Beautiful design element: cabochons

After my recent post on stone floors in entries, several of my readers commented that the floors I posted did not seem like ‘me’ – most of them the pictures contained floors that are large scale black and white, high contrast and graphic. Truthfully, I wasn’t really planning on including so many pictures of large scale black and white tiles in my post, but the inspirational picture of Windsor Smith’s entry caused me to go down that path.

So, what is more ‘me’? I love the look of a subtle tone on tone, or a stone floor made up of one material, and I also love the look of a floor with a small contrasting stone worked into the pattern here and there. When I heard my architect and designer mentioning the possibility of ‘cabochons’ in the floor of the entry, I immediately had the feeling that they were talking about those cut diamond or square shape tile insets that I like so much.

Several years ago, when I renovated my master bathroom, I knew that I wanted to use cabochons in the stone design (even though I did not know what they were called!). A friend who is a designer suggested that instead of putting the pattern on the floor, I put it on the walls of the shower. I renovated my bathroom over 6 years ago, and not a day goes by when I don’t admire the pattern in the shower.

A floor with cabochons (cabochon pattern?) is a timeless look, and strikes me as very French; the classic French design uses limestone inset with black marble cabochons. Image via Trouvais - Art and Decoration January ’10.

A stone floor with cabochons is more of a formal design, so it is often reserved for places that are elegant and special, like a foyer. I saved this image many years ago, from an old Atlanta real estate listing, with interiors by Henrietta Spencer Churchill. The beauty of the floor and the elegance of the railing really captured my eye.

In a space like this, the orientation of the cabochon really takes the eye to the distance in both directions. Image via Robert Stern.

The orientation of the cabochon is a specific design decision. In this foyer, with architecture by Steve Giannetti and interiors by Brooke Giannetti, the cabochon is placed to emphasize the square, and makes a nice contrast to the diamond shape of the larger tile.

In one of my favorite images of an entry with cabochons in the design, Mary Douglas Drysdale effectively breaks up this large expanse with the small dark tiles, which grounds the space and makes the dark accents repeated in the chairs and table even more effective. The cabochons are placed on every other intersection, which is a design that I prefer as it makes the cabochon element more subtle.

This beautiful entry treats the section with cabochons like its own rug, with a dark tile border to define the space. Image via Cote de Texas.

Another beautiful entry with a similar treatment, seen recently on Belgian Pearls.

One of my favorite dining room pictures has a stone floor with cabochons.

Here is a striking dining room, with an interesting twist on the classic black and white pattern – this time, the cabochons are white. I like how the scale of the cabochons are larger, showing that it is possible to shake up this classic pattern with interesting plays of scale and form. Image via Belgian Pearls.

Another play on scale with larger cabochons. This floor looks particularly beautiful in combination with the stone stairs.

It’s interesting how many of my favorite entry images have cabochons in their floor design. This floor also appears to have the area with the cabochons defined with a border of tile, creating a rug like space.

This home, with its stone floor with cabochons, mellow oak floors upstairs, iron railing, and beautiful lantern, combines many design elements that I appreciate. I think the reflection of the floor in the mirror above the mantle is beautiful.

This picture, from an Atlanta real estate listing a few years ago, has a beautiful stone entry with cabochons as the predominant design feature. The darkness of the cabochons look great with the dark stain of the floor and door.

Here is a close up of the floor, which I was able to see before the house sold. What appeared to be larger tiles are actually small, and the cabochons alternate between dark and light. It is quite a striking pattern! I am also realizing that I am a fan of the cabochon set to emphasize the diamond shape.

Although I love the look of contrast in a stone floor with cabochons, I also appreciate the more subtle tone on tone look that is often achieved using limestone and a slightly darker (but not black) stone. The scale and proportion of the large and small tiles in the floor pictured above are perfect – and I really like this particular pattern – every other axis has cabochons, which provides visual interest but prevents the pattern from overwhelming.

Another great tone on tone example of a cabochon design in a stone floor, from a house that was in the final stages of construction. I love the scale of the cabochon – it provides just the right delicate touch. Architecture by Rodolfo Castro.

Upon first glance, this floor appears to be solid stone. However, when you look closely, you will see that there are cabochons in the same material as the stone of the floor, which creates a beautiful and subtle pattern.

Here is a close up of the floor. This is one of the prettiest guest bathroom floors I have ever seen, and the subtlety of the pattern has great appeal to me.

So, what do you think - are you a fan of cabochons, or are they too traditional for you? Do you like them to emphasize the square or the diamond? There is no question that floors with cabochons are more of a formal design element, and would not go in every decor scheme. However, they have great appeal to the side of me that likes the more elegant feel in a home.

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Stone floors in entries

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From the moment my architect first started sketching the new house, we agreed that the entry would have a stone floor. I have never really given much thought to the floor material of entries, but it seemed like the right fit for the house. Recently, I decided to do some research and find good pictures of entries with stone, and I realized that most of the pictures in my files seem to have wood floors in the entries. I am not sure why this is the case; perhaps it is because a stone entry works best when the foyer is defined as its own room (or when the floor of most of the house is in stone), and so many entries in houses these days seem to be open to the other spaces in the house.

I asked my architect about stone floors in entries, and he noted that in previous times, it was probably very practical to have stone in the entry as it offered more durability when a visitor was coming in from the rain or snow. Now, it is more of a personal preference, although he said that there are some styles of houses where a stone entry would be out of place.

This is one of my favorite pictures of a stone entry, from the house of Windsor Smith (featured in House Beautiful). Windsor calls this her ‘David Adler’ foyer, and it is crafted with statuary marble and Bateig Blue limestone.

I love the soft and aged look of the blue limestone; it is a new take on the classic black and white marble entry.

For a classic black and white marble entry, it doesn’t get much better than the Swan House, a Philip Shutze masterpiece designed in 1928; this house is a museum now (and one of the great architectural gems of Atlanta). I had the opportunity to tour three privately owned Shutze designed houses this spring, and two of the three had marble entries. (Source)

A more recent interpretation of the classic marble entry, with interiors by Suzanne Kasler.

This beautiful entry, with a large scale original painting by Todd Murphy, provides a great contrast between the classic and the contemporary.

I am not sure where I got this image, but I saw it with new eyes while working on this post – the scale of the marble tiles is quite large and dramatic. Interiors by Suellen Gregory.

Another striking interpretation of the classic black and white stone entry.

I also appreciate a stone entry that has a bit of flair to it.

This beautiful compass style floor is in a classic Atlanta estate (which is on the market) that was renovated by Neel Reid in the 1920s. Photo credit (this picture and the one previous): Blayne Beacham.

Although this space is actually in the back section of Mrs. Howard, a store in Atlanta, it is designed to feel like an entrance. The Howards always have the most beautiful floors in their spaces, and this is no exception.

In the entry of Suzanne Kasler’s previous home, this charming vignette looks wonderful on the foundation of a polished marble floor.

A stone floor in the entry doesn’t always have to make a formal statement. Take this house, with interiors by Bunny Williams (via Style Chronicle). The ancient look of the stone really relaxes the formality of the space.

Much of designer Jill Sharp’s home (as seen in House Beautiful in January) has natural oak floors, but the entry features reclaimed French limestone, which sets the tone for the rustic elegance of the house. Photo credit: Simon Upton.

I imagine this space as more of a side entry, but it could be the main entry for a relaxed and casual home. The stone in this space is more casual looking; somehow, the running bond pattern seems to reinforce the less formal feel. Architecture by Mark Finlay, photo credit Erik Kvalsvik.

Although a herringbone pattern can be quite formal, there is something about the pattern and materials in this entry that set a slightly less formal feel to this house.

Finally, I saved my favorite for last. This picture is from a real estate listing from several years ago, and I think it is a beautiful and dramatic entry. The stone part is set in an oval shape which emphasizes and reinforces the oval shape of the space.

We are still working on the specific materials and design for the entry of my new house; more than likely it will be limestone, and perhaps a tone on tone pattern with two different kinds of stone. The entry is a defined space, and the stone will help establish it as a special part of the house.

Do you see many stone entries where you live? Now that they are on my radar, I always notice them when looking through magazines and real estate listings.

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