We spend many months of the year showcasing beautiful interior projects of the best kitchens and bathrooms that make great use of natural stone, but let’s not forget its innate beauty when entertaining outdoors.  Stone can set the stage for a serene, small gathering to a large, glamorous affair. Beachside residences, penthouse apartments, restaurants, plazas, parks and museums can be the perfect environments to showcase stone outside, but anyone can take a little inspiration from these projects and incorporate them into their outdoor renovations. Most homes can accommodate stone in their outdoor bars, cabanas, pool houses, kitchens / bbq’s, pavers, pool coping, walls and more.  

We’ve chosen a sampling of projects to inspire you and to introduce marble, in particular, into your outdoor design. There’s an incredible amount of beauty in marble that can be translated outside in a variety of ways and Polcyor has been involved in numerous projects over the years that have specified material from our historic Georgia marble quarry. Whether it’s Pearl Grey, White Cherokee or Solar Grey, the density and compact mineral structure of this white marble has proven its durability in exterior installations through a long list of architectural achievements, some of which are over 100 years old. Here are six outdoor designs that wow with marble.  

Beachside Cabana

This New Jersey Shore beachside cabana makes great use of our Solar Grey marble with its dramatic veining. Situated just steps from the beach, the designer was searching for a white marble with a movement that mimicked the look of ocean waves. This classic Georgia marble is known for its unique wave-like pattern and was special ordered as bookmatched slabs, with a honed finish on both sides, to allow for more versatility in cutting and matching the veins. The fabricator worked their magic by mitering all the cuts to conceal the seams and to give the effect of having used 3” thick material.

Cool Pool House

This pool house features the same Pearl Grey honed marble that is installed in the rest of the home, serving as a connection between the outdoors and indoors. All the stone for the project, including slabs, tiles, pavers and more, were cut from the same block at the quarry to provide a consistent pattern and coloration in the white marble. The countertops were fabricated using 5cm (2” thick) slabs, creating a monolithic appearance and offering superior durability, the same was used for the kitchen countertops inside.

A marble border outlines the perimeter of the yard and pavers in the patio area tie into the pool coping and the solid stair treads that lead down to the chaise lounges. Also, in the front entrance of the home, Pearl Grey was installed for the steps, wall caps and front porch entry.

New York City Public Plaza

Thousands of people flock every day to 888 Vornado in New York City to enjoy the serene space that was designed in this white Pearl Grey marble exterior, whether to lounge in the public benches, eat at the adjoining café or simply take a stroll during a work break. In addition to all the daily foot traffic at this site, there is also full exposure to the weathering effects of the elements and these marble pavers get piled up high with snow and ice in the winter. The vein pattern in the stone produces a dramatic zen-like effect that draws people into the plaza for a quiet retreat.

Museum of Modern Art Sculpture Garden

During the construction of the new Museum of Modern Art, special attention was given to the exterior sculpture garden. The architect desired a natural material that was going to compliment the dark exterior of the museum and artwork, brighten the space and still be durable and strong enough to support the weight of the heavy metal and stone sculptures as well as weather the elements.

The final selection was made, and it was decided to specify our Pearl Grey Georgia marble for the pavers and the bridge over the water feature. All cut from the same blocks in the quarry, 5cm honed finish pavers were produced for the field pieces and thicker slabs were cut for the steps and bridge for greater strength to withstand the live loads of all the visitors.

GM Building New York

Originally built in 1968, the General Motors Building on 5^th Avenue in New York once housed the GM automobile showroom on the ground floor. It’s one of the tallest buildings in the city at 705 ft high with 50 stories and amazing views of Central Park. It is home of the infamous FAO Schwartz toy store as well as the popular Apple glass cube in front of the Apple flagship store.  

Entirely clad in our White Cherokee Georgia marble, its verticality is emphasized by the parallel lines of stone and glass that run up the entire length of the building straight to the top. The white marble exterior is a gleaming triumph in strength and durability where there is constant exposure to freeze / thaw cycles with every passing season.

Louis Vuitton Building

Just a few blocks south of the GM Building on 5^th Avenue is the Louis Vuitton Flagship store. The white marble exterior on this building is White Cherokee, with a floating glass façade that periodically changes designs with upcoming seasons and various New York happenings. The marriage of marble and high end designer apparel always make a great combination. The aqua-green hue of the glass panels compliment the color of the marble perfectly and is a popular choice with many designers in residential and commercial applications.

Marble truly stands the test of time and this selection of local projects show how this stone makes a beautiful addition in any outdoor application. They not only exemplify the beauty of our quarried white marbles but also uniquely bring energy and opulence to each venue they’re used in.