Explore
Other Stones
YOUR CHOICES AREN’T SET IN STONE
Rainbow Onyx, Iran
WE LOVE TO GEEK OUT ON GEOLOGY
but you’re probably here to dream about new countertops. The options can feel endless, so before you settle on the usual suspects, we have a few more stones worth knowing.
Our galleries don't carry these materials in the same quantities as our primary stone categories, but unusual slabs have a habit of appearing when you least expect them. Inventory changes often, and our team can help you explore what's currently available.
Travertine
A FEW THOUSAND YEARS LATER, STILL LOOKS GOOD.
Travertine has been shaping architecture for centuries, and somehow it still feels completely at home in contemporary design.
Its warm, earthy palette, subtle texture and naturally occurring movement make travertine slabs particularly beautiful for walls, fireplace surrounds, bathrooms, floors and other architectural features. Vein-cut travertine reveals long, linear layers, while cross-cut stone creates a softer, cloud-like pattern—two very different looks from the same natural material.
Honed, filled or left with more of its original texture, travertine brings something increasingly rare to a new space: the feeling that it has already been there awhile.
Soapstone
PERFECT WAS NEVER REALLY THE POINT.
There is something wonderfully unfussy about natural soapstone. Its deep gray, charcoal and blue-green tones create quiet soapstone countertops that feel equally comfortable in a historic home or a thoroughly modern kitchen.
Soapstone is nonporous and naturally resistant to staining, but its relative softness means scratches and marks will develop with use. Some can be minimized or treated, while others simply become part of the patina.
For the person who wants a kitchen to become more personal— not more pristine—with every dinner, holiday and late-night glass of wine, that may be exactly the point.
Onyx
GO AHEAD. SHOW OFF.
Onyx has absolutely no interest in disappearing into the background. Known for extraordinary color, movement and translucency, natural onyx slabs can transform bars, feature walls, fireplaces, vanities and other statement surfaces into something closer to art.
Many varieties can even be illuminated from behind, allowing light to travel through the stone and reveal details that seem almost hidden when it isn't lit.
Onyx requires more thoughtful placement and care than harder natural stones, so it may not be the answer for every surface in the house.
But then again, you rarely hear the words “unforgettable” and “unassuming” in the same sentence.