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Basalt Grey Aksent 3D Modern Stone Veneer Fireplace
When most people think about using stone on a fireplace project the traditional looks where the stone is in its naturally cleft or split face state is probably what comes to mind. At Norstone we’ve spent a lot of time developing not only beautiful split face products for that traditional look and feel, but also amazing product lines using smooth faced stone veneer to give your walls that modern vibe that’s so popular right now. One of those product lines is our Aksent 3D Natural Stone Panel, which is product which takes beautifully polished natural stones, such as Basalt, Quartzite, and Marble and assembles them into a multi dimensional mosaic panel that is installed as a groutless wall tile.
The project we are featuring in this week’s blog is a stunning modern styled fireplace that used our Aksent 3D Panels in the Grey Basalt color on a floor to ceiling installation. This isn’t a huge project, but it’s got some really cool elements that you just don’t see everyday. The first thing that really stands out is the use of the Aksent 3D Panels in a vertical orientation. The traditional orientation on natural stone panel system products is for the long axis of the panel to be run horizontally, but we always love it when someone thinks outside the box and turns the product 90 degrees and installs them vertically. The vertical orientation makes the already tall ceilings in this room look even taller.
One thing that does happen when a product like Aksent 3D Panels get installed in a vertical orientation is that our pre-assembled finger joint outside corner units no longer can be used for vertical outside corners like we see on both sides of this fireplace application. With a product like the Grey Basalt in Aksent 3D, the saw cut edge of the panel is going to look a little lighter in color than the polished face, but as you can see here the installer positioned the panels so that stone on the face extends a little out beyond the corner and the stone on the short returns back to the main wall tuck in right behind the face panels. A more complex method would have been to miter cut a panel along the long axis, but I think most would agree the results here look great!
We really also like the fireplace unit itself. The long linear style of this gas fireplace insert is definitely trending in terms of modern design, but there are a few details like the partial glass partition and the super thin stainless steel border that make it more special than most. Glass is a great modern design element, and we love how the glass is there in this fireplace for safety reasons but in such a minimalistic way it doesn’t detract at all. The author personally really likes the back wall of this fireplace which is painted the same color as the rest of the room. Having never seen that done before, it really hits the point home about how clean a gas fireplace unit like this really is. Situated in Tampa, FL, this fireplace is a lot more about great looking design than required heat output and is basically a beautiful art piece in this home.
The last detail that goes almost unnoticed on most folks is the cleverly disguised surround sound speakers that are deftly cut out and installed right into the stone installation on either side and below the television. If the center channel below the speaker had been oriented vertically we might not even have seen these since they blend in so well with stone not only from a color but also from a sizing standpoint.
If a fireplace is on your project list for 2020 we hope this project gave you a little inspiration to consider a modern stone veneer option. With a variety of sizes, styles, and colors to pick from, and an installation that is as simple as laying tile, reach out to us at Norstone to learn more about which one of our modern stone veneer products might be a great fit for your fireplace project.
