17 November, 2023
Timeless Designs That Stand the Test of Time
Much like the “fast fashion” of the clothing industry, mass-market furniture is quickly going by the wayside. There is a clear pivot to handmade, one-of-a-kind pieces that are built to last, and designed to stay relevant. Stone Yard furnishings are recognized for their artful style, unique craftsmanship, and unmatched longevity. Here’s why Stone Yard pieces should be included in your next design project.
Durability: A Core Principle of Sustainable Design
We are in the middle of a sustainable renaissance, where clients are seeking more energy-efficient, eco-friendly products to use in their designs. This “trend” shows no signs of slowing, so we must embrace practices that reduce and eliminate waste and prioritize an eco-friendly lifecycle.
Part of this pivot to earth-friendly designs is the need for pieces that don’t live in one era design-wise. These pieces must also have the longevity to last in any environment. Stone Yard continues to create furnishings that do both. Since being established in 1985, Stone Yard has been proud to find many of our furnishings still gracing hotels and our client’s homes almost 40 years later, and still looking like new.
Stone Yard’s indoor and outdoor furnishings have long been styled in high-traffic and all-weather spaces, where their beauty endures despite harsh conditions. It’s one of the tenets the Stone Yard name was built on: distinctive designs that live in the real world comfortably.
Becoming More Eco-Aware in a World of “Fast Furniture”
Americans trash more than 12 million tons of furniture each year, reflecting a 450% increase since 1960. Why the drastic increase? The advent of “fast furniture” that uses poor-quality materials and hits on fast-moving trends that fade as quickly as they arrive. Cheaply made furnishings aren’t built to last, and this short lifespan is what’s causing our landfills to fill up fast. How can we do better?
One way to decrease the waste in our landfills is to turn to higher-quality furniture—the kind that lasts through the trends, even becoming heirlooms for future generations. This new “slow design” trend prioritizes craftsmanship, quality, and longevity over speed and quantity. It means extending the lifecycle of our furnishings, which means choosing designs and materials carefully. It also means saving money on furnishings that won’t be thrown away in a few years.
Stone Yard collections and individual furnishings include traditional and avant garde—some designs (like our Louis XIV Step-Arch Mantel) take their design cues from historic patterns that are always in style, while others (like our Pascal Table Base) are so sculptural and artistic that they transcend modern design trends. Investing in pieces like these, quality pieces in terms of both design and durability, is our way forward to a more eco-conscious mentality.
Sourcing Quality Materials That Ensure Longevity
All of our unique furnishings are crafted from high-quality materials like GFRC and fiberstone. Both materials are made to look like natural stone or concrete, but are actually a much lighter weight—though just as durable—material.
We’ve carefully chosen materials that are proven to stay flawless in any environment, including those in high-traffic and freezing outdoor areas. And the lighter weight materials mean they are easier to move into place than real stone or concrete, yet they still maintain their stonelike aesthetic.
Hand-tailored cushions and premium fabrics and high-density, dry-fast foam are used to create indoor/outdoor cushions designed for comfort and longevity.
Timeless Beauty: It’s All in the Details
Each of Stone Yard’s hand-molded creations have a timeless quality that transcends the trends of the day. The intricately crafted details of each piece are what makes it standalone. For example:
Our Zaragoza Collection has a distinctive textured pattern that calls back to their original inspiration: the detailed walls of Spanish architecture.
The Coral Collection takes its design inspiration from a natural source: the sea. Smooth yet tactile, the surface brings the rugged beauty of the ocean into your space.
The Bolle Collection is sculptural and contemporary, celebrating the irregular beauty of each surface detail that plays with light and shadow across its cratered surface.
Go Behind the Scenes at Stone Yard
The Stone Yard process is what makes each of our pieces distinctive and long lasting. Clients can choose from any one of our carefully crafted furnishings, request a piece in a custom size, or even work with our team of artisans to design a custom piece that fits their space and design style. Each piece is hand-molded by our artisans in our proprietary casting process, then hand-painted in delicate layers with one of our unique finishes. The individual variations in design, color, and texture are what makes each piece its own, and every design one of a kind.
Check out our gallery of Stone Yard designs, styled in various indoor and outdoor settings.
Learn more about our long-lasting materials and finishes.
Request samples of our unique, artisanal finishes.
Request a quote for one of our designs, or a custom design.