While times change and trends come and go, natural stone remains a popular choice in both residential and commercial design. Stone World recently had the opportunity to talk with a few experienced architects to ask their opinion on a range of issues related to designing with natural stone.

Renowned Catalan chef Albert Adriá's vision took shape when 2017 Pritzker Prize winners RCR Arquitectes in colaburation with P.Llimona drew their design idea in watercolors and decided to bring it to life with the help of Neolith by TheSize.

The 28th edition of Coverings was celebrated in Orlando, FL, this year with a fresh image and new management. The 2017 event, held at Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center from April 4 to 7, proved successful with a total attendance of 28,000.

Husband-and-wife team Sean and Teresa Ray have devoted much time and effort to establishing a successful one-stop-shop for their customers. Their business, Pro Stone Kitchen & Bath in Olive Branch, MS, provides a full service in kitchen and bath design.

The PT10FS10AIR vacuum lifter from Wood’s Powr-Grip has established itself around the world as the main workhorse for handling stone slabs in fabrication shops.

Poseidon Industries first introduced the T-Rex 5 Axis CNC Saw and Profiler Combo machine in 2013. Since then, the T-Rex system has been modified to work as a dual-table machine, capable of eliminating wasteful loading and unloading times

Founded in 1992, Jianming Stone Group has set out on a course to improve its processes for stone production, including becoming "green." The company, located in Xiamen, China, has recently installed a new water filtration system at its plant to help improve operations and the environment.

Originally based in Phenix, MO, the Phenix Marble Co. first opened in the early 20th century. At the time, it was one of the largest producers of stone and marble in the country, employing 250 workers.

The 2017 stone education series -organized by MIA+BSI: The Natural Stone Institute and Stone World- made a stop in Memphis, TN, for the first time. The all-day event, which was hosted by Pacific Shore Stones, drew 28 fabricators from 18 different companies.

As I sit down to write this Stone Column, I feel like I can finally take a breath. It’s been a busy first half of the year for myself and the Stone World staff- filled with a great deal of traveling, both domestically and abroad, to trade shows, workshops and other stone industry events.