How to decorate interior walls in natural stone
03.2022
Whether you are looking to create a striking feature wall or prefer a total look, natural stone is an elegant, timeless solution for any room of the home
How to decorate interior walls in natural stone
If you are looking for an elegant, romantic interior design, look no further than natural stone walls. Whether you opt to clad all surfaces of a space or choose to focus on creating a feature wall, stone, particularly if it is textured, adds instant depth and dynamism to your décor.
A feature wall in natural stone provides a gorgeous backdrop to showcase items such as a designer sofa or cosy fireplace, making those winter evenings when you are sitting snug and warm in front of the fire even more special.
Feature walls are back in vogue and the possibilities are endless. We take a look at some examples.
Why natural stone is the perfect material for interior walls
If you are contemplating giving your home a makeover, natural stone interior walls are a practical and effective way to immediately create an entirely different look and feel. With an incredible array of different coloured stones and textures, you are spoilt for choice, from geometric patterns for a contemporary, refined style to brick-effect tiles for an industrial or rustic feel.
This versatile material works equally well in living rooms, bedrooms and the kitchen, where it can be used on all surfaces or simply as a stunning splashback.
While personal taste and preference is always fundamental when it comes to choosing any type of décor, it must be said that the input of a professional is worth considering to help find the perfect balance of colours and textures, as this can improve the aesthetic harmony and perception of space inside your home.
Options for decorating interior walls
Walls play a key role in determining the sensations that a room evokes. When you purchase a new home or decide to give your existing one a makeover, there are a number of options, for example, you might decide to paint the walls, hang wallpaper on them or tile them.
Clearly, the latter two solutions offer a wider choice in terms of creating impact through patterns and effects, with options to suit even the most eclectic tastes. The incredible range of designs and colours found in wallpaper ensures there is something for everyone, but on the downside, it tends to stain more easily than stone, and tends to deteriorate more quickly. Natural stone, on the other hand, is extremely hardwearing and durable, and, on the aesthetics side, interacts with light to add a wonderful playfulness to a space.
Natural stone is a stylish solution for living room walls
The living room is a focal point of the home and is the perfect space to showcase natural stone walls. As the room where we welcome and entertain guests and interact or simply relax with our families, it merits something a little extra-special when it comes to décor.
Using natural stone on one or more living room walls not only adds the X factor, but also provides balance across the various zones and lifts the overall design credentials of other décor items.
If you want to make the space more immersive and cohesive, there is no reason not to tile every wall with one type of stone, thus creating a clear delineation with adjacent spaces. If, on the other hand, you want to mix your wall surfaces up, you could opt for an entire or partial feature wall to create a focal point in the room, frame a favourite piece of furniture or to divide different areas.
How to choose the right natural stone
There is a vast range of wall tiles to choose from, including fake bricks and natural materials, but stone stands out from the crowd with its tactility and timeless elegance that never ceases to please the eye. In a textured finish, if laid with careful consideration of available natural or artificial illumination, stone creates intriguing contrasts of light and shadow.
Stone covers a number of variants, including slate, granite, quartzite, limestone and marble but it is these latter two that truly elevate a décor with their understated luxuriousness and unique veining.
Natural stone also provides efficient insulation, as it tends to keep a house cool during the summer and retains the heat inside during winter. It is also incredibly tough and hard to scratch or damage if items are dropped onto it.
Inspiring wall textures in natural stone
Once you have decided on the stone, the fun begins as now it is time to choose the texture that will grace your walls and we have selected four of our favourites:
Chevron is a contemporary, striking texture that, with its herringbone pattern evokes the aesthetic of wood. Perfect for a feature wall, it is also an original alternative to wainscoting or boiserie. Available in Bianco Carrara, Crema d’Orcia, Pietra d’Avola and Silk Georgette®; it can be seamlessly combined with a myriad of colours.
Lost Stones could be described as the interior design equivalent of a bespoke garment, as it is sourced and cut to size. Made from broken slabs that are pieced together with a gold-coloured resin, it is a luxurious and eco-friendly twenty-first century interpretation of the ancient Japanese art of Kintsugi which repaired broken ceramics with golden seams.
Romboo consists of small diamond-shaped tiles that form a three-dimensional rhomboid pattern that interacts with the light in an intriguing play of light and shadow to create an eye-catching dramatic effect.
Lithoverde®, made from offcuts and discards, is the world’s first recycled stone tile and effortlessly combines sustainability and stunning aesthetics.
Lake Garda, where the placid water, mountains and sky are balanced in an elemental harmony, has long been a source of inspiration for writers and thinkers.
For millennia natural stone has been prized for its ability to keep houses cool in hot climates.
