Stone and Trowel

Natural stone design inspiration and technical information for architectural and landscape professionals.

No Barriers: Indoor-Outdoor Living Trends for 2021

Posted by Steven Schrenk

2020 became the year of upgrading your backyard: as many homeowners worked to create or customize their outdoor spaces, demand for everything from pools to space heaters skyrocketed. And that trend isn’t going anywhere any time soon.

Topics: Georgia marble, Outdoor spaces, Outdoor living, veneer, Indiana Limestone

An All Hands on Deck Approach to Designing an Outdoor Living Space with Natural Stone

Posted by Steven Schrenk

In 2014, TV celebrity, lifestyle influencer and culinary artist Evette Rios and her husband bought a stone house in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania that was built in the late 1700s. Since then, the couple had planned to expand it— not by building an addition to the house, but by making an

Topics: Pearl Grey Marble, Fireplaces, Outdoor spaces, Outdoor living, outdoor kitchens, Indiana Limestone

Long Live The Queen: A Queen Anne Victorian Is Restored

Posted by Steven Schrenk

Narragansett, Rhode Island was first surging in popularity as a summer resort town in 1887 when a Queen Anne Victorian home was built at the corner of Narragansett Avenue and Robinson Street. With stained-glass windows, ornate bargeboards, and a charming assortment of shingle styles, it was a

Topics: Outdoor spaces, Interior Design, Outdoor living, buy local

Rooms Without Roofs: 5 Outdoor Living Trends for 2021

Posted by Steven Schrenk

In 2020, backyards around the world suddenly became so much more: gyms, offices, bars and restaurants. As the new hot spots for social gatherings, outdoor living spaces took on new importance—and popularity. 

Topics: Granite, Outdoor spaces, Outdoor living, Indiana Limestone, DIY Fire Pit

Natural Stone Veneers Take Outdoor Dining to the Next Level

Posted by Steven Schrenk

Whether you want a freestanding pizza oven, a built-in BBQ island, or a full outdoor kitchen with counters, cabinetry and bar seating, Polycor’s natural stone veneers can help create a first-rate outdoor space.

Topics: Home Design, Outdoor spaces, Outdoor living, veneer

Textures, Colors and Patterns Bring Life to an Expansive Outdoor Living Space Designed with Natural Stone

Posted by Steven Schrenk

Virginia-based interiors stylist Sarah Raak of SKG Designs had been planning a project to redo her backyard patio for a while. But if ever there was an impetus to finally get it going it was this thing called 2020. Although this year brought challenges, it taught us to learn to appreciate the

Topics: Material Selection, Outdoor spaces, Outdoor living, buy local

Precision Cut Stone: An Architect's Vision Realized With Indiana Limestone

Posted by Steven Schrenk
Gillis Quarries is a longtime, 4th generation Canadian company which has made a name for itself specializing in the local dolomitic limestone to which they gave the name Tyndall Stone.

But for a new luxury residential project, architect John Duerksen and builder Cody Brown of Brownstone Estates

Topics: veneer, Indiana Limestone, buy local

What is Damp Proofing and Why Do You Need It?

Posted by Steven Schrenk
Contractors are spreading the message that damp proofing is an extra, but worthwhile step in preserving the beauty and integrity of limestone installations, proven by thousands of well-preserved, historical buildings in the U.S. made with iconic limestone in particular.

Topics: Indiana Limestone, Hardscape How To

The Rich History and Promising Future of Woodbury Gray Granite

Posted by Steven Schrenk
With its distinctive salt-and-pepper coloring and classic American good looks, WOODBURY GRAY™ granite — quarried in the town of Woodbury, Vermont — has brought timeless style to buildings across the country for over a century and reflects the natural beauty of the Green Mountain State.

Topics: Granite, American natural stone, Homeowners, Woodbury Gray, Stone Facades

Retired Veteran Creates Picture-Perfect Farmhouse With American Stone

Posted by Steven Schrenk

When disabled combat veteran Stacy Pearsall and her husband began the process of designing a new house about 40 minutes outside Charleston, South Carolina, they quickly realized there were a lot of decisions that needed to be made to create what she calls their “final house.” But one thing the

Set the stage with stone.

Foundational ideas for
hardscape design.

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