Marble, granite, and concrete are age-old mainstays of solid architectural construction, from the Taj Mahal to the Parthenon to timeless kitchen countertops. With time, however, comes better technology, and with that, modern material alternatives.
Caesarstone quartz surfaces match the durability of marble, granite, and concrete, but excel in their resilience against stains, scratches, and cracks, making them ideal for kitchen countertops, bathroom vanities, flooring, wall paneling, furniture, and more. Consisting of 90-percent natural materials, Caesarstone quartz retains the cool tactile qualities of natural materials, but with greater depth of color and consistency in pattern, thanks to a meticulous manufacturing process that combines ground quartz aggregates with exacting combinations of pigments and polymers.
This season, the brand is launching 10 new colors as part of its Classico Collection, a line of subtle shades designed to emulate the beauty of natural stone. Additions like Vanilla Noir and Alpine Mist feature the delicate, wide veins of marble, while three new concrete-inspired colors, Sleek Concrete, Raw Concrete, and Fresh Concrete, span the various moods conveyed by their namesake material; the new Bianco Drift captures the dappled nuances of granite.
“The amazing quality of the new colors is their versatility and relevance with so many styles,” says acclaimed designer Stephanie Goto, who has previously employed Caesarstone quartz in high-profile spaces like the Calder Foundation Project Space, Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud’s home kitchen, and Corkbuzz Winebar. “I can imagine them in any setting, from a modern apartment in New York City to a 19th-Century flat in Paris to a beach house on Nantucket.” Each color comes in standard slabs with dimensions of 120 by 56.5 inches, with thicknesses of 3/4 inch or 1 and 1/4 inches, with further options in diverse possibilities of edge profiles, shapes, patterns, and textures. Finishes include polished, honed matte, or honed non-glossy.
During the recent International Builders’ Show (IBS), Goto actually used Caesarstone to create entirely new, boldly designed products — benches, tables, and coffee bar — to demonstrate the beauty of the new Classico Collection colors in addition to the versatility and near-weightlessness of quartz surfaces compared to their nature-made counterparts.
“The custom furniture pieces that we designed for IBS are planes wrapping over and under each other,” says Goto. “We utilized the strength properties of the material and challenged the Caesarstone to float.”
Goto’s Caesarstone designs brought the spirit of a dynamic urban plaza onto the IBS showroom floor, but the material is also a regular tool employed by the Manhattan-based firm. “We are inspired by materials that allow us to think outside of their ordinary application,” says Goto. “We enjoy using materials that challenge us to respect and retain the original features, but present them in a way that may change one’s view or feeling of the material.” Knowing that what may look like marble actually might be quartz means that you may never look at a kitchen countertop the same way again.
Images courtesy Stephanie Goto