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At an annual ceremony on Thursday, November 3, 2011, New England Home Magazine inducted a select number of architects, interior designers and landscape architects into The New England Design Hall of Fame. The 2011 gala event that took place in the State Room atop the Sixty State Street in Boston, Massachusetts was the magazine's fifth annual awards.

Hall of Fame nominations were made by community members of the design industry as well as the general public. The nominees were then evaluated based on professional work history and three to five representative projects. A final round included further thorough evaluation. The chosen inductees were announced at the special ceremony on November 3rd, where they were honored for their career, influence and community involvement.

The 2011 New England Design Hall of Fame Inductees:

Architecture
Bernard M. Wharton of Shope Reno Wharton Associates
Matthew and Elizabeth Elliott of Elliott + Elliott Architecture

Interior design
Nancy Serafini of Homeworks Interior Design

Landscape design
Kris Horiuchi and Daniel Solien of Horiuchi Solien, Inc.


Specialty award
North Bennet Street School

As a respected wholesaler of imported natural and engineered stone products, Marble and Granite, Inc. was honored to participate in The New England Design Hall of Fame as one of two Gold Sponsors for the second year in a row.



Event Details and Photo via New England Design Hall of Fame

As the focal point of the room, a beautifully designed fireplace will find use year-round whether it's for ambiance with a a candle arrangement in the warmer months or a warmth with a cozy fire in the colder months. Every piece of marble, granite and slate is different bringing exclusive elegance but they are all durable and heat-resistant making them even more ideal for a fireplace. With the freedom to the choose color, cut and shape, the versatility of stone offers endless possibilities for innovative and customized designs that reflect personal style.

Marble and Granite, Inc. has the largest natural stone selection in New England, including CaesarStone. After coming to the United States from Israel in 1999 as the original quartz surface manufacturer, CaesarStone became renowned for its superior quartz surfaces. With their plant still located in Israel next to an ancient Roman city, CaesarStone products are inspired by the beauty of the Mediterranean coast and the hard work and determination of the Ancient Roman tradition.

A loot at CaesarStone's elegant Motivo Embossed Collection demonstrates the state-of-the-art techniques and technologies used to produce premium quartz surfaces with exquisite style and exceptional durability. The Motivo Embossed quartz comes in Crocodile and Lace.



The Crocodile Embossed quartz presents a dark, sleek look with a touch of ruggedness. The Lace Embossed quartz, on the other hand, has a clean look with an intricate yet delicate pattern that adds elegance. For both, choose a polished, honed or textured finish, and a thickness of 1cm, 2cm or 3cm. The quality of the colors and textures of these two styles are backed by a residential lifetime warranty.



For additional information on the Motivo Embossed Collection, CaesarStone and other Marble and Granite, Inc. natural stones please call 877-39-STONE.

Photos courtesy of CaesarStone.

Green is an earth tone that can evoke an array of moods by a simple change in hue. Pale greens promote relaxation and tranquility while saturated greens can appear regal and exhilarating. Let your room speak volumes with green natural stone from Marble and Granite.

Choose from 45 types of green granite for your kitchen, bath, or office. Earth Glitter has a base of different greens with waves of cream and brown. Our Jurassic and Turtle Green slabs display the unique beauty of natural stone at its best, with large granules and chunks of eye-catching, multicolor minerals. It is a product that is sure to turn heads. For more subtle tastes, Verde Ubatuba offers a consistent, rich green.

Irish Green Sledge stands out among the 11 green marble products offered by our company. With dramatic movement, the green base is pocked with gray and streaked with yellow and beige. In contrast, Verde Panama provides owners with a soothing greenish-gray base.

Find unique marble and granite slabs in a variety of colors at our Marble and Granite showroom, 877-39-STONE.

Image: Roma

Neutral stone colors provide an excellent foundation for designs. They can also bring out the beauty in multiple species of wood cabinetry and furniture. The showrooms at Marble and Granite hold over 60 types of sand and beige natural stone products for your kitchen, bath and beyond.

Granite The beautiful Giallo Venezia of Brazil offers consistent color with fine granules resembling sand. It works beautifully in conjunction with light hardwoods. Also from Brazil, Narcarado (Quartzite) gives owners a smooth beige base with streams of rose, burgundy and touches of gold. Bring out the red tones in this stone with mahogany or cedar wood cabinetry.  To leave a bigger impression, try the bold veining and hues of Ghibli Gold from India. It is ingrained with ribbons of rust red and amber.

Marble Creama Luna of Italy provides owners with a base of consistent, milky marble with hints of gray. Its fresh color brightens any kitchen. Breccia Oniciata hails from the same country, with smooth waves of brown, tan and beige; it’s like a swirling cappuccino for your surfaces. Beige, green, and gray intertwine to bring us La Dolce Vita (Quartzite) from Australia. Its cool, earth tones are a lovely addition to tranquil baths.

Order your natural stone products from Marble and Granite. To schedule a consultation call 877-39-STONE.

Source: Marble and Granite

Image Source: UnitedMarble.com

[caption id="attachment_338" align="alignright" width="300" caption="This bar table is perfect for small spaces and casual dining."][/caption]

Traditional marble furniture may feel too heavy for people with modern design tastes but the durability, shine, and natural beauty of marble makes it an irreplaceable design element. Jardan solves that conundrum by creating a table that appears lightweight and modern but is still unmistakably marble.

Australian designer Nick Garnham of Jardan was inspired by the breezy, fresh motifs of the tropics when designing the Iko table. The marble table tops are finished with a bullnose edge (rounded and smooth). Since no two slabs of marble are identical, each surface is unique. Choose between Carrara and Calacarra marbles. The bases are constructed of solid American oak that can be completed with 7 standard finishes. The wood is painted in a variety of bright and cool speed stain colors.

The tables are sold in numerous sizes and heights that are ideal for any size kitchen, kitchenette, dining room or outdoor eating area. Think outside of the box by using these tables in gardens and living areas.

Marble and Granite provides an array of natural stone products and services. Contact us at 866.950.8443 or visit our website at marbleandgranite.com for details.

Source: designmilk

[caption id="attachment_318" align="alignleft" width="240" caption="Sealers do not add shine to surfaces, nor completely protect them from stains."][/caption]

Sealers can be great tools for protecting your natural stone but it is important to understand their limitations.

Myth: Natural stone sealers prevent staining.

Fact: Some stones, like granite and soapstone, rarely stain. Some marble and travertine may stain if the spill is not wiped up immediately. Either way, a sealer only slows down the natural rate at which stone absorbs liquids; sealers do not create some impenetrable force field around your stone.

Not all sealers are created equal. SenGuard Permanent Bond Sealer is an excellent liquid repellent and dramatically reduces stones' absorption rates. But if a cracked bottle of oil or unnoticed drop of wine remains on the surface too long, you will still have stained stone.

This also means that sealers do not protect your stone from etching and water stains either. Find an etch remover polish or contact a professional to correct etching issues with your marble and other stones.

Myth: Sealing natural stone will keep it shiny.

Fact: Sealers do not enhance shine. Polish does. In some cases, such as with granite, only a mechanical process using diamond abrasives can restore or increase shine.

It is important to note that acids (coffee, soda) slowly damage the shine on marble, limestone and travertine counter tops so it is important to clean up spills immediately to prevent staining and to maintain shine.

For further information on natural stone care, or to add natural stone to your home, call Marble and Granite Inc. at 877.39-STONE or visit marbleandgranite.com.

Source: countertopspecialty.com

Image Source: HansNYC