Custom Architectural Stone Projects
A Note About the Projects Shown
The World of Stone has supplied material and custom fabrication for projects ranging from private residences to hospitality and commercial installations. Many of these projects are confidential. We honor all NDAs and never publish project names, locations, photographs or client information without permission. The work shown here represents only the projects we are authorized to share.
From Material Selection to Custom Fabrication
Successful architectural stone projects often begin long before fabrication. Stone varies from block to block, and the material selected can be just as important as the fabrication itself.
The World of Stone can assist with material sourcing, quarry and block selection, slab selection, dimensional planning, finish selection and custom fabrication requirements. For projects requiring multiple pieces or large quantities, we can help coordinate production so color, movement and geological character remain as consistent as the natural material allows.
Our role can begin with detailed architectural drawings—or simply with a designer looking for a way to turn an idea into stone.
Rare & Exotic Natural Stone
Finding the right material is often the first challenge.
Our international network of quarries, factories and stone producers gives us access to rare, exotic and hard-to-find natural stones that may not be regularly stocked in Los Angeles or elsewhere in the United States.
We source marble, limestone, quartzite, travertine, basalt, sandstone and other specialty stones for projects where the material itself is an important part of the design.
If you have a photograph, sample or reference for a material you cannot locate, send it to us. Finding unusual stone has been part of our business for decades.
Cut-to-Size & Dimensional Stone
Not every project should begin with slabs.
For projects involving repetitive dimensions, architectural components or complicated fabrication, producing pieces directly from blocks or slabs at the source can offer significant advantages.
Custom production can include cut-to-size flooring and wall panels, stair treads and risers, window surrounds, fireplace components, dimensional cladding, countertops, vanity components, thresholds, copings and other architectural elements.
Pieces can be fabricated to project specifications and prepared for shipment to the jobsite or local fabricator.
Complex Stone Fabrication
Some architectural details require capabilities beyond conventional slab fabrication.
Depending on the stone and project requirements, we can coordinate specialized fabrication including kerf cutting, grooves, channels, miters, edge profiles, carving, CNC machining, curved components, bookmatching, vein matching and custom surface finishes.
These projects require careful consideration of the stone itself. Vein direction, thickness, structural characteristics, tolerances, anchoring methods and installation conditions can all influence how a component should be produced.
Our experience helps identify these issues before the stone is fabricated rather than after it arrives on the jobsite.
Experience With Stone Matters
Natural stone isn’t a manufactured product. Every block is different, and understanding those differences becomes increasingly important as a project becomes more complicated.
After more than three decades working with natural stone, we’ve seen how decisions involving material selection, slab orientation, thickness, reinforcement, fabrication, finishing, packing and installation affect the finished project.
That experience is particularly valuable when a detail is unusual, a material is difficult to source, or the project doesn’t have an obvious off-the-shelf solution.
Projects That Don’t Fit in a Slab Rack
Some of the most interesting projects begin with a question:
Can this be made from stone?
Sometimes the answer requires an unusual material. Sometimes it requires a quarry, a specialized factory or a different fabrication method. And sometimes it simply requires someone who has encountered a similar problem before.
The World of Stone specializes in the projects that don’t fit neatly into a slab rack.
Whether you’re developing a single custom architectural element or planning a larger cut-to-size stone package, contact us early in the design process. We can help evaluate the material, fabrication requirements and sourcing options before specifications are finalized.
Project Confidentiality
Many of the projects we work on involve private residences, hospitality properties and projects under development where confidentiality is important.
The World of Stone respects all project confidentiality requirements and non-disclosure agreements. Project names, client identities, locations, drawings, photographs and other information are never published without permission.
For that reason, the projects shown here represent only a portion of our work. Some examples may be presented without identifying the client or project location, while others cannot be shown at all.
Our responsibility to a client does not end when the stone is delivered. If a project is confidential, it stays confidential.
Natural Stone Projects Beyond Los Angeles
Nashville, Tennessee.
International Stone Selection & Quarry Visits
For significant residential and architectural projects, material selection does not have to be limited to photographs, samples or locally available slabs.
When the scope of a project warrants it, The World of Stone can coordinate stone-selection trips to Italy and other international sourcing locations, giving clients and their design teams the opportunity to visit quarries, factories and stone yards and evaluate materials at the source.
These trips can be particularly valuable when a project requires large quantities, unusual materials or a high degree of consistency. Seeing blocks and slabs in person allows color, movement, geological character and available quantities to be considered before final selections are made.
For clients who want to be closely involved in the process, traveling to the source is not only possible—we encourage it. Selecting stone where it is quarried and processed can become an important part of developing a truly custom project.
