse and we'll happily help you out in you next project!

Kitchen Trends For 2021 According to Experts

Post by: Camila | Source: MyDomaine

If the past few months taught us anything, it’s that the kitchen is really the soul of any home. Spending the bulk of 2020 inside proved that kitchens are good for much more than just reheating remnants of last night’s takeout order: it’s our go-to restaurant, our friendly neighborhood café, and the perfect backdrop for our sourdough bread Instagrams.

Our kitchens have done so much for us that it’s about time we return the favor. If you want to say “thank you” to your kitchen with a makeover, look no further. Several interior designers shared their predictions for the biggest kitchen trends of 2021. Once the new year rolls around, your kitchen will be just as pretty as it is practical.

Au Naturale

"Now more than ever, we look to our homes to evoke a sense of comfort, and materials play such an important role in giving a space its sense of soul. For 2021, I'm envisioning the use of materials found in nature to add warmth and life to a space, whether it's natural stone or wood.” —Ron Woodson, co-founder of Woodson & Rummerfield’s House of Design

Marble Marvel

“In 2021, I believe the all-white kitchen will be a thing of the past. Cabinets clad in stained wood, nature-inspired colors, and metal accents will bring richness and warmth that feel reminiscent of a bygone era, yet equally modern. Marbles with dramatic veining will take precedence over more demure slabs of years past.” —Marie Flanigan, principal of Marie Flanigan Interiors

Elegant Efficiency

“It’s important to set your kitchen up to have clear functioning zones. As we are all home more often, more people are in the kitchen at the same time. Having the ability to let these activities all go on simultaneously without congestion is much more comfortable. Kitchens should support needs more than wants. We do not need massive pantries; you just end top throwing away most of that food. I think people are now seeing what their true consumption is and kitchens will be designed to really fit a more efficient lifestyle.” —Liz Caan, principal of Liz Caan & Co.

Chic and Easy-to-Clean

“People are investing in non-porous and zero-maintenance materials as an easy-to-clean option for kitchens. And with so many gorgeous new products available, you don’t have to sacrifice on design. I’m loving sweeping and graphic movement in stone, like Dekton’s Khalo. Statement stone is definitely a trend, and now it can be combined with usability.” —Young Huh, interior designer

Color Me Happy

“We've seen a lot of colored cabinetry take the spotlight this past year. Every designer and homeowner looked for an outlet to layer in more color throughout their homes, and I think this has the opportunity to develop throughout 2021. But instead of painted finishes, I think we'll start to see more of an evolution into lots of stained wood, from bleached to black. It's an easy way to add character and texture to your kitchen that only seems to get better with time."—Cortney Bishop, principal of Cortney Bishop Design

Well-Appointed Appliances

"We're finding that an interest in color is not going away, and we anticipate that neutral kitchens with a central ‘pop’ of interest will continue to grow in popularity. For example, we love to incorporate Bertazzoni Heritage Series ranges to create a major focal point with colorful yet timeless design. Our go-to is always black, but I've been dying to use their beautiful ivory color in a future project."—Brynn Olson, principal of Brynn Olson Design Group

The History of America's First Quarries

Post By: Camila da Paz

Seventy-five years before Californians struck gold, Vermonters tapped a mother lode of something almost as valuable: Marble. The Dorset marble seam, which protruded like snowbanks in places, ran from the state's southwest corner to the Canadian border.

The country's first commercial marble quarry was opened in South Dorset by Isaac Underhill in 1785 on the land of Reuben Bloomer. Over the next 130 years, quarries in what came to be known as the Marble Valley (located on the slopes of Dorset Mountain and Mt. Aeolus) delivered blocks of white stone for headstones, lintels, hearths and countless civic buildings, such as the Lincoln Memorial, the New York Public Library, the library of Brown University, and Memorial Continental Hall of the Daughters of the American Revolution in Washington, D.C. Several mansions on New York City's 5th Avenue were all built of Dorset marble, and many bank buildings across the land were graced by interiors lined with polished Dorset marble, some of which was attractively streaked or tinted with green or bluish colors.

Although marble was the jewel in the crown of Dorset's history, other industries flourished as well and a new element entered the life of Dorset in the 1870s when the marble industry was approaching its peak. The quiet town with marble sidewalks was discovered by summer visitors who boarded at private homes and farms for a couple weeks or a month at a time. First there was the clergymen and their families, then the nature lovers attracted by the earthly beauty of the area, then the artists and writers who drew fresh inspiration from the vistas on every side.

Today the marble quarries are but swimming holes in the village of Dorset, for which the seam of white stone was named, but broad marble sidewalks still line Route 30 as it passes through the cluster of white clapboard buildings at the center of town. The prosperity of the quarrying days has been revived by skiing and snowboarding, and Dorset's population is edging back to its 1870s peak of 2,200.

Less than 100 miles north, we find the oldest American quarry still in operations. This time granite quarry. Rock of Ages is a company that started quarrying granite in 1880 and it’s been excavating the same site in Barre ever since. Called a deep hole dimension quarry, it’s a large cavernous hole and nearly 600 feet deep. The Barre granite is a beautiful solid grey stone. Natural seams in the rock run horizontally and where groundwater seeps out it stains the granite a dark color, making streaks that trail down towards the bottom where they meet with the upwell of opaque turquoise water.

Back in the days, the granite was too hard and heavy to be quarried, so commerce remained localized until the railroad came through Barre in the second half of the 1800s. In the last decades of the 19th century and early years of the 20th century, people came from all over the world, seeking jobs. Northern Italians arrived with lots of experience cutting marble and granite. Finns, Norwegians, Spanish and the French Canadians came as well, and they brought not only their stonecutting skills they brought their foods and they brought their cultures.

As many as 3,500 men worked in the quarries in Barre by 1900, and the same number toiled in the nearby factories. In 1900 there were close to 70 quarriers and more than a hundred manufacturers. But, over the years, the industry has consolidated. And today, Rock of Ages is the only quarrying operation in Barre. A couple dozen manufacturers remain.

Ninety years later, Vermont schoolchildren and families from around the country head to the section of Barre known as Graniteville to gape at the open quarry and try their hands at sandblasting granite trivets so they can take home their own piece of Vermont geology and history.