When Sandya Dandamudi was growing up, kitchens were small and countertops were green.
Natural stone on the countertop wasn’t the norm, nor was it even on most people’s radars. Even decades ago, when her mother began importing stone for interior design work, “it was frontier land,” she said.
“Nobody knew what was happening, nobody had an idea what granite was,” Dandamundi said of an earlier time before granite became a widespread obsession in kitchens. “There were no large-scale stone contractors who understood an interior. They all understood lobbies and interior cladding.”
Her mother would go on to develop her import business into a full-fledged stone contractor, GI Stone, that opened in Chicago 30 years ago. Dandamundi now runs the firm, which has a client portfolio that ranges from the Barack Obama Presidential Center, currently under construction, to locally well-known eateries and high-end hotels, such as the Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons.
Today, there’s much more on the market than marble and granite. There are man-made surfaces, such as engineered quartz and proprietary materials like Spanish manufacturer Cosentino’s Dekton and Silestone. It’s unleashing a world of design possibilities, Dandamundi said, and something more homeowners have been taking advantage of.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
What are the home design trends you’re seeing with stone?
Things have changed. People are not interested in resale as much. COVID happened, remote work happened, so people really value their homes and appreciate it. Pinterest happened, so they’re exposed to so much. People are taking a risk.
Everybody is obsessed with fireplaces. Fireplaces have always been a symbol of comfort and of family. We’re seeing two trends: Still keeping the natural stone trend and getting exotic and classic, but intricate with fluted details. Then we’re seeing tall, sleek and clean.
What's behind the trend?
I mentioned fireplaces. Today, you can take a stone and laminate it onto a quartzite. Laminate it onto granite, fiberglass, aluminum backing, and reduce the cost significantly. At the same time, you’re reducing the weight, which means you can hang it. Form has to follow function.
Fireplaces used to be intricately carved, majestic and only in libraries or expensive places. Our machinery can carve stone and make stone lighter.
So now, if I want to do a big, beautiful fireplace with a relative amount of intricacy, it’s probably going to cost the end user about $25,000 to $30,000. However, if we had done this the old-fashioned way with artisans, it would be $100,000.
Where in the kitchen is stone making a big move?
People want intricate things. In their kitchens, people are not embarrassed to have an exotic stone, whereas before, we had Midwest sensibility.
We’re also seeing a lot of stone over the kitchen hood, the same stone as the rest of the kitchen, and also on the back of the island. People are not afraid to experiment with stone. We used to see more farmhouse sinks made of stone, but we’re seeing less of that.
In the kitchen, our biggest trend is quartzite. Most of it comes from Brazil, but they’re harder than marble and don’t look as harsh as granite.
Quartzites are coming in very exotic, beautiful colors, but also some calmer colors. There’s always a steady population that wants marbles.
We’re still seeing engineered stone because it’s a practical, economical choice, and it’s one of the best ways to dress up your kitchen. I think people have more of an appetite for excitement.
We also see a lot of people like integrated device charging. People don’t want to see electrical outlets in their waterfall edge.
Have you noticed movement away from tile in favor of slabs?
We see that a lot. A recent client said they didn’t want any seam lines. We did a whole bathroom with fluted slabs with matching veining.
By far, most of the houses we’re doing use the same stone as the countertop for the backsplash. We’re seeing a lot more of that.
Tile is cheaper, but installation also takes quite a bit of time. Slabs could be more expensive, but installation would be much shorter, offering a cost savings. Depending on the tile, a bathroom using Dekton would be more expensive but not as different in price as most people think.
How do you guide homeowners toward the right type of stone?
I want to know what your favorite things are, how you cook, and what your lifestyle is. But I keep the design choices to the designers. I have people who come to me and want practical, so I suggest engineered quartz, Dekton, porcelain, or some darker-colored granites.
But everything needs a little bit of care. Nothing is indestructible. The easiest care is pH-neutral cleaners.
There are still people who love their marbles, but they also know marbles require extra care. Same with onyx. They know if they put lime juice or orange juice on those materials, it will etch.
What’s a quick tip to homeowners?
If a stone fabricator needs to cut material on-site in your home, ask them to do it outside to help indoor air quality.