Searching for stone
The search for natural stone slabs for countertops has it’s own set of problems. Because each quarried block of stone is distinct and one-of-a-kind, looking for stone it is not like looking for a reproducible man made product. Showroom/slab-yards are have different inventories, quality control and costumer service, so finding the right showroom is of utmost importance.
I have three preferred stone yards in the Bay Area, though in all fairness, there are more top notch yards especially in the San Leandro and Haywood area. I am highlighting these three places based on their unique relationship with stone and the positive personal experiences I have had with them in the process of designing kitchens.
ASN Natural Stone, Inc.
ASN is a specialist showroom and slab warehouse in San Francisco, not far from the San Francisco Design Center. With it’s unusual selections, it fills a niche that larger warehouses are unable to do. The owners are Rose Garcia and her husband Alex Sajkovic. Rose is focused on educating and informing the customer, and she makes the annual pilgrimage to Marmomacc, the International Trade Fair for Stone in Verona, Italy, to stay on the cutting edge of the industry. The staff at ASN Stone are experienced and knowledgeable.
Rose and Vittorio at a Carrara quarry
Blocks at Danby quarry, Vermont
ASN is a direct importer, working one-on-one with quarries and factories worldwide. They specialize in alternate surface finishes, custom cut sizes and large size format tiles such as 24” x 48” and 18” x 36”.
Staff are available to move slabs around for easier viewing.
Pietra Fina
Pietra Fina is a feast for the eyes. Italian brothers, Michele and Federico Berardini are the buyers for the company and are responsible for selecting the best looking stone slabs available. Michele is based in California and goes to Italy a number of times each year. Federico is based in Carrara, Italy, running the business there. They specialize in white marble, soapstone, slate and exotic and hard to find granite and quartzite.
Pietra Fina takes a lot of pride in their extraordinary selection of natural stone, and if you get the chance to work with Michele, you will experience his passion as he provides the background stories to the stone. Besides a striking variety of stone from the Carrara mountains, rarer and more unusual stones such as Azul Bahia and Brazilian Blue are on display.
Staff are available to move slabs around for easier viewing.
Haussmann
Haussman Stone is an importer and distributor of natural stone quarried in France, home of the world's finest limestone. Their large selection includes: Beaumaniere, Beauharnais, Corton, Hauteville, and Pompignan. Their showroom has slabs and stone tiles of various sizes, including famous French patterns such as Versailles, in five different colors and the 40 square foot grid, Provence pattern, with pieces up to 20” x 31”.
Besides their focus on French limestone, they also have access to limestone throughout the world such as Belair, Fonjone, Fontainebleau from Portugal, Bateig blue from Spain, and Pistache from Turkey.
John Renaud travels to France 3 or 4 times a year, and the staff travel to other suppliers in Italy, Portugal, Spain and the middle East at least once a year. If a project requires special cut to size orders or finishes they visit the suppliers to oversee and inspect the order.
Haussmann offers very good free sample kits for architects and designers.
Tips
Bring your drawings with you to show your countertop dimensions. Choose your fabricator before visiting the stone yards so that purchasing and shipping can be arranged. Usually slab yards will be able to hold slabs selections for a week, though that is not always the case. Talk to your fabricator in advance about size and number of slabs you may need, and be prepared to call your fabricator from the stone yard.