Recommender: What’s the No. 1 design trend you’re seeing in the design/build industry?

Expert says sawn natural stone steps are a modern alternative to natural outcropping. (Photo: Kafka Granite)

Tiffany Koss

Tiffany Koss
Director of sales and marketing, Kafka Granite

The predominant trend we have been seeing is the need for more efficient installations while maintaining a harmonious blend of contemporary aesthetics and natural elements. Minimalistic and modern designs focus on clean lines, open spaces and natural materials like stone, wood and metal. Clean lines are a win for contractors, who are under pressure to do more work with less labor. Designers and contractors alike are looking for premium materials that install fast but still have the natural aesthetic customers desire. Designers favor sawn natural stone steps as a sleek and modern alternative to the time-consuming installation that comes with natural outcropping, while natural sawn cut drywall replaces irregular boulder retaining walls or manufactured concrete wall block.

Noah Dempsey

Noah Dempsey
Marketing coordinator, Delgado Stone Distributors

The design/build industry is currently embracing a top trend: using a consistent natural stone collection to create a unified look in designs. This can be achieved in various ways, such as using the same natural stone collection in different forms or incorporating the same natural stone material throughout the entire design. For instance, our Liberty Hill Flagstone can be used for a patio space, while our Liberty Hill Thinstone Veneer can be used for a fire pit or fireplace to serve as the focal point of the patio. Another popular approach is to use a natural stone veneer for a new home entryway or step riser, continuing with the same stone for an interior fireplace, and extending the material into the backyard with a stone veneer outdoor kitchen. Using natural stone in multiple ways to connect different spaces is currently one of the most sought-after trends.

Carolyne Planck
Territory manager, Unilock

Carolyne Planck

Can we call integration a trend? I think so. Homeowners are investing in their outdoor space in an equal manner to their indoor spaces, and designers are working in tandem to provide designs that are captivating by using different shapes, colors and textures that punctuate the different areas within any given project. As an example, we offer our Promenade Plank Pavers in three finishes, three shapes and seven colors. We’re seeing the mixing of at least two finishes, two shapes and three colors both commercially and residentially. Our Umbriano Collection offers 10 different shapes and four different colors, with walls and coping to match. So, it is exciting to see the No. 1 trend become the integration of color, shape and texture in a single project.

Matt Malone
Vice president, Kurtz Bros.

Matt Malone

The use of decorative stone as mulch has become increasingly popular in landscaping, offering numerous benefits over traditional wood mulch. With a variety of colors and textures to choose from, decorative stone creates a more modern and clean-looking landscape design that lasts longer than wood mulch. This makes it a low-maintenance and cost-effective option for homeowners and businesses looking to improve their landscaping. The use of decorative stone as mulch is a smart and attractive option that provides both practical and aesthetic benefits for any landscaping project.