Hard times hit Italy's Carrara finishers

I thought this story was interesting....even though it made me sad.
Click here to read.
Beautiful Carrara marble kitchen, photo from Bramco Marble & Granite.

CaesarStone's new colors are here!

Have you seen CaesarStone's 8 new colors?

I really like the Organic White and Buttermilk. I think the Dusty Stones, Black Rocks and Smoky Ash will grow on me. The others I could live without.
Here they are...

Organic White

Buttermilk

Basalt Black

The Basalt Black has a textured finish. It's actually pretty cool.

Metallic Black

Dusty Stones

Black Rocks

Smoky Ash*

Chocolate Truffle*

*The Smoky Ash and Chocolate Truffle have recycled content.

What do you think? Which ones do you love? Which ones do you hate? I'd love to hear your opinions!

Desks

Have you ever thought about using stone for your desktop?
It's a beautiful option and adds a lot of character to any office. When using stone on a desktop I suggest buying a Leather Desk Writing Pad to put on the desk. Stone can be a little hard to write on.
We can even drill holes from grommets so that you can hide all those ugly cords!

Both projects featured here come from our portfolio.

Unique Granite Designs

I was just looking at some of the photos from work we have done lately and I wanted to post this bathroom. There is a story behind it.

The homeowner wanted to do something special for his little girl in her bathroom since his other daughter has a bathroom nearly twice this size. He, along with his contractor came up with the initial concept and we executed the final work. And yes, it did even things out some between he girls, we think...

While the wood detail is amazing as well but I am focusing on the stone...

The granite is a basic stone, Santa Cecilia. It is all 2cm and the shelfs and the two center columns are all mitered to look like one solid piece. There are 3 other major panels here mitered to make the tub look like a block or stone. It took 3 phases of installation and it was worth it. This may look like a simple tub but when you walk into the room you can get a great sense of the depth of the stone and the wood with the glass shelving. They were all designed to hold lotions and shampoos and other items that makes us smell great. It also has a huge walk in shower and a two tier vanity with a make up desk in this room. Sorry, it was narrow and I could not get the photos to fit with the angles of the other details.

The one thing I wanted to point out is that the client had a concept in general of how they wanted to look and then we put our heads together. We drew things out on cad and then did some 3D images and then this is the result. I wish more people would use their imagination and challenge us to design and fabricate the products they want. Don't let stone be a limitation. Push the envelope and we will try to make it happen.

If anyone else has any unique stone images or products then please, do share.

Office

I often get people who are building a house ask about their office and whether or not they should do a stone in there, of course i say, YES!!! But then they ask me what to put in there. SoI thought I would show a few pictures of an office we recently finished. You can also see what you can do with a fireplace mantle and hearth. And that can be done out of a remnant usually.

This is out of a color called New Spring Green. It looks much like Tunas Green for some people who are familiar with that name. It is a 3cm stone and the edge has been beveled 1 3/4". I almost always suggest a bevel that size in an area where there is writing or typing happening on a regular basis. It is much easier on the arms.

FAQ Friday

Starting this week all faq's will be on Fridays. We'll call it FAQ Friday.
I know it's pretty cheesy, but I think it helps keep things consistent here on our blog. Plus, I'm kind of cheesy in general. :)
So, if you have a question please email me at Stephanie@mgsbydesign.com. I will try to find the answer the best I can and feature it here on an upcoming Friday!
The above photo is a kitchen by MGS by Design.

Now fabricating Compac Quartz!

We are excited to now offer Compac Quartz at MGS by Design!
You can see color samples here online or in person at Italia Granite in Salt Lake City.

Photo above from Mazista.
Compac Quartz ranges in price, but is very competitive with other quartz brands.  It is available in both 2 cm and 3 cm slabs and are made in Italy.
Above photo from Rothwell Tiles.
I love the kitchen below, the sink design is amazing. The photo comes from Compac's website.
I know these funky colors aren't for everyone, they do have "normal" colors as well. I just like to show the fun colors!
Photo below from Intercodam.

I've talked about it here before, but white quartz is such a great substitution for the client wanting a white marble countertop without the maintenence. Photo below from Stone Surfaces.

Photo below from Work Tops Fitted.

20% off Eco-Friendly Slabs this month!

The Green Building Center is offering 20% off all of their in stock countertops during the month of April!

The above photo is Squak Mountian Stone.

Their current inventory includes slabs of Squak Mountain Stone, IceStone & PaperStone.

A beautiful PaperStone kitchen (above).

The Green Building Center is located at 1952 East 2700 South in Salt Lake City.
Head on in there to check it out or email me at Stephanie@MGSbyDesign with any questions!

Above photo is IceStone.