DESIGNERS ON DESIGNING WITH NATURAL STONE

Article by: Camila da Paz | Source: Lynn Byrne

Arabescato Vagli marble kitchen backsplash by Elizabeth Roberts Architecture

Kitchens and bathrooms designed around natural stone slabs have been popping up on the Instagram feeds of design lovers everywhere. It is one of the hottest trends in kitchen and bath design today. Three top designers explain what's behind the trend and offer tips on how to get the look successfully in your own home.

What's driving the Trend

Keeping up with the Jones' is out.

Since natural stones slabs are like snowflakes--no two are alike--it is near impossible for homeowners to have the same looking stone.

Interior designer Jean-Louis Denoit uses Georgia marble when he designed this Miami Beach bathroom.

According to Young Huh, a New York City designer and board member of the National Kitchen and Bath Association, today's design savvy homeowners are "yearning towards unique extraordinary things."  Huh adds that natural stone installations are so eye-catching now because "the organic and singular movement of natural stone sets it apart from engineered bland quartz or what was popular forever, plain white marble."

Background

Of course, like all good trends, designing with natural stone slabs is not new at all.  The Barcelona Pavilion, designed in 1929 by Mies van der Rohe, represents the quintessential use of stone slabs.

Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona Pavilion

It features large extravagant expanses of red onyx, marble and travertine.  Mies' used this simplicity and natural beauty to achieve what he called "an ideal zone of tranquility." 

Perhaps a desire for that zen feeling also explains why today's frenetic homeowners are using large expanses of natural stone in their homes.

Where to put slabs

Learning from the Barcelona Pavilion, it's clear that natural stone should be the focal point. "Install natural stone where it is most eye catching," says Huh, adding that the "look is minimal... but glamorous."

White Cherokee marble countertop and backsplash

Any large accent wall could work.  Think the inside of a glass enclosed shower stall or the walls above a kitchen that has floating shelves.  You don't want the beauty of the stone interrupted with medicine cabinets or other closed storage.

Arabescato marble bathroom by Ellen Hanson in her New York City Home

Tina Ramchandani, recently named one of House Beautiful's Next Wave designers,  cautions against using a solid natural stone slab on floors, especially where it can be wet.   "I love the look of stone slabs on floors because you don't have the breaks of grout lines", but "tiles are safest in wet areas," because that grout offers traction.  An uninterrupted slab floor can be a bit slippery and dangerous.

Practical Considerations

If you choose to use natural stone, Ramchandani strongly advises that you visit a natural stone shop to see the entire span. "Since stone is a natural material there may be large blemishes or veining that you either love or hate."

The finish also is important. "For kitchens, a leathered finish is great because you don't see as many fingerprints as polished, and it's easier to clean.  A honed finish is another great low-maintenance option," says Ramchandani.

Kitchen and bath expert Carla Aston bears her geological chops urging you consider whether the natural stone reacts to acidic chemicals like lemon, wine or tomato sauce.

La Dolce Vita marble kitchen island in the Anna Bond's home, CEO of Rifle Paper Co.

Aston explains that "Calcareous stone reacts to chemicals (acid) and siliceous stone does not."  She adds that "granite, soapstone, slate and quartzite will never etch..... because they are siliceous," while "marble, limestone, travertine, and onyx might."  Certainly something to keep in mind when installing a natural stone kitchen countertop.  Some homeowners happily accept (and even desire) the patina from etching, while others want their slabs to remain pristine.

Are you ready to install a natural stone in your next renovation?  I am having a visual crush. ♡

The History Behind Labor Day

Post by Camila da Paz | Source: The Conversation

The first Labor Day was hardly a national holiday. Workers had to strike to celebrate it.

Hey guys, Happy Labour Day Weekend! With this important holiday just around the corner, I would like to honor the spirit of this day and not talk about work in this post. Instead, let's dig a little bit into the history behind this National Holiday, shall we?

Labor Day is a U.S. national holiday held the first Monday every September. Unlike most U.S. holidays, it is a strange celebration without rituals, except for shopping and barbecuing. For most people it simply marks the last weekend of summer and the start of the school year.

The holiday’s founders in the late 1800s envisioned something very different from what the day has become. They were looking for two things: a means of unifying union workers and a reduction in work time.

History of Labor Day

The first Labor Day occurred in 1882 in New York City under the direction of that city’s Central Labor Union.

In the 1800s, unions covered only a small fraction of workers and were balkanized and relatively weak. The goal of organizations was to bring many small unions together to achieve a critical mass and power. The organizers of the first Labor Day were interested in creating an event that brought different types of workers together to meet each other and recognize their common interests.

However, the organizers had a large problem: No government or company recognized the first Monday in September as a day off work. The issue was solved temporarily by declaring a one-day strike in the city. All striking workers were expected to march in a parade and then eat and drink at a giant picnic afterwards.

The New York Tribune’s reporter covering the event felt the entire day was like one long political barbecue, with “rather dull speeches.”

Why was Labor Day invented?

Labor Day came about because workers felt they were spending too many hours and days on the job.

In the 1830s, manufacturing workers were putting in 70-hour weeks on average. Sixty years later, in 1890, hours of work had dropped, although the average manufacturing worker still toiled in a factory 60 hours a week. These long working hours caused many union organizers to focus on winning a shorter eight-hour work day. They also focused on getting workers more days off, such as the Labor Day holiday, and reducing the workweek to just six days.

Surprisingly, many politicians and business owners were actually in favor of giving workers more time off. That’s because workers who had no free time were not able to spend their wages on traveling, entertainment or dining out.

As the U.S. economy expanded beyond farming and basic manufacturing in the late 1800s and early 1900s, it became important for businesses to find consumers interested in buying the products and services being produced in ever greater amounts. Shortening the work week was one way of turning the working class into the consuming class.

Common misconceptions

The common misconception is that since Labor Day is a national holiday, everyone gets the day off. Nothing could be further from the truth.

While the first Labor Day was created by striking, the idea of a special holiday for workers was easy for politicians to support. It was easy because proclaiming a holiday, like Mother’s Day, costs legislators nothing and benefits them by currying favor with voters. In 1887, Oregon, Colorado, Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey all declared a special legal holiday in September to celebrate workers.

Within 12 years, half the states in the country recognized Labor Day as a holiday. It became a national holiday in June 1894 when President Grover Cleveland signed the Labor Day bill into law. While most people interpreted this as recognizing the day as a national vacation, Congress’ proclamation covers only federal employees. It is up to each state to declare its own legal holidays.

Moreover, proclaiming any day an official holiday means little, as an official holiday does not require private employers and even some government agencies to give their workers the day off. Many stores are open on Labor Day. Essential government services in protection and transportation continue to function, and even less essential programs like national parks are open. Because not everyone is given time off on Labor Day, union workers as recently as the 1930s were being urged to stage one-day strikes if their employer refused to give them the day off.

In the president’s annual Labor Day declaration in 2016, Obama encouraged Americans “to observe this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies and activities that honor the contributions and resilience of working Americans.”

The proclamation, however, does not officially declare that anyone gets time off.

Have we lost the spirit of Labor Day?

Today Labor Day is no longer about trade unionists marching down the street with banners and their tools of trade. Instead, it is a confused holiday with no associated rituals.

The original holiday was meant to handle a problem of long working hours and no time off. Although the battle over these issues would seem to have been won long ago, this issue is starting to come back with a vengeance, not for manufacturing workers but for highly skilled white-collar workers, many of whom are constantly connected to work.

If you work all the time and never really take a vacation, start a new ritual that honors the original spirit of Labor Day. Give yourself the day off. Shut off your phone, computer and other electronic devices connecting you to your daily grind. Then go to a barbecue, like the original participants did over a century ago, and celebrate having at least one day off from work during the year!

Happy Labor Day!

Inside David and Victoria Beckham $24 million Miami skyscraper

Sportsman David and fashion designer Victoria, have set up a permanent abode in the city as the former footballer launched his Inter Miami soccer expansion team this year

Post by: Camila da Paz | Source: Daily Mail UK

Who doesn't love the Becks? Either you are a guy who loved watching David's matches or a woman who grew up dancing to the Spice Girls' music, we all have a guilty pleasure following the couple whenever their names pop up in the news. I recently learned that they just bought a new penthouse here in Miami and the decor is to die for! Here's a piece of the article I read:

Not only is David Beckham a doting dad to, a wife to fashion icon Victoria Beckham and a legendary footballer, he's also part-owner of Miami football club Inter Miami. It makes sense then, that the couple should own a home in the city. In April, the couple dropped $24 million on an apartment inside a seven-star resort known as the One Thousand Museum after sportsman David's team Inter Miami CF made their Major League Soccer bow against Los Angeles FC earlier this month.

The fancy apartment features marble and granite bathrooms offering a breathtaking view of Miami

David and Victoria's new condo, designed by late architect Zaha Hadid, was completed in late 2019, just months after the couple joined three of their children, for a tour building in the summer. The 62-story building is 705 ft tall, making it one of the tallest buildings in the city.

Dame Zaha Hadid enjoyed a long and successful career, working on buildings around the globe including the MAXXI Museum in Italy, the Guangzhou Opera House in China and the Heydar Aliyev Centre in Azerbaijan.  She was also behind the designs for Al-Janoub, the 2022 World Cup stadium in Qatar.

The kitchen is filled with state-of-the-art appliances and black granite countertops

The Becks have set up a permanent abode in the city as the former footballer launched his Inter Miami soccer expansion team this year.

Six years have passed since the former Manchester United midfielder announced he would exercise an agreement with former club Los Angeles Galaxy to develop his own soccer franchise at a cost of $25million.  David's project seemed almost doomed to failure with the inability to find a suitable stadium site almost killing the dream before it began. 

The bedroom features a modern décor and an impressive onyx headboard

The home follows a sleek theme with white and marble interiors, and a minimalistic decor

Thankfully, with the introduction into the ownership group of local construction magnates the Mas brothers, all the political red-tape has been navigated. The plans to move into a $1bn business park and sports complex remain in flux but are top of that particular agenda.