As promised, here are some pictures of a few of the hot items around the show in Orlando last week.
The first picture is an example of the Afyon Gold in a brushed and chiseled Villa pattern. Notice the color variation from piece to piece.
The second is the silver travertine, also brushed and chiseled Villa pattern.
The last picture is a nice shot of some high end, expensive, vein cut Italian travertine.
Ok folks, so I am back from the Coverings show in Orlando. Let me tell you, the weather wasn’t the only thing that was hot. A large reason for visiting the show every year is to try and get an feel for the pulse of the market. See what manufacturers are showing as their hot new products, new technologies, etc. From a stone perspective there was not much that has never been seen before, but as always, trends have shifted again. The majority of travertine manufacturers were displaying tiles in a brushed and chiseled finish, both in squares and pattern sets. A few new colors made a prominent showing as well. Silver travertine was on display at most booths as well as stones with large amounts of variation like the traditional gold, the Afyon Gold, and Scabos. I will have some pictures of some of the products in the next few days, but if anyone asks you what is hot in travertine in the mean time, tell them: color variation and brushed & chiseled finishes.
I am in Orlando this week checking out the Coverings show. As they say, this is the ultimate tile and stone experience for the US market. There are hundreds upon hundreds of exhibitors showing off their stone slabs, tiles, manufacturing systems, sealants, etc. My goal here is to see what the upcoming trends may be, as well as find new and interesting sources and materials. I will drop a few lines after each day of the show about what I have seen.
From what I saw today, it looks like the coming trend in travertine, for both floor and wall tiles, is vein cut. I spoke a bit about it in previous posts. Vein cut is cut in such a fashion that it exposes the natural veining of the travertine and shows up as unique lines on the surface of the finished stone. I will add some pictures tomorrow once I get them off my camera.
Hey folks, I am going to be away from the office for a few days. As a result, the brilliant and regular posts to which you have become accustomed, will be on hold until the end of the week.
In the meantime, check out the new blog being written by BuildDirect president Jeff Booth HERE.It will give you some insight into the goings on of the overall market, and a real feel for what is happening from a macro perspective. Jeff is a knowledgeable chap when it comes to this stuff, just don’t ask for his help assembling Ikea cabinets.
Back in a few days.
So you are looking at adding a little classic travertine to your humble abode. You have your floors all selected, but you think to yourself, what else might match? Kind of like earrings for your house.
Some other interesting pieces that can be made of travertine and would compliment that new floor are columns, fireplaces, bathtubs, sinks, and even sculptures. Take a look at some of the interesting pieces below.
I am getting a lot of inquiries about sprucing up floors by installing in different patterns. Now the chances are you aren’t looking for something quite as intricate as this picture. The geometry involved in such a pattern can be amazing even to experienced mathematicians. In fact, an article at Science News Online explains some of the intricacies and techniques used over the past 1,000 years. You can read it HERE.
For something a bit simpler, there many resources out there that provide information on how to use different sized pieces to create some very pleasing effects. Check out some from Bedrosians.com for installation ideas HERE.
Back in January I shared a link to a video about care and maintenance for natural stone from the Marble Institute of America website. What I didn’t do, was share the link to the other 2 videos they have. One is called “Real Stone, Real Value”, which outlines why stone is such a great choice for your residential and commercial needs. The other is called “From the Quarry To Your Kitchen” which shows you a quick tour about the life of stone and how it gets to your house looking as it does.
They are definitely worth checking out.
I came across this recently and though I should share. It is a slight departure from flooring, but as you can see in the pictures on the following link, travertine is also used on walls, sometimes with a little flair. These carvings in travertine byJean-Charles Charuest are a part of a series that you can find it in Metro stations in Montreal.
Ok, so it is close to the John Denver hit, Leaving on a Jet Plane, but not quite. This is an incredible tangent on my part, and has nothing whatsoever to do with stone of any sort, but when I saw this, I thought it was just way too cool to not share. Really, I mean how great is this? I want it, want it, want it!!!
Ever wanted the most unique, possibly coolest house in the city? Maybe even the state? Check out these former billion dollar airplanes salvaged and turned into homes. Yep, homes! Max Power Aero’s website(technical note: website hasn’t been updated since August, 2003) shows a conversion in progress. Check out the picture above, the floorplan below and many more pictures on their website. As a side note, Simpsons fans should recognize the name Max Power.
Have I mentioned yet that I want one?
A growing trend in sprucing up your kitchen is a simple and quick overhaul of the backsplash. As with floors and countertops, there are a lot of different materials being used. Some people prefer porcelain or ceramic tiles for ease of cleaning, some prefer glass mosaics for a dash of flair, others prefer the time honored look of natural stone. Whichever you decide, there are easy cookie cutter ways to give your kitchen a unique look, or, for the more artistic among us, there are much more intricate designs. You can get sheets of mosaics that are already mesh mounted and easy to cut to size, or you can use left over pieces and cuts from a flooring project to make your own design.
A word to the wise, put your thoughts on paper and sketch out a couple of designs. This will help you to determine just how much work your project will involve.
For a brief article on how to install a simple backsplash, check out a link from HGTV.com HERE.
