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high flying

ELECTRONICALLY REPRINTED FROM

OCTOBER2013

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LAI

GNEL

kitchenbath

It’s a long way from quarry to job site, a journey that’s sometimes forgotten in a gleaming kitchen or a glamor-ous hotel bathroom. So Stone Source is offering a reminder at a trio of Gensler-renovated showrooms. Washington and Los Angeles came first. Now there’s the largest, in New York.

The showrooms aim to change the way Stone Source clients learn about its products, reflecting a shift in designers’

relationship to natural re-sources. In New York, the first indication of the new narrative is the photomural of a quarry that appears in the elevator lobby. Farther in, images shot in other quarries loop on flat-screen monitors.

One of the most revealing changes, literally, was to ex-pose the windows, which had always been covered. Product samples mounted below can now be viewed in natural

Opposite, from top: In the elevator lobby at Stone Source, custom wall covering was digitally printed with an image of a quarry in Italy. A block of Calacatta marble supports one end of the reception desk in natural stone.From top: This product is manufactured by heating and aerating aluminum, then rapidly cooling it. Porcelain tile samples are dis-played in the showroom. Rough edges are part of the brand identity. Flooring is predominantly polished concrete.

the story of stonefirm: gensler site: new york

ERIC LAIGNEL

light. And the entire interior benefits from the textural con-text provided by the facades of surrounding buildings.

Yes, a certain amount of wall surface disappeared when the windows re-appeared. “The project was about minimizing display and maximizing product,” Gensler design director Ed Wood says. Samples are approached in a more interactive way. Instead of being glued to a wall, stone slabs or tiled panels might

From top: Between the sample bays, blackened steel frames slabs of Saint Germain marble. Windows were uncovered as part of the renovation. Backlit onyx glows near one of the showroom’s custom tables in reclaimed oak. In the office area, Antenna workstations by Knoll meet chairs by Knoll.

lean against it. Drawers open and close.

Functionality also increased for staffers. Whereas sales-people once disappeared into the nether reaches to find a sample, today they accom-pany clients into open bays. In addition, much-needed office space was gained when an adjacent tenant left. A little more than half of the current square footage, 15,700, is given over to low benching workstations flanked by

kitchenbath

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meeting and multipurpose rooms. The latter have even been used for employee and client yoga classes after-hours.

Not all is smooth and sleek. In fact, the rough edges may be the project’s most alluring aspect. Surely no one will by-pass the rugged profile of the Calacatta marble block that an-chors one end of the reception desk. Another lesson that nat-ural materials are imperfect, perfectly. —Jennifer Krichels

From top: Flat-screen monitors loop images of quarries. Painted metal shelving lines the sample bays. Reclaimed wood sold by Stone Source includes barn sid-ing. Brushed-aluminum stools sit on porcelain floor tile in the pantry.

FROM FRONT EMECO: STOOLS (SHOW­ROOM, PANTRY). KNOLL: WORKSTATIONS, CHAIRS (OFFICE AREA). INTERFACEFLOR: CARPET TILE. EVENSONBEST: SHELVING (SAMPLE BAYS). THROUGHOUT STONE SOURCE: STONE, TILE, PLANKS. DESIGNTEX: CUSTOM WALL COV ERING. AMERLUX: TRACK LIGHTING, RECESSED CEILING FIXTURES. HILLMAN DIBERNARDO LEITER CASTELLI: LIGHTING CONSULTANT. SEVERUD ASSOCI­ATES CON SULTING ENGINEERS: STRUC­TURAL ENG INEER. TAS ENGINEERING: MEP. JONATHAN METAL & GLASS: METALWORK, GLASS WORK. MD MILLWORK; POLCART: WOOD WORK. STRUCTURE TONE: GENERAL CON TRACTOR.

kitchenbath

NEW YORKSHOWROOMS: NEW YORK215 PARK AVE. SOUTHNEW YORK, NY 10003212.979.6400

NEW JERSEY 350 STARKE RD.CARLSTADT, NJ 07072201.549.7400

WAREHOUSE: CARLSTADT, NJ201.549.7400

REGIONAL SUPPORT FOR: CT, NJ, NY

MID-ATLANTICSHOWROOM: WASHINGTON, DC 1129 20th ST, NW WASHINGTON, DC 20036202.265.5900

SALES OFFICE: PHILADELPHIA202.265.5900

REGIONAL SUPPORT FOR: DC, DE, FL, GA, MD, NC, PA, SC, TN, VA, WV

NEW ENGLANDSHOWROOM: BOSTON 327 A STREETBOSTON, MA 02210617.671.0900

REGIONAL SUPPORT FOR: CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT

MIDWESTSHOWROOMS: CHICAGO414 NORTH ORLEANS CHICAGO, IL 60654312.335.9900

DALLAS1825 MARKET CENTER BLVD.DALLAS, TX 75207469.893.4200

SALES OFFICE:HOUSTON281.787.0671

WAREHOUSE: CHICAGO, IL 773.305.0086

REGIONAL SUPPORT FOR: AL, AR, CO, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MI, MN, MO, MS, NE, OH, OK, SD, TX, WI

WESTERN REGIONSHOWROOM: LOS ANGELES5429 McCONNELL AVE. LOS ANGELES, CA 90066 213.880.1155

SALES OFFICES:LAS VEGAS646.206.9759

ORANGE COUNTY & SAN DIEGO949.276.1221, 973.851.3850

PHOENIX646.206.9759

SAN FRANCISCO & N. CALIFORNIA415.987.7745

SEATTLE 206.890.4602

WAREHOUSE: LOS ANGELES, CA 323.274.1992

REGIONAL SUPPORT FOR: AZ, CA, HI, ID, MT, NM, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY

STONE SOURCE LOCATIONS

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Advances in porcelain tile production have elevated surfaces to sculptural

heights. Emblematic of the Italian maker’s innovation in the field, the Tex collection recalls handwoven fabrics. Designed by Yael Mer and

Shay Alkalay of Raw Edges Studio, the rectified tiles are produced via a

pressed-pattern technique that creates the appearance of yarn on a matte

background. The series includes eight color groups—gray, white, and yellow

are shown—each containing three shades, resulting in 24 tonal variations

with five surface options. Available with coordinating runner mosaics, the durable rhomboid forms are suited to

myriad applications, including low-traffic commercial interiors.

Through Stone Source, 212-979-6400; stonesource.com. circle 850

Mutina

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Posted with permission from October 2013. Interior Design, Quest Media. Copyright 2014. All rights reserved.For more information on the use of this content, contact Wright’s Media at 877-652-5295.

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