stoneCIRCLE

Esquina is a new work by Susanna Heron, situated in the extension to Furness Lodge, Emmanuel College, Cambridge.

Susanna was commissioned to make the work by Stanton Williams, the site architects who allowed her to select the position from among several on the site.  She chose the external corner of the lodge as the sun traverses the area catching both faces, allowing her to create a shallow relief providing a light sensitive surface that is continually changing.  This is one in a series of drawings carved in stone in negative relief that Susanna has been creating for over 30 years, and she is fascinated by the interplay of light and shadow, especially when making a site specific work.

stoneCIRCLE has worked with Susanna on 3 other commissions, and Steve Vanhinsbergh, director of the company, states, “We enjoy doing Susanna’s work because it’s unique, and we work very closely with her; she is very involved with the team.” 

Esquina, which means outside corner in Spanish and Portuguese, is roughly 2300mm long by 1700mm high and is made from Ancaster Hard White, a British limestone from Lincolnshire in 100mm thick blocks with the base stones in Cadeby, another British limestone.  The process which she oversaw at all stages, involved taking Susanna’s 2D file with a list of depths that the stone has to be cut to.  The work was then carved on the Omag machine before being taken to have the sharp corners chiselled very carefully by hand.  It was then installed by stoneCIRCLE with 3mm joints.

Susanna gave a speech about the inspiration behind the work which can be viewed on her site and Ross Harrison has also made a video about the work (Youtube)

Carved for the City of London Police & Law Courts

The 45,785 sqm Salisbury Square development on Fleet Street will house the City of London Police Headquarters and the City of London Law Courts. The latter will have 18 courtrooms combining magistrates, civil and crown courts in one flagship facility. Construction will not be complete for another five years, but the foundation stones, which were carved by stoneCIRCLE, were unveiled in a ceremony recently.
 

Szerelmey and Eric Parry Architects commissioned us to carve two foundation stones: one for the City of London Law Courts and one for the Police Headquarters in Zimbabwe Black granite. Each was 150mm thick x 2.1m high x 1.5m wide and weighed in at over 1300kg.  

 

The turbulent state of UK politics meant we had to reface and recut the inscriptions before the then Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Brandon Lewis, unveiled them in a ceremony on 18th October 2022.  

The stones were delivered to the site for the unveiling and then returned to us to be stored for five years until they can be incorporated into the finished buildings.

a Carrara marble tasting table

This impressive wine-tasting table was a commission from a client for his private residence, where it is situated in his wine cellar.

It was carved from a single block of Carrara 1.2m x 0.9m x 0.9m weighing just under 3000kg, using 3D files supplied by the client’s designer.    We used our Litox 5 axes saw and then our Omag 5 axes machine to cut and then carve the initial shape, and then used abrasives to produce a honed finish by hand in our workshop.

We then applied a special anti-stain coating to prevent the marble from being stained or acid etched by any carelessly spilled wine before delivering it to the client for installation in his cellar.

marble and terrazzo floors for Scandinavian design

Studio Franzén has just opened on the top floor of Harrods.  The latest restaurant in the chain run by Björn Frantzén serves his signature Nordic food influenced by Asian and French cuisine, and the restaurant décor also reflects this with a luxurious re-interpretation of Scandinavian design.

Square lattice work on marquetry used for the furniture is echoed on the floors, where a geometric grid of terrazzo has been inlaid with Verde Antigua marble in some areas and Rosso Barocco marble in others.  In all stoneCIRCLE cut 15000 squares out of the terrazzo and inserted 15000 marble inserts, before grinding the surface to a honed finish, and sending them to site to be installed by the contractor.

The company also fabricated the vanities for the restaurant washroom in Rosso Barocco.

monochromatic stone provides the perfect backdrop for fashion colours

Harrods, the iconic London department store, known for its luxurious merchandise and elegant aesthetic is currently refurbishing the whole store.  We have been working with them for the last six years providing the stone for the transformation.

Monochromatic stone was chosen for the menswear department.  This choice of material is not only visually striking but also a clever way to accommodate the ever-changing colours of fashion.

The use of monochromatic stone, particularly the distinctive Bianco Carrara, Nero Marquina and Bardiglio marble, gives Harrods a timeless look that is both classic and modern. The neutral tones of the stone blend seamlessly with the surrounding architecture, providing a harmonious backdrop for the store's merchandise.

But the benefits of using monochromatic stone go beyond just aesthetics. The uniformity of the stone allows for greater flexibility in the store's design, providing a blank canvas for Harrods creative team to display their products in a variety of ways. This means that Harrods can adapt to changing fashion trends without the need for constant renovation.

The use of monochromatic stone also creates a neutral environment that allows fashion colours to truly stand out. With the ability to switch up the colours and textures of merchandise with ease, Harrods can create a visually stunning shopping experience that is unique every time a customer visits.

To better appreciate how monochromatic stone perfectly matches the shop’s layout and displays, we have produced a walkthrough video across Harrods Menswear department.

Harrods has consolidated its menswear department from smaller areas on 3 separate floors to the whole of the second floor, as part of its wider refurbishment project.  The move has been overseen by Simon Longland, the head of menswear for the store and David Collins Studio who designed the entire floor with one over-arching concept to create consistency throughout the different rooms.

The design used an art deco theme inspired by the traditional feel of men’s tailoring.  Carrara and Bardiglio marbles were used in a chequerboard with a Nero Marquina border throughout the department for the walkway floors.  Elsewhere the same marbles were combined in differing geometric formations, with Katuba Sodalite adding a touch of blue on occasion.

stoneCIRCLE supplied and installed the marble for the refit which took place in 4 stages: the first was Men’s Footwear.  Here Bardiglio was used to create columns for the shoes to rest on, sometimes combined with bands of Carrara with Nero Marquina detailing. 

The next two stages were both part of the Mens Contemporary area.  Concentric and exocentric squares formed of Bardiglo, Carrara and Nero Marquina were used in some areas, and Katuba Sodalite substituted for the Bardiglio in the others.  The walls were panelled with Nero Marquina, with the addition of Bardiglio in polished, scratched and sandblasted finishes.

The final stage was Men’s Outdoor.  Here the panels on the floor were square inserts of Nero Marquina and Bardiglio into Carrara marble.  Nero Marquina was used for the wall panels.

stoneCIRCLE also supplied and installed the marble for the new Hermes boutique.  The floor was created using Namibian White in the centre with parallel strips of Thassos running width-wise and Brown Stone marble at the sides of the corridors.  Brown Stone was also used on the walls as skirting and edging for some display panels.  Selected areas of the walls and some plinths were clad in Tarahumara marble panels. 

All materials were sourced in Italy during visits by the client team and Steve Vanhinsbergh, one of stoneCIRCLE’s directors.  stoneCIRCLE made full use of their Slabsmith photo station, photographing the marble for the walls, columns and counters and then matching the veins to produce the very best results.

Project details

Client: Harrods

Designer (Menswear): David Collins Studio

Contractor

Mens Contemporary Designer Collections Phase 1: Jaysam

Mens Shoes: TC&D

Mens Contemporary Designer Collections Phase 2: TC&D

Hermes: TC&D

Mens Outdoor: Clements Retail Ltd.

Stone Contractor: stoneCIRCLE

This extension to Harrods Shoe Heaven continues the themes of the department which originally  opened in 2014 with 42000 square feet of space dedicated to shoes.  It is also a continuation of stoneCIRCLE’s work on the refurbishment of this prestigious retail store.  The company was commissioned by Jaysam for this phase of the ongoing project.  All fabrication was carried out in the Basingstoke workshop.

Crema Martel was used on the floors with Grigio Stardust inlaid in interlocking geometric patterns with Nero Marquina borders.  The floor joints are resin filled and the whole floor was ground to a honed finished after installation.

The walls are clad with vein-cut Silver Travertine tiles, and fitted with Nero Marquina plinths.  The columns are also clad with Silver Travertine and finished with delicate Nero Marquina detailing to match the existing ones in the original department. 

Project details

Client: Harrods

Architect: Woods Hardwick

Contractor: Jaysam Contractors Ltd

This exclusive Mayfair residence was completely revamped by Wolff Architects to provide 5 separate apartments, with a blend of traditional and contemporary styles in sympathy with the heritage of the area in which the building is set, and including the generous use of natural stone, the fabrication and installation of which were carried out by the stoneCIRCLE team.

The dolce vita

The entrance hall floors were covered in panels of Dolcevita marble with inlaid brass and Volakas marble detailing, and framed with Volakas marble.  The same white Grecian marble was installed to the walls.  The theme was repeated elsewhere with Tundra Grey replacing the Dolcevita for a subtler contrast.

The staircases in the duplex apartments feature Grigio G steps, risers and strings with Volakas floors framed with Grigio G.   The same white marble was used for a television console top and the drawers were also faced with it.

The master bathrooms were in book-matched Calacatta Oro and featured carved chevron detailing on the vanity top aprons and dado rails.  Some of the en-suite bathrooms were clad in book-matched Bianco Lasa di Covelano quartzite, whilst others featured contrasting Volakas and Dolcevita marble.

Kitchen worksurfaces were in Silestone Calacatta Gold.

Project details

Architect: Wolff Architects

Contractor: Jaysam Contractors Ltd

Designer: Lara Gabrielle Interiors

This stunning property in Windlesham Surrey showcases the extensive use of stone within a private residence.  We worked closely with the interior designer and owner to bring together their vision of a house in which stone is used as one of the main materials throughout the ground floor and beyond, working with both natural marble and engineered stones such as quartz composite, sintered stone and porcelain slab.

The property has a double height atrium, with a curved staircase leading to an open gallery on the first floor landing.  The hall floor is covered in light-coloured 9mm thick porcelain slabs, cut on the curve with an inlaid strip of stainless steel in a spiral pattern, that echoes the line of the staircase and the gallery above and the stainless steel bannisters and railings.  We used our water jet machines for the fabrication allowing both stone and metal to be cut to the precise dimensions necessary. 

CRL Verona quartz has been used on the staircase - here we used 30mm treads with a bullnose profile and 20mm for the risers. On the gallery and landing area the same stone was used, with 30mm slabs rebated by 10mm making them look substantial whilst keeping the floor levels at 20mm.  This area required large amounts of waterjet cutting to enable the slabs to fit the curved space.

The porcelain slabs continue throughout the west wing in the kitchen and family snug, indoor pool and gym, giving an airy spaciousness to this part of the house.

The kitchen features Caesarstone Calacatta Nuvo worktops.  The large island has mobile charging stations built in to the surface, in addition to the hob, and the family snug has a Savannah marble fireplace. 

In the gym, the shower room was created with Calacatta marble which was installed to the walls, floors, and vanity unit, with book-matched cladding on the walls of the walk-in shower.

The east wing of the house has a softer feel with wooden herringbone flooring used in the broken-plan dining and living room, whilst stone is used as a highlight for key features, such as the wall clad in Neolith Iron Moss that separates the two areas.  12mm thick slabs of the sintered stone were used for this partition which includes a double-sided fireplace in a large central aperture.

The living room also contains a bar area, the tops of which have been produced in CRL Verona quartz.

Elsewhere Silver Light marble has been used for the staircase descending to the basement area, where the same stone has been used on the counter tops and floors in the kitchen and utility rooms. The staircase treads were cut from 30mm slab and the risers were 20mm thick.

Fabrication and installation of all of the stone were carried out by the stoneCIRCLE team.

1508 London were chosen as the designers for the renovation of Jumeirah London, The Carlton Tower, the group’s European flagship hotel.  The £100 million project used the designers’ experience of working in private residences to create a true feeling of being a “home from home”, using exquisite materials and fine craftsmanship for a sense of refined luxury.

stoneCIRCLE fabricated and installed marble and porcelain throughout the public areas of the hotel, with attention to the finer details of the final appearance always uppermost in the team’s minds.

The entrance hall features an oval domed recess in the ceiling, which has been precisely mirrored on the floor with an inlaid pattern of Calacatta and Moon Cream marbles, bordered with bronze.  The stone was cut on the company’s waterjet machines, bonded and glued at the factory, using matching epoxy resin to render the joins invisible, and laid in large sections on site.  Calacatta forms the rest of the floor and skirting with a rebated polished edge, with Moon Cream borders edged with bronze on the steps.  

Calacatta was also used as cladding on the reveals and soffits of the entrances through to adjacent rooms and architraves and rebated panels of the lift surrounds.  The reception and concierge desks were also in the same material, vein matched with inlaid bronze detailing.

The public washrooms on the ground floor were clad in vein matched Cremo Delicato marble with the same marble on the floor.  The vanity tops in the Ladies were fabricated in Cremo Delicato and fluting was carved into the front aprons.

Also on the ground floor, the bar area was fitted with Irish Green marble to the bar top and front, as well as the shelf area behind.  Next to this is a fire surround in Fior di Bosco marble. 

Nearby is a patisserie unit fabricated by the company in Calacatta with bronze inlay.  The marble has been fluted and wrapped in one piece round the curved ends of the unit with a fluted apron at the base of the unit on both of the long sides.  The marble is vein matched throughout and can be opened to allow access to the refrigeration unit within.

The main staircase which rises from the ground floor was clad with Fior di Bosco marble risers, treads and skirting with a bullnose edge. 

On the second floor, 600 x 600 mm porcelain floor tiles were installed throughout the reception and pool area, his and her steam rooms, saunas and treatment rooms. 

Botticino Classico marble was used for the wall cladding and benches in the steam rooms and saunas, and for the pool changing rooms, and this was teamed with Ivory Onyx for the treatment room vanities.

The reception desk in Ivory Onyx took painstaking work to ensure that the veins matched exactly across the whole piece, including the drawers and doors which have been faced in the same material: a testament to the quality of stoneCIRCLE’s workmanship.

The pool itself had feature walls and hot tub clad in Silver Travertine.  The travertine was vein-matched across the whole width of the installation to stunning effect.

The steps leading up to the raised relaxation area above the pool were covered in the same porcelain tiles as the rest of the floor with a darker quartz anti-slip feature.

Tundra Grey marble with inlaid bronze was the main material used for the stonework in the Peak Fitness club on the ninth and tenth floors, and this was used for the walkway leading to the entrance and the reception desk of the Fitness club as well as some floors inside.  The treatment rooms and washrooms all had Tundra Grey vanities and wall cladding with porcelain floors.  The only exceptions to this were the steam room and sauna which had sandblasted Botticino Classico wall cladding and benches.

Caesarstone Calacatta quartz was also used for window sills in the corridors and a buffet top in the restaurant on the 10^th Floor.

Jeff Vanhinsbergh, director at stoneCIRCLE, commented that “it is always a pleasure to work on a prestigious London hotel, as it means that our work is going to be seen and appreciated by many people.”

The Library and Study Centre at St John’s College Oxford has won the New Build Modern Style Stone Cladding category in the Stone Federation’s Natural Stone Awards. 

Wright & Wright Architects was in charge of the project, and Szerelmey was the stone contractor.  The centrepiece of the project was an artwork by Susanna Heron, who turned to stoneCIRCLE with whom she had previously worked to help manufacture the piece.

The artwork, called Stone Drawing, is a shallow carved stone relief in Clipsham limestone, the same stone used in the old university buildings of Oxford, sourced from Stamford Stone who are the sole suppliers of Clipsham stone. The work is situated on both external and internal faces of the west side of a new Library and Study centre for St John’s College Oxford and was completed in 2018. The original 17th century St John’s College library is housed within Canterbury Quadrangle, one of the greatest Baroque architectural quadrangles in Oxford and the Study Centre adjoins it.

The carved external wall is 6 metres high and 17.4 metres long and is comprised of three overlapping sections, which are stepped and separated by windows in the reveals. For the exterior relief Susanna Heron took into consideration the way that rain might be directed over the relief, with the idea that weathering would gradually adapt the line of the carving over a long period of time. This consideration created a drawing of water-flow and light. Further reflections are to be seen in the pool of water at its base which will reflect the carving and throw light up the wall and into the interior.

The carved stone relief on the interior walls of the library is more shallow and a mirror image to the exterior. It measures the same 17.4 metres length but with a reduced height of 3.7 metres. 

Everyone at stoneCIRCLE is delighted to have been able to collaborate with Susanna Heron, Wright & Wright Architects and Szerelmey on the award-winning project.

More details are available on the stoneCIRCLE site.

Course and Flow, a work by Rachael Champion was commissioned by St William Property Developers and Dallas-Pierce-Quintero, the architects working with them on the Hornsey Park Clarendon development in the Haringey Heartlands Regeneration scheme.

The piece was fabricated by stoneCIRCLE from a 4 ton block of Mandale Derbyshire Fossil limestone; the largest that was available at the time.  Champion was inspired by the Moselle Brook, a hidden stream that flows through the borough of Haringey, and created a topographical map with the river delineated in blue resin.  Words, phrases, and places relating to the Moselle and its route were carved into the block’s surface creating a feeling of its social history and the context in which it exists. 

The artist is interested in the juxtaposition of nature and the built environment:  she deliberately left the bore holes from the quarry and the registration marks from the CNC machinery visible in the finished work.  The sides of the block were also left untouched to provide a seating area for residents and visitors, and to highlight the physical transformation that the stone has undergone.

It took stoneCIRCLE 3 weeks to complete the work which spent a week being carved on the 5-axis machine before being transferred to the workshop for the designs and inscriptions to be carved, and the river channel to be filled with blue epoxy resin.

To make it easier to transport the underside was milled out, making the weight of the finished piece approximately 2500 kg.  Its finished dimensions are 65 cm x 110 cm x 265 cm.  It was craned into place and inaugurated by the Mayor of Haringey at a ceremony in October 2020.

On 18^th August 2020, stoneCIRCLE welcomed the Minister for Trade, Ranil Jayawardena who is also the local MP for North East Hampshire where the company is situated.  He was accompanied by Tristan Robinson, the local councillor for the area. 

Steve Vanhinsbergh, one of two brothers who run stoneCIRCLE, and his team spent an enjoyable hour showing him around and discussing the challenges of doing business in the current climate with both Covid-19 and Brexit complicating matters.

The photo shows them inspecting a sodalite slab from Brazil which is destined for use in a prestigious retail project in Covent Garden, London.  The visitors also saw some work in progress for retail, hotel, domestic and artistic projects currently being fabricated in the workshops.

stoneCIRCLE is a Basingstoke-based stonemasonry business which has been fabricating stone for both domestic and commercial use for over 50 years, since the company was founded in 1968 by the current owners’ father.  It has grown to be one of the largest stone fabricators in England, supplying architects, contractors, designers and kitchen and bathroom showrooms.

stoneCIRCLE has just restarted its templating and installation services after temporarily pausing them during the coronavirus lockdown.  All staff are observing social distancing and government guidelines in order to keep themselves and clients safe.  If you wish to book a templating visit, please contact them.

Following the commission to supply and install a marble staircase for the Fine Watch Room for which they were highly commended in the Natural Stone Awards, stoneCIRCLE was asked to work on the refitting of the Harrods' Beauty Hall project.

The designers, G.A. Group's intention was to create a modern interpretation of a "Great House" or stately home 'from a bygone era where service was personal and every need was catered for; to provide a sanctuary to escape from the stresses and pace of city life, a haven for pleasure and relaxation.'  And in order to achieve this they made great use of luxurious marbles throughout the space.

The work was carried out in 2 phases.  In the first which was opened in June 2019, stoneCIRCLE installed Golden Spider, Aramis White, Giallo Siena, Rosa Portugallo and Carrara marble floors.  On sections of the floor around the columns, Golden Spider and Giallo Sienna marble have been laid in an acanthus pattern, cut on the waterjet machine, to mimic the acanthus motif on the columns.  The walls were clad in Calacatta Lincoln and the columns in Travertine.  The company also made pieces of furniture and counters in White Estremoz and Rosa Tea marbles and White Onyx.

A grand staircase linking the hall to the Beauty Services Suite below is resplendent in Golden Spider marble tread risers and curved string course.

The second phase was the White Hall which was completed in autumn 2019.  Here stoneCIRCLE installed approx. 900m² of terrazzo flooring in white, beige and grey with brass trim.  They also made counters in Breccia Capraia marble, and Calacatta Lincoln marble wall cladding for the walls and 12 columns.

All materials were sourced in Italy during visits by the client team and Steve Vanhinsbergh, one of stoneCIRCLE’s directors.  stoneCIRCLE made full use of their Slabsmith photo station, photographing the marble for the walls, columns and counters and then matching the veins to produce the very best results.

stoneCIRCLE has made a further investment in its Basingstoke plant with the delivery of a Comandulli Speedy System machine for creating the edge profiles on the worktops that it fabricates.  This follows the recent acquisitions of a Techni 5 axis waterjet cutter earlier in 2019 and an Omag 5 axis machine in 2017. 

The company is committed to investing in the best technology to enable it to fabricate stone quickly and accurately, allowing it to offer its customers excellent quality and service.

Samantha Thornton was commissioned to convert one of her existing stone sculptures, the Diver in Ancaster Weatherbed into a larger version for a client.  The Wiltshire-based sculptor approached stoneCIRCLE to produce the reproduction.  The company used their large Omag 5-Axis machine to carve a 1600kg block of Jordans Basebed Portland stone.  The CNC technology meant that they could manufacture the sculpture directly from a 3D polystyrene model that Samantha Thornton had provided.

The final sculpture measured 123cm high x 102cm long and weighed 850kg.  It was fitted onto a 1200kg black Irish Kilkenny Fossil marble base 810mm x 810mm x 650mm high before being shipped to France where it is now installed in the grounds of a chateau in the Loire valley.

St John’s College Oxford appointed Susanna Heron to prepare a work of art for a new Library and Study Centre at St John’s College with Wright & Wright Architects.  She turned to stoneCIRCLE with whom she had previously worked to help manufacture the piece.

The resulting artwork, called Stone Drawing, is a shallow carved stone relief in Clipsham limestone, the same stone used in the old university buildings of Oxford, sourced from Stamford Stone who are the sole suppliers of Clipsham stone. The work is situated on both external and internal faces of the west side of a new Library and Study centre for St John’s College Oxford and was completed in 2018. The original 17th century St John’s College library is housed within Canterbury Quadrangle, one of the greatest architectural quadrangles in Oxford and the Study Centre adjoins it.

The carved external wall is 6 metres high and 17.4 metres long and is comprised of three overlapping sections, which are stepped and separated by windows in the reveals. For the exterior relief she took into consideration the way that rain might be directed over the relief, with the idea that weathering would gradually adapt the line of the carving over a long period of time. This consideration created a drawing of water-flow and light. Further reflections are to be seen in the pool of water at its base which will reflect the carving and throw light up the wall and into the interior.

The carved stone relief on the interior walls of the library is more shallow and a mirror image to the exterior. It measures the same 17.4 metres length but with a reduced height of 3.7 metres. 

stoneCIRCLE's work for the Harrods Fine Watch Room was highly commended at the Natural Stone Awards 2018.

Rundell Associates were the architects tasked with refurbishing the Fine Watch Sales area in Harrods, Knightsbridge and choose to work with stoneCIRCLE for the stone fabrication involved.  The project was to manufacture and install curved quarter book matched marble panels to the walls and solid marble treads to create a new staircase positioned in an elliptical opening in the floor which links the two areas of the Fine Watch Room.  stoneCIRCLE also fabricated walnut travertine back panels to the display cases on the wall.

A single block of Cipollino Cremo Tirreno marble was selected in Italy by Mike Rundell, designer and founder of Rundell Associates and sourced through McMamilloyd of Great Bedwyn for the walls.  Crema Marfil was selected in Spain for the stair treads, apron nosings and floors.

The slabs needed to be sawn to different sizes to allow for the panels to curve round the walls of the elipse.  The walls and stairs were modelled in 3D by stoneCIRCLE to ensure that these sizes were correctly calculated.  From the modelling a cutting schedule detailing the thicknesses and sequence of each slab from the block was sent to Italy so that the block could be sawn. The slabs used at each end of the ellipse were thicker to allow for the tighter curves.

Once the slabs were in the company’s Basingstoke factory they were photographed on the Slabsmith photo station and rendered so that the book matching could be worked out. This was then approved by both the client and architect, before the slabs were cut and shaped on the CNC saws ready to be honed by hand.

The approximate weight of the finished wall panels was 240 kg each and the individual treads were roughly 275 kg, so for installation a ceiling scaffold had to be in place from which was suspended a gantry crane and a chain block hoist.

The walls and tread supports were built by Jaysam in metsec to a drawing agreed with stoneCIRCLE. The walls were of 18mm ply covered by 12mm Wedi board.  The original time allowed for the installation was 4 weeks but the company was told that the scaffold and gantry were coming down and had to speed up the installation to have all of the treads and wall panels in place in 2 weeks.  The panels were adhesive bonded to the Wedi board and mechanically fixed with stainless steel L brackets and pins.

Mike Rundell said "The sweeping staircase is a significant new architectural feature that we hope will be enjoyed by customers for years to come".

The RIBA Stirling Prize for Architecture has been awarded to Foster + Partners Bloomberg space in the City of London.  PAYE was the stone contractor for the building and they commissioned stoneCIRCLE  to work on the granite panels for the reconstructed Temple of Mithras in the building's basement.

stoneCIRCLE carved lettering and a representation of the ancient walls as the timeline of the streetlevel at different depths as you descent the stairs to the Temple.

More details and architectural plans can be found on the Bloomsberg case study.

When the Mandrake opened in London's Fitzrovia last year, the opulent interior of the boutique hotel made great use of natural stone which had been fabricated and installed by stoneCIRCLE.

The Penthouse has a sumptuous bedroom with bookmatched Greylac marble used on the floor and continuing over the bed pedestal and seating platform and then up the TV wall and headboard.  The top of the dining table was also in the same marble.   The bathing facilities, where polished Mystery White was used throughout for cladding, vanity unit and skirting, include a steam room, dual shower rooms, private and guest toilets and a spacious Jacuzzi under a retractable roof.

The Mandrake Suite featured polished bookmatched Black Wave on the floor and vanity unit which were teamed with copper taps and basins to striking effect.

In all 16 different marbles and granites were used in the guest bathrooms, bars and washrooms as well as the lift floors.  The public washrooms in the basement made use of Nero Marquina in the Gents and Mystery White in the Ladies.  Both of these were combined in a dramatic geometric design on the walls and floor of the shared hand wash area and the design was continued in polished Neolith Estatuario and Nero San Marcos in a leather finish for the basin pedestal.

Steve Vanhinsbergh and Barry Woodley from stoneCIRCLE recently spent 5 days at the Hamilton Princess Hotel & Beach Club in Bermuda installing the latest Julian Opie art installation in the hotel's marina. stoneCIRCLE has previously worked for Opie and were asked to fabricate the Antalya Cream limestone and patinated bronze frieze which featured Opie's trademark lifesize figures at the factory in Basingstoke.

Millgate has created an elegant four-storey apartment building accessed via a gated private driveway in the Knowle Hill Park development, set in 45 acres of parkland in Cobham, Surrey.   The stunning main double staircase is made from Calacatta marble, and was manufactured and installed by stoneCIRCLE.

stoneCIRCLE manufactured and supplied the stone for the founder of Ultimo, Michelle Mone's new home on the Isle of Man. Mone has just launched an interior design company and started with her new multi-million pound house as her debut project.

The luxurious spa is fitted out with Crema Grey Light marble throughout the entrance hall, treatment and changing rooms, pool area and stairs with a corridor floored with Nero Marquina marble.

In the main house the hall, kitchen, utility rooms and bar floors and the staircase were also Crema Grey Light, which featured again in three en-suite bathrooms as shower trays and floors. Perlino Bianco, Savanna Grey, Savanna Brown, Rasotina, Perlato Olympo, Celestial Brown, Botticino Fiorita, Narcisse , Pietra Grigio limestone, Tundra and Matrix granites were all used for feature walls, floors, shower trays, vanity tops etc in 6 of hte ensuites. And the master ensuite featured gorgeous Monaco brown marble vanity tops, feature walls, floor and shower tray and a Noir St Laurent wall in the toilet area. The kitchen splashback was a stunning panel of bookmatched Diano Marble.

The 2 bathrooms in the lodge was also fitted out with Argent marble. Fume Emperador limestone and Silver Galaxy granite.

In a quote in the Mail, Michelle says "her signature is to deliver British inspired elegance, with a twist of contemporary design and functionality that is created from the highest quality materials and craftsmanship". An apt reflection on stoneCIRCLE's standards of work.

She invited both the Mail on line and Hello magazine to view the house as well as posting videos on Instagram.

Due to upcoming projects we need to clear space in our yard. For this reason we are offering part slabs and offcuts free of charge on a first come first served basis when we fabricate the stone.  Our manufacturing charges will still apply but now is the time to pick up a real bargain!

Visit the yard in Basingstoke where our staff will be happy to assist you. 

There are also some full size slabs available at reduced prices - ask for more details!