Duncan observed a significant shift in luxury stone trends this year. “We’re seeing a beautiful return to beige and cream tones in natural stone,” he observes. “After years of grey dominating the market, this shift opens up exciting possibilities for our Sydney clients, especially in luxury residential projects and high-end commercial spaces.”
Reflecting on this event, Duncan highlighted its significance as a platform for reconnecting with suppliers, fostering relationships, and engaging in discussions about ongoing and new product developments. A noteworthy shift in trends was observed, with beige and cream taking precedence over the dominant grey tones of previous years.
This year’s Marmomac demonstrated a consistently elevated standard, reflecting a collective commitment to excellence in the stone industry. The positive atmosphere at the event suggested a return to its pre-COVID vibrancy, marking a milestone for the industry.
Networking opportunities were abundant, extending beyond international suppliers to include Australian colleagues and partners. Within impressive sculptures, white and cream marble emerged as highlights, capturing the audience’s attention.
As the stone industry contemplates the next frontiers of finishes and materials, Marmomac 2023 stands as a driving force. It brought together a diverse range of ideas that will contribute to the ongoing exploration of innovative solutions.
In retrospect, Marmomac 2023 was an enriching experience, offering insights into industry trends and fostering valuable connections. The impact of this gathering undoubtedly contributes to Sareen Stone’s ongoing commitment to excellence in the stone industry.
As 2022 draws to a close, we recently sat down with Michael to hear his thoughts about 2022 and the trends he anticipates in 2023.
People are ready to put Covid behind them and start looking forward to the future.
The interest rate rise has slowed a small percentage of the market, but I know of quite a few new projects that are commencing early next year where there has not been any impact by the rate rise.
I thought grey tones were on the way out but alas, architects and interior designers are still specifying them.
Once clients see our Luna Chiaro Limestone, they love it for its sleek, clean appearance.
Our newest mid-grey limestone from Egypt is Tuscan Gris which is sandblasted for suitability of external flooring and hand chiseled to appear distressed and of Old World appearance.
I know I’m biased, but I love the Tuscan Gris Limestone. Specifically, I love that it looks similar to an old courtyard from a vineyard in Tuscany.
Who doesn’t want to imagine they’re lounging and relaxing in Tuscany?
I always love seeing how Sareen Stone looks in the finished project.
One of the standout projects was the Filetti driveway in Fairlight. The area was transformed from old cracked concrete to a beautiful Italian Villa style driveway. The earthy grey, brown and red tones make a stark yet lovely contrast to the green grass.
Audrey Watson initially contacted Sareen Stone about the possibility of using the more traditional cobblestone for the driveway. Once I learned the specifics of the situation, I recommended the Italian Filetti to her, and happily she’s thrilled with the end result.
As a bonus, Audrey was a delight to deal with and recommended Scott Pecar from Top Deck Landscapes for the installation of the Filetti.
I’ve since recommended Scott to various clients, and he eventually installed another of our Filetti projects.
Scott’s eye for detail, ability to blend natural stone colours and professional manner are a credit to him.
I am increasingly being asked about poly pads or similar system installations. Not sure of the reason but there are lots of benefits to using this system of installation.
Drainage, data cables and other utilities can be laid in the void beneath the pavers with easy access if required.
I’d love to be more involved with commercial projects such as Concord Oval where Sareen Stone’s Porphyry 2 Colour Cobblestones were installed at the main gate entrance.
There is nothing more rewarding than to see a public works project where products that I assisted with the specification and supply have been installed.
That’s real satisfaction!
(02) 9666 9222
Luna Chiaro Limestone
Tuscan Gris Limestone
Italian Filetti
Porphyry 2-Colour
Natural stone continues to evolve offering the industry new technology, new finishes and new products and this was evident at the Xiamen Stone Fair in China earlier this month. With exhibitors from across the globe, there was much to see and take on board.
Lots of new and interesting finishes on popular stones to add some extra wow factor. One example we saw was a feature wall where the stone was presented in a scratched finish to complement the same stone as a floor tile.
Last month Sareen Stone’s MD, Duncan Blyth visited the Xiamen Stone Fair in China. We reveal their synopsis of the show and how the future of the stone industry was presented at the stone fair.
The stone industry comes together each year at Marmomac, Verona, Italy to discover new directions in the fabrication of natural stone and to discover new and innovative ways it can now be used in design and construction.
Sareen Stone’s MD, Duncan and our Sales and Product Development Manager, Angie, visited Marmomac earlier this month and were impressed with what they saw.
Angie was particularly keen to see what new products were shaping up to be the new trends over the next couple of years.
“Marmomac is vast and it certainly didn’t disappoint this year. As always there were plenty of new ideas. While larger formats are still in vogue they have now expanded to walls including slabs for bathroom walls and showers and textured stone panels for feature walls which is pretty exciting.”
“Notably, there was far less travertine on display this year and many more limestones and marbles with a greater number of finishes to cater to designs that transition seamlessly from indoors to outside, such as acid washed, sandblasted and brushed tiles,” Angie added.
Duncan was pleased to see new suppliers with new products at the trade fair.
“It was great to see products that were not only new to us and our market but were extremely interesting in their composition, colour and finish. It was also encouraging to see new and innovative materials and how suppliers are pushing the boundaries from internal & external tiles all the way through to claddings.”
“One product that had a particularly strong presence this year was hard limestone, suitable for most surfaces and this was really pleasing. When selecting products for our range, hard, densely structured material is always on our radar – as this gives us confidence that the material will stand the test of time in both residential or commercial application,” Duncan added.
Creative stone installations could be found throughout Verona with some pretty quirky displays including these that demonstrate that not all stone is delivered with a straight edge!
Stunning displays, sometimes completely unexpected, were on show for more than 68,000 visitors to view during the 4-day stone fair.
Reaching a milestone of 60 years in business, we can only imagine what changes and challenges Crystal Pools has seen and endured during this time. Sareen Stone congratulates Crystal Pools on celebrating this major achievement.
The 50’s in Australia, like in many countries, was hailed as a time of vibrancy and optimism, a welcomed change from the era of doom and gloom of the Great Depression and World War 2. 1957 was a year that followed the Melbourne Olympics, an exciting time when advances in technology saw the introduction of television, Joern Utzon won the Sydney Opera House Design Competition and the year when Crystal Pools was founded by a pioneer of the pool industry, Les Denton.
Les Denton began his working life as a traditional cottage builder. At this time, it was very early days for the swimming pool market – in fact there really was only one company of any note at the time. When this was suggested to Les decided to make the move and established Crystal Pools in 1957.
This was a time when spray concrete was someone’s pipe dream and ready-mix concrete was a while away from becoming a reality. So, preparing the concrete for each swimming pool was seriously back breaking, highly manual labour. At this time, all plans were drawn ‘long-hand’ (in duplicate copy) and swimming pools were built in the conventional method of ‘form and poured’. Simple rectangular shapes were the expectation – varying shapes, sizes and depths were not really viable back then.
Les began Crystal Pools with the philosophy to limit the number of pools built each year to ensure quality control. His building background meant that he held traditional values and principles where there was only one way to do a job – the right way! This philosophy has endured for 60 years and is still embraced today by the award-winning team at Crystal Pools.
Their expertise extends across commercial and residential projects, both locally and nationally enabling them to confidently set the benchmark for their industry. To date Crystal Pools has built more than 20,000 pools and counting. Their team has won over 220 major state, national and international awards and strives to continue to achieve many more.
From the team at Sareen Stone, happy 60th birthday Crystal Pools. We look forward to continuing working side by side with you into the future.
When you consider the numbers from this international exhibition – 1650 companies from 53 countries and 67,000 specialist operators visiting from 146 countries, Marmomacc has every right to boast to be “…the centre of global trade in the natural stone sector.”
Our Managing Director, Duncan Blyth was one of the many thousands of international visitors to Marmomacc in Verona in 2016. Whilst Marmomacc was another great exhibition showcasing all of the latest materials in the stone industry, the standout was the focus on all of the new grey tones available particularly in marble and limestone.
We’re excited at Sareen Stone because we’ve got plans for some new and exciting materials to be added to our existing range in 2017.
Below are just a sample of the exciting & creative displays from Marmomacc 2016
Grey tones were definitely the theme throughout the show. What you can do with STONE is not limited by your imagination (only your pocket)!
Absolute PERFECTION – book matched Calacutta Marble Slabs
Inspired? Watch this space for new additions to our range at Sareen Stone. You can contact our experienced and knowledgeable Staff with any questions you may have about natural stone on 02 9666 9222 or email us at info@sareenstone.com.au
