To celebrate three decades in the engineered stone world, Caesarstone have introduced five new designs to their already impressive line-up.
With exposed concrete and the industrial vibe all the rage now (if you don’t believe me, take a look at the latest reveals on The Block), Cloudburst Concrete fits the bill perfectly with its white-on-white, tonal cloud-like patina. The rough look (not actually rough!) surface finish will pair fabulously with rich timber or even stainless steel.
If you are in the market for something moodier, the Canon Terra offers a dark grey concrete and terrazzo fusion highlighted with specks of black; add some brass tapware to create a look that’s totally industrial luxe. Frozen Terra is Canon’s lighter cousin, with the same beautiful black basalt highlights on an off-white base.
On the natural stone side of things, Turbine Grey is the next generation in modern granite, featuring mid-to-dark grey veins contrasting against a white background; a great alternative to the much-loved marble options.
Of course, you can’t go wrong with white – Intense White’s bright white is modern, crisp and fresh, at home in any style.
The new designs are available through kitchen retailers nationally and are on display in all Caesarstone showrooms.
It’s hard to imagine someone who knows more about stone than Paul Nahon. As the director of Sydney’s WorldStone Solutions, he’s the go-to guy if you want anything from the finest Italian white marble to his personal favourite, Basaltina (and everything in between).
Paul
He’s worked with the likes of Hare + Klein and Greg Natale and imported the stone for such jobs as Canberra airport, Double Bay’s Sake restaurant (designed by Melissa Collison) and high-end homes. “Right now, we’re doing a house in North Sydney. It’s over six levels and has four-metre-high ceilings. It’s almost 1,500 square metres of stone — to put that in perspective a big house is around 500 square metres — they’ve gone large and extravagant! We also had a beautiful project in Cremorne that had a four-storey feature wall. The stone in itself was not exotic, but the size, the dimensions and the parameters were.”
Purple veined marble at Sake Restaurant imported by Paul. Interior design by Melissa Collison. Image courtesy of the restaurant.Savoy Marble and Bluestone
Favouring durable natural stone over its engineered counterparts (“You’ll get sick of the colour or your house before natural stone gets damaged!”), Paul provides high quality products sourced predominantly from Central Europe and China. “I have to admit if I had the choice, I’d sell you a product from Italy! I have a passion for Italy. I think the Italians’ industrial processes are amazing. They understand stone because they’ve been doing it for so long.”
Limestone
Having been in the industry for 13 years, Paul is the perfect person to ask about the upcoming trends. “There is still a very strong grey, white, monotone, non-busy requirement. The muted colours are what sell. Some architects are asking for very different statement stones, but that’s more for an accent; say a feature wall or a splashback in the kitchen. Also very popular – and I myself am a big fan – is stone being mixed with other elements, so natural stone in conjunction with timber or porcelain.”
Bluestone
Believing stone can be used anywhere in the home, Paul has seen it cover entire homes or just living areas, patios, swimming pools and driveways. And while he gets excited about seeing the finished product installed, for him, the real magic happens in the earlier stages. “It’s a really risky business the stone business, as you’re dealing with nature. What the earth gives you is what it gives you and when your orders get quarried and delivered, there’s nothing I can do about it or you can do about it. You’re relying on a certain element of good fortune and then you’re relying on your suppliers. There are big risks, but that said, huge rewards.”
