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Interior Design vocabulary · Materials & Finishes

Natural stone

Meaning in interior design, with examples

/ˌnætʃərəl ˈstəʊn/nounCommon term

In interior design, natural stone means: Stone cut from the earth, such as marble, granite, limestone and travertine, used for floors, worktops, walls and bathrooms; every slab looks slightly different.

In Turkish: doğal taş

How it is used

Designers choose slabs in person and specify the surface (polished, honed, brushed) and the sealing. Porous stones like marble and limestone stain more easily than granite. Engineered stone such as quartz is the man-made alternative. Turkey is a major producer of marble and travertine.

Example sentences

  1. Every slab of natural stone is unique, so we went to the yard to choose the marble ourselves.

  2. Natural stone needs sealing, especially in a busy family kitchen.

Common collocations

  • natural stone flooring
  • polished natural stone
  • seal natural stone
  • natural stone slab
  • worktopThe flat, hard surface on top of kitchen cabinets where food is prepared, made of materials such as quartz, granite, laminate or wood.
  • finishThe final surface of a material, or the material used on a visible surface, such as paint, tiles, wood stain or polished stone; also how that surface looks, for example matt or glossy.
  • sheenHow much light a painted or finished surface reflects, from flat or matt with almost no shine, through eggshell and satin, up to gloss.
  • groutThe paste that fills the joints between tiles and then hardens, keeping water out and holding the tiles in place; also a verb meaning to fill these joints.

More terms: Materials & Finishes

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