French splendor
This grandly proportioned French Provincial home is built using as pure a form of the style as is possible with today's materials
The attention to detail that went into the construction of the house is also evident in the selection of marble and tiles. Gebauer Tile and Marble supplied and installed tiling throughout the house, and also provided the hand-carved limestone fireplace.
Peter Gebauer, president of Gebauer Tile and Marble, says the homeowner loved natural stone.
"She really liked the look and feel of natural stone, so she decided to use it for both the tiling and the fireplace," he says.
The foyer features antique, refined limestone from France. The fireplace design was chosen from an extensive catalogue by the homeowner. Installation was a difficult task due to the immense weight of the stone.
Gebauer says using marble for both tiling and the fireplace created a unified look for the area.
"It's a beautiful foyer, opening to a lovely, curved stairway. This was designed to be grand, and the tiling helps with that. The white tiling flows through from the door to the fireplace, and they complement each other perfectly," he says.
The company also provided the tiling for the basement. The basement floor includes the bar, family room and living room. An antique parrefeuille terra cotta paver was chosen for its warmth of color.
"The color of the tile fitted in with the interior colors the homeowner had chosen, and it made the area very warm and cozy."
The tiling design for the his-and-her showers was created especially for the homeowner. She wanted something a little different for the shower to create a focal point, so they decided on a marble mosaic. The company's designer Kiera Pawlicki says the mosaic evolved from a drawing.
"I started drawing something a little whimsical, and the homeowner liked the pattern. Then we came up with a design we thought would work," she says.
They mixed three types of Carrara marble in the mosaic to create the pattern Pawlicki had drawn.
A cantilevered slab seat rather than a solid seat is used in the shower this means the floor area of the shower is not reduced.
For more information, contact Gebauer Tile and Marble, 28 E Hinsdale Ave, Hinsdale, Illinois, phone (630) 887 8453, fax (630) 887 8465, email: geb8453@aol.com, and Gebauer Stone, 25 East Chicago Avenue, Westmont, Illinois, phone (630) 724 0376.
Story by: Trendsideas
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