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The country's largest New England event for the design and construction industry is happening as we speak. From November 16 through 18, the 27th edition of the Build Boston annual tradeshow and conference is taking place at the Seaport World Trade Center. Throughout the conference, the building industry's leading authorities will be presenting their newest, most advanced and unique products and services yet.

At an annual ceremony on Thursday, November 3, 2011, New England Home Magazine inducted a select number of architects, interior designers and landscape architects into The New England Design Hall of Fame. The 2011 gala event that took place in the State Room atop the Sixty State Street in Boston, Massachusetts was the magazine's fifth annual awards.

Hall of Fame nominations were made by community members of the design industry as well as the general public. The nominees were then evaluated based on professional work history and three to five representative projects. A final round included further thorough evaluation. The chosen inductees were announced at the special ceremony on November 3rd, where they were honored for their career, influence and community involvement.

The 2011 New England Design Hall of Fame Inductees:

Architecture
Bernard M. Wharton of Shope Reno Wharton Associates
Matthew and Elizabeth Elliott of Elliott + Elliott Architecture

Interior design
Nancy Serafini of Homeworks Interior Design

Landscape design
Kris Horiuchi and Daniel Solien of Horiuchi Solien, Inc.


Specialty award
North Bennet Street School

As a respected wholesaler of imported natural and engineered stone products, Marble and Granite, Inc. was honored to participate in The New England Design Hall of Fame as one of two Gold Sponsors for the second year in a row.



Event Details and Photo via New England Design Hall of Fame

You may have to look beyond function to find out whether you are due for a bathroom update. Here are the signs that it is time to commit to a bathroom remodel.

1. You plan on selling your home: Not only due bathroom improvement projects have one of the highest returns on investments, but it can make or break a potential buyer's decision.

Fall is quickly approaching, which means designers are already looking at what the trends will be for the upcoming year. Sherwin-Williams has released its 2012 Color Forecast with color palette predicting what will be the hottest interior design color trends next year. With the 4 families of neutrals, reds, blues and greens of the Colormix™ 2012 forecast, it looks like interior design will be paying great homage to Mother Nature.

Marble and Granite is thrilled with this forecast because there is nothing that will complement these earthy hues better than natural stone. Contractors, designers and homeowners will find that our selection of granite, marble, soapstone and CaesarStone® will make it easy to meet these earth-inspired interior design trends. Take a look at some of the stones that beautifully suit these four earth-toned color pallets.

Which stone do you think will be the most popular in 2012 kitchen design? How about bathroom design? Tell us your thoughts by posting a comment below!

Marble and Granite recently celebrated the launch of our new line of Sinterlite by TheSize. We are happy to introduce this new ceramic based material that offers durability and several applications. TheSize is a Spanish surface fabricator that just expanded into the United States, and Marble and Granite is proud to now be one of their distributors. The Size is already well known for their high quality porcelain stoneware building products, and now their Sinterlite kitchen and bath slabs are offering innovation, style and functionality that is sure to make TheSize an international leader in the stone industry.

Integrating stone into kitchen design is part of a well-established trend of using natural materials to elegantly bring the outdoors inside the home. Already an ideal material for countertops, backsplashes and floors, stone's durability and natural beauty make it perfect for kitchen sinks as well. A stone sink will add uniqueness that cannot be paralleled since every piece of stone is different. As the largest natural stone wholesaler in New England, Marble and Granite's selection of soapstone, granite and CaesarStone gives designers the freedom to use their creativity in designing a uniquely beautiful and functional sink.



A Soapstone farmhouse-style sink ties in beautifully to countertops while it provides functionality with resistance to heat, stains and etches (photo courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens).



This hand-carved granite apron-front sink adds a one-of-a-kind look to a kitchen design (photo courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens).



This Jerusalem Sand CaesarStone sink creates a  flawless modern look and as a non-porous surface makes for simple cleaning.



Combining two stones such as this solid CaesarStone sink that complements the Wild Rocks CaesarStone countertop makes a sleek yet still natural look.

Visit one of our showrooms in Westwood or Milford to see more of our natural stone selection or contact Marble and Granite at (877) 39-STONE.

Information courtesy of Jenny Nash of HGTV.
Photos courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens.

[caption id="attachment_325" align="alignleft" width="170" caption="Cloud Marble coasters are elegant and understated."][/caption]

Complement your marble floors or counter tops with marble home accents. Artwork and accessories that use marble are an excellent way to create a unified design motif throughout your home.

[caption id="attachment_323" align="alignright" width="163" caption="This vase complements red marble floors beautifully."][/caption]

Coasters: Marble coasters can be displayed on coffee tables and side tables, instantly pulling the color and texture of your marble flooring into the seating area.

Candles: Set the mood with romantic marble candle holders. Candle holders come in a variety of shapes and styles to accommodate a room of any size and design.

Vases: Because of the intricate vein pattern in most marble, we recommend using your marble vase as the center of attention (centerpiece or feature on a bookshelf) instead of storing flowers in it. Why distract from the natural beauty of the stone?

Clock: Marble clocks are a great way to merge beauty and function. There are marble freestanding clocks as well as wall mount varieties. Be mindful when hanging marble clocks. Large clocks will need to be mounted carefully.

Marble designs are a timeless way to add elegance to your home. To get started, contact Marble and Granite , Inc. at 877.39.STONE or visit marbleandgranite.com.

Image Source: Pebblez.com