Decorative stones - natural and artificial - showed themselves as a decoration of both the facades of houses and interior decoration. Since ancient times this material has occupied one of the first places in popularity. He has not lost its relevance to this day.
Advantages and disadvantages
Due to its unusual characteristics, the decorative stone in the kitchen successfully competes with ceramic tiles, plasters and, of course, wallpaper. Elite varieties of natural stone have such advantages as beauty, ecological safety, hygiene and uniqueness (the texture of the material is unique). The disadvantage of natural finishing is only one: high cost. The stone for facing is resistant to wear, to moisture, non-flammable, unattractive for molds, bacteria and fungi. Artificial decor, imitation of natural material - more budgetary option. Its advantages include:
- Environmental Safety.
- Relatively small mass, which allows you to decorate the room without overloading the walls.
- Versatility. This material is suitable for a variety of rooms: from small hrushevok to luxurious mansions with a palace interior.
- A large number of color and texture variations. A real imitation of different types of stones is possible.
- Chemical neutrality, resistance to the effects of compositions containing acids and alkalis.
- Long working life.
- High heat capacity. The material stores heat in winter cold and cools the room in a warm time.
- Relatively low cost.
- Ease of installation. In form, an artificial stone is similar to all the usual facing tiles. This contributes to a significant reduction in time for finishing work. In addition to linear structures, there are also corners on sale, which makes it possible to easily decorate hard-to-reach areas, perhaps even with their own hands.
- Ease of care. Decorated surface is easy to clean from dust and dirt.
- Good compatibility with other materials: wood, metal or decorative plaster.
Kinds
Return to the roots is peculiar to people. This is especially evident when decorating a kitchen with a decorative stone. Interiors in small apartments, spacious country houses or villas, where decorative stone is used, natural or artificial, is not uncommon today. Moreover, natural and artificial stone, as practice shows, are in demand equally.
Natural
This natural material looks very impressive. It is environmentally safe and stores in itself the energy of nature. The most common in finishing works are such types of stones:
| Granite | Among the finishing materials, this is a true leader in strength. Different shade options are possible: black, burgundy, red and pink. |
| slate | Слоистая «рваная» структура делает его очень необычным. slate используют для внутренних отделочных работ. |
| Sandstone | It has an unusually beautiful, warm color scheme. There are gray, yellow, grayish-green and yellow-brown sandstones. Most often this stone is used for decoration of fireplace and television zones, as well as corners. |
| Cobblestone | In addition to landscape design, round timber, or simply, a cobblestone, is used to decorate interiors, for example, fountains in the room, kitchens. |
| Marble | He is an aristocrat among natural finishing stones, a champion both in beauty and in value. Used to decorate countertops, manufacture floors and shells. |
Artificial
Natural материал смотрится роскошно и красиво в качестве элемента интерьера, но отличается высокой ценой. Нередко для отделки кухонных помещений используют разные виды искусственного камня. Современные технологии дают возможность создать реалистичную имитацию любого натурального камня. В зависимости от технологии выполнения выделяют такие разновидности искусственных камней:
| Ceramic | The material is burned in a high-temperature furnace. |
| Cast gypsum | It is also called a "shaped stone". If the manufacture of ceramic stone requires significant energy and labor costs, the plaster material is very simple to manufacture. It is used for interior decoration, as it is unstable to low temperatures. |
| Concrete Forming | Its cost price is higher than cast, but it is more frost-resistant. |
| Concrete reinforced | It is made directly on the place of decoration, by the piece. |
| Polyester, using synthetic resins | Aesthetically and operationally, it surpasses all the previously described forks of artificial stone, but the technology of its manufacture is quite complicated. |
The choice of decorative finishing materials is impressive. This opens up almost unlimited possibilities for the design of home interiors.
Color palette
As for the color palette of natural or artificial finishing materials, it is truly enormous. Here are the most common options:
- White. This is a natural or color-derived color.
- Color. It is possible to obtain different shades from blending various colors into white paint.
- Color with the application of darkened shades on separate sites.
- Shades characteristic of natural stone: gray, ivory, shades of brown, beige, sand.
Apron
Рабочий «фартук» на кухне – это зона приготовления пищи, поэтому важно сохранять ее в безукоризненной опрятности и чистоте. Отделка при помощи декоративного камня придется здесь очень кстати. Облицованная искусственным камнем, стена отлично очищается от грязи и жировых капель. Natural и искусственный декор отлично вписывается в разные интерьерные стили. В особенности красиво они смотрятся в таких интерьерах:
- Country;
- Eco-friendly style;
- Provence;
- Mediterranean.
For the "apron" it is desirable to use a flat finish material. It's easier to keep it clean.
Wall decoration
The main requirement for any interior is completeness. Therefore, you can use the finishing stone not only for the "apron". Wall cladding is not vertical, but in the horizontal direction it allows to make a compact room of kitchen-living room or kitchen-Khrushchev visually wider. In this case, it is not necessary to cover the walls completely. Sufficiently partial finishing, and the rest can be plastered or painted.
Doorways and arches
Stone trim gives the door or window aperture an original and completed appearance, regardless of its shape: arched or rectangular. If you abandon the traditional door in favor of stone decoration, then the doorway becomes a self-sufficient decorative element of the kitchen. It seems that the passage is cut in the stone wall. Exactly the same non-standard way you can beat the window openings. Thus, as if you are transported to a medieval knight's castle by a time machine. A separate story is a vent box. You can not get rid of it, but you can not even call it a beautiful detail of the interior. But to build in the interior, decorating with a stone decor, it is quite possible.
Bar counter
Отделка интерьера камнем – это не только стены, дверные и оконные проемы. Используют этот материал и для отделки барных стоек. Причем, это не только столешница. Красиво смотрится подножье стойки, декорированное кругляком. Что касается дизайнерских решений, то оптимальным вариантом являются стили «эко» или «кантри». Цветовая гамма – максимально приближена к природной. Bar counter смотрится брутальной, нарочито грубоватой. Еще один вариант с барной стойкой – для классического интерьера: облицовка стены, вплотную примыкающей к стойке. Оттеночная палитра материала неяркая, теплая, что полностью отвечает концепции «классицизма». Красивая конструкция отделяет рабочую зону от обеденной.
Read also: Advantages and disadvantages of corner kitchens 
Care
Despite the refinement and unusual aesthetics, the decorative stone is very unpretentious in care. Actually, all courtship procedures are reduced to wiping the surfaces from dust. Some types of finishes are already covered with varnish. Due to this, the decor can be washed in the same way as a conventional tile.
There are such types of care:
- Dry (with the help of a static broom);
- Vacuum cleaning;
- Wet cleaning.
Especially diligent and diligent housewives prefer wet cleaning using detergents. But this is really necessary only if the stone is lined with a working area of the kitchen. Covered with a special primer or varnish, the decorative stone perfectly tolerates all the experiments associated with wet cleaning.
Conclusion
These recommendations will help you with the design of the kitchen interior:
- Enter stone decor in those styles of living room, hallway or kitchen, where it is most appropriate.
- Bright light and lining with a decorative stone are combined poorly. It is much better to look noble with a warm, slightly muted light. Especially neon colors are inappropriate. But the lighting does not hurt. It will emphasize the texture of the material, the transition from shade to shade.
- The best combination is the stone and the greens. The more domestic plants in the kitchen, the more vivid and juicy the interior turns out.
- Ethnic interior items: pottery, figurines, pitchers, wooden plates and spoons - all this looks good together with the stone decor and creates an additional cosiness.
- To the atmosphere of the kitchen did not seem excessively cold, combine the stone with other materials: plaster, brick or wallpaper.
Follow these simple tips, and the kitchen interior will be immaculately-refined.
