When you renovate or layout the design of your newly constructed home, each room has a focal point that brings together space. A beautiful trend that is taking off in home renovations is the use of bookmatched slabs. This pattern combines two or more slabs of a stone laid in a symmetrical design, where they are opening to each other. It appears very much like a stone book opening. Larger areas can house more than two stones, and carry the mirroring pattern across a wall or countertop.
Pursuing bookmatching slabs for your home is a bit different from other layout options. It is a bit more tedious and has more requirements than these alternatives. This process collaborates geology and geometry in one cohesive layout. Before you embark on this project in your home, there are a few things you should know.
- Can Any Stone Be Bookmatched?
- How Does the Bookmatching Layout Compare to Others?
- Areas for Bookmatched Slabs
- How Much Will Bookmatching Costs?
1. Can Any Stone Be Bookmatched?
One of the most common questions in bookmatching slabs is whether any stone can be used. Showcasing one of your favorite stones in an appreciative layout is one of the purposes of bookmatched stones. Unfortunately, not all stones can be used for this layout. The bookmatch process needs stones with particular characteristics for it to work and highlight the stone properties correctly. Stones that are used as bookmatched slabs must have linear patterns and movement in them. Bookmatching is meant to capture and replicate the action in the stone, which is why those without direction would not work for this layout. If you have a particular stone that you would prefer for this process, you will need to check and see if it is something that will work.
Natural stones are the best option for your bookmatching pieces. If you have a preference for marble or granite, you should select specific types of these stones that are more fluid with linear patterns. You can choose from a kind of stone, based upon their designs and their colors. Also, add multiple stones to create a larger layout. This depends on the size of the stone and the number of slabs that can be cut.
2. How Does the Bookmatching Layout Compare to Others?
When you choose to bookmatch stone in your residence, you are looking for a large piece of stone. This will be the feature of whichever room you choose, unlike other stone layouts. In this process, the moving stone will mirror the other piece, appearing to open up in a symmetrical pattern. Different patterns do not pay attention to matching these movements and highlighting features in the stone.
When the selected stone is brought in from the quarry, it is cut with a gang saw to make the large slabs of the linear patterns in the stone. Depending on how many stabs will be used for the layout, the gang saw will cut them evenly. After the slabs have been cut, they are moved to the polishing stage where their patterns and lines are outlined. They are also cleaned and have all debris removed from them during this process.
When the process is complete, the bookmatched slabs put together a picture of sorts with the mirrored images. It is common for visions of flowers, owls, and other symmetrical things in nature to be visualized by those who take in its beauty and final look. Different layout options can not always provide similar images, especially those that are symmetrical and come together clearly as they do in the bookmatched slabs.
3. Areas for Bookmatched Slabs
Where you can place your bookmatched slabs is limited in your home. Including bookmatched stone to your home means that you want to draw attention to the natural beauty of these pieces. Because the stones are so large, you are looking at spaces such as the countertop, shower walls, and feature walls throughout your home to house this layout. Your living area or bedroom are good rooms for accent walls that feature these bookmatched slabs. These areas are common for large slabs of stone and can handle the weight that comes with the process.
Once they are placed in these rooms, the rest of the theme and colors will be added. Specific stones and their features are chosen to go with a theme in the home. This process can be placed in multiple areas of the house as well, carrying this layout trend through the home.
4. How Much Will Bookmatching Costs?
Having a high-quality layout for your home does come with a little steeper price than other options. Compared to standard designs, bookmatching stone is often more costly because of the detailed process and the stone slabs that are used. The stone options that are used for this layout usually cost more than standard stone options. There are additional labor costs and attention to detail that adds up the value of the bookmatching pieces of stone.
Despite this cost, the quality that you receive from choosing the bookmatching layout is higher. The level of craftsmanship that is applied to each stone is unique and unmatched. The internal patterns within the stone are amplified and celebrated with bookmatching. This is not a simple stone layout or countertop design. There is a process for this layout option. The bookmatched slabs will last a lifetime in their current placement and will continue to maintain their features. Even as the room and decor changes in the area, the stone will remain as the focal point.
Choose Bookmatched Slabs for Your Focal Point
If you have a room in your home in need of something that ties everything together, consider having bookmatched slabs applied in your home. You may want to make that focal point in your kitchen on your countertops, in the shower of your master bathroom, or as an accent wall. No matter how you use bookmatched slabs, the beauty and value that this layout brings to your home are elevated compared to other layout options.
If you’re interested in viewing some countertops in the DC / Northern Virginia area and would like to schedule an appointment with A&S Home Interiors, give us a call today at (703) 783-2758 or [email protected]. Or visit our Lorton Virginia countertop showroom.
