5 ideas for stylish and original walls and floors
03.2022
Are you thinking about decorating the walls and floors of your home? We have 5 elegant and original solutions in natural stone that are perfect for any room of the house
5 elegant and original ideas for stone walls and floors
When it comes to decorating a house, the first thing to decide upon will generally be the walls and floors, not only because they will dictate the essence and feeling of each space, but because your choice will set the tone and become the basis for the style of the entire home.
As the choice of other elements, such as lights, furniture and accessories, will inevitably be tailored to work with the walls and floors of each room, it is crucial that the solutions for these fundamental two surfaces are hardwearing, practical and, above all, able to transmit the style you want to create for your home.
The answer lies in natural stone, an elegant, versatile and durable material and in this article we take a look at what makes it the ideal solution and share 5 inspiring ideas to help you choose the perfect stone and texture.
Natural stone offers infinite possibilities
Natural stone has long been revered for its beauty and hardwearing properties. Able to withstand considerable force or heavy objects being dropped on it, it is a material that is known for being tough and uncompromising and remaining relatively unscarred throughout the years. That said, however, a little care and maintenance never goes amiss to prolong its original beauty even further.
At Salvatori, we have been working with this extraordinary material for over half a century and are enormous fans of its unique veins and colours that never fail to bring a touch of magic to any environment.
With a dizzying array of tones, there is a stone for every taste, style and context, from the cool white of Bianco Carrara to the creamy and beige hues of Crema d’Orcia and Silk Georgette® right through to Gris du Marais® with its elegant dappled grey patterning and the rich chocolate shades of Pietra d’Avola.
As a company, we believe that natural stone is already almost perfect, so our approach is merely to add an innovative, elegant twist to create contemporary yet timeless textures for stylish, modern interiors.
Let’s take a look at how stone can provide the perfect backdrop to any room of a home.
A modern living room with natural stone walls
If you are a fan of a minimalist-style living room, all you need are a handful of essential elements in basic, neutral colours. While simplicity is key to this concept, that doesn’t mean, however, that you have to forsake interesting extras, but the trick is to play with materials and textures, rather than going overboard and introducing flamboyant or eclectic furnishings and accessories for the sake of it.
This living room with its stone walls is a perfect example. Pietra d’Avola, here in our Plissé texture, lends its moody elegance to create a luxurious room that never feels suffocating or gloomy, despite the darkness of the walls. The clean, precise lines of Plissé play with the light to create a wonderful sense of lightness and continuity.
More artful touches of stone can be found in the few items of deceptively simple furniture that fill the room without overcrowding it, with each piece having space to breathe and be appreciated to the maximum. The Proiezioni black and white coffee table in a striking combination of Nero Marquinia and Bianco Carrara and the ‘Love me, Love me not’ table in Verde Alpi provide stylish surfaces for showcasing designer accessories, also in natural stone.
A striking bathroom wall in textured stone
In certain spaces, primarily the bathroom and kitchen, the choice of wall cladding or floor tiles is more important than ever given that water will inevitably be splashed on a daily basis, so materials such as wood are not ideal, as beautiful as it is.
In the bathroom in particular, you need to think carefully about your choice of wall covering, primarily because this room often tends to be windowless or on the small side and, in some cases, both, so you want to opt for pale, light solutions that amplify the perception of space.
That makes stone the perfect material for bathroom walls as it is not only tough and able to withstand constant exposure to water, but it is also aesthetically pleasing and we always believe that a bathroom should be gorgeous rather than merely functional. This example features the cool classic tones of Bianco Carrara in Chevron, a distinctive texture that is perfect for a feature wall and works beautifully in combination with wooden furniture and fittings.
Stone flooring: the perfect fusion of quality and aesthetics
As mentioned above, rooms such as the kitchen and bathroom, and even the laundry, require additional thought when it comes to the walls and floor. Water is not the only culprit, as grease and dirt are far more frequent visitors in these areas, while children, animals and dropped pots, pans and other articles will also inevitably leave their marks.
If you are a fan of natural materials and weighing up the pros and cons of stone and wooden flooring, in these high-traffic rooms which are subject to the rough and tumble of family life, the former is definitely the harder-wearing, tougher option. Besides the undeniable aesthetics aspect, a natural stone floor offers a number of practical advantages. Not only is it able to withstand wear and tear, it is easier to clean and is most definitely longer-lasting, making it a wise investment.
If, however, you cannot resist the lure of wooden flooring, we have the perfect compromise with our Stone Parquet, particularly if you choose the lovely dark tones of Pietra d’Avola limestone, which replicates the warmth and traditional aspect of wood, but with all the elegance and hardwearing properties of natural stone.
Natural stone cladding and tiles for exteriors
Our products are also ideal if you want to install stone walls and floors outside where they will be constantly exposed to the elements and variations in temperature. Many materials deteriorate rapidly over time in such conditions but with natural stone, this is not an issue.
This delightful terrace, complete with swimming pool, demonstrates how easy it is to create an elegant relaxation zone, with the delicate warm tones of Crema d’Orcia limestone and Silk Georgette® bringing harmony and a sense of tranquillity to the entire exterior space.
The backdrop to the pool is in Romboo, a texture that plays with geometric shapes to create a stunning three-dimensional effect that is accentuated when the light falls upon it. Here, this original and striking wall lends the wow factor and sets the scene for unforgettable alfresco moments.
Playing with combinations of stone textures on the wall
Natural stone is incredibly versatile and offers an infinite number of décor possibilities and combinations, as shown in this inviting nook where the dark sophisticated beauty of Pietra d’Avola is expressed in a trio of gorgeous textures.
A comfy armchair, stylish coffee table and a trio of carefully-selected accessories are all you need to create an intimate reading corner where you can simply close yourself off from the rest of the household and read, relax or dream.
Furniture aside, however, it is the walls and floor that sets the scene, with Stone Parquet laid in a staggered pattern recreating the look and warmth of traditional wooden flooring. On the wall we have an unconventional but supremely elegant combination of textures with the bamboo forest-inspired Rain creating an innovative interpretation of traditional wainscoting, paired with Tratti, its simple honed tiles accented by gold-coloured metal inserts for a touch of understated bling.
The juxtaposition of these three very different textures is the perfect example of the myriad of possibilities natural stone offers, making it a dream material to work with for designers who love to dare and experiment.
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