If you’re looking to create a stylish exterior design on your new home, or to add a splash of something classic and timeless, you might want to explore the benefits and versatility of various textures in man-made materials.
Achieving an elegant façade on your home’s exterior is a huge boost to its aesthetics and raises the design game for the neighbourhood. It turns the heads of passersby and increases your property value. In many ways, stone veneer is the perfect option for those aiming for a refined look on the exterior of their home.
And just like there are many different styles of homes, there are also many styles and textures of stone veneers to choose from to bring your vision to life.
Old-world-style homes
If you’re building a Cottage, Craftsman or Tudor-style home you might look to incorporate a stone veneer texture that works with the traditional materials used in those homes like shingles, board and batten, stucco or wood paneling.
A cottage-style design is typically a smaller home with a limited footprint that incorporates simplicity, charm and a cozy ambience. You might see a white picket fence, large bay windows, shutters, a chimney and dormer windows and a spacious porch (maybe even a wraparound) with wicker rocking chairs or a bench swing. These houses are often coloured with neutral tones or pastels, matched with generous flowers in boxes or a garden in the front yard. You could add, for example, a light-coloured stone veneer with a rough ‘river rock’ texture placed beneath shake-shingles or siding on the façade.
The Craftsman home, developed in the mid-19th century from the arts and crafts movement and could easily benefit from a rough or smooth stone veneer across whole walls or as accents on the exterior. Craftsman homes have distinct tapered square columns on grand front porches, windows with a thick trim and low-pitched gabled rooves that stretch past the exterior walls. Dormer windows are popular in this design, and colours are often based in light browns, olive greens and other earth tones. On the inside of a Craftsman you will likely find wide layouts that are spacious and airy.
A Tudor home is classic and iconic. These homes often look like they belong in the forest surrounded by trees and nature. Several style points set these houses apart, such as steep pitched gabled rooves and thick brick chimneys with chimney pots. Tudor homes usually also feature decorative half-timber design on some or all of the house. Their tall narrow windows are a nod to medieval architecture and their front doors often feature a rounded arch at the top. Due to the rustic nature of this classic build, the Tudor style lends itself well to incorporating stone veneer. Here you might choose a stone veneer with a smooth-face texture to match the clean lines of the half-timber.
In with the new: modern and contemporary houses
Architecture is a wide and encompassing field, and home building and design incorporates many attributes from many sources. Contemporary design refers to the ‘style of the moment’ and can be quite varied, whereas modern home design (early to mid-20th century) is stricter, and you’d generally know one when you see it.
The style of the moment is always changing and adapting, and contemporary home design is more complex than modern architecture. It is often innovative, and a contemporary home might not always fit into its neighbourhood perfectly. Contemporary takes from all sorts of styles; there are no rules and anything goes, so homeowners often end up choosing various favourite aspects from whatever houses they like best and throwing them together to make up something new and unique. Energy-efficient designs that include solar panels popular today, and so are clean lines and homes that feature natural elements like lots of greenery in the landscaping or smooth stone veneer accents.
Many people choose to build modern homes with full coverage of stone veneer, giving them a sleek style. Modern architecture usually lacks ornament and flair in favour of simplicity, minimalism and monochromatic sensibilities. These houses are often square or rectangular in shape and feature flat rooves, expansive windows and straight sharp lines. Outdoor landscaping is used to enhance the simple style of the build. As a full concept, simple modern homes often present with an air of sophistication and artistic beauty.
Architectural stone veneer options
Shouldice Stone has a versatile, high quality and beautiful selection of products. From ultra-cottagey to uber-modern, there is an architectural stone made just for the type of house you’re building. With various textures, character and colours, these architectural stones will fit the bill every time and make your new build a stunning neighbourhood attraction.
Four different textures of Architectural Stone:
Tapestry offers the sophistication and contemporary appeal of both a flat, smooth surface and precisely beveled edges.
The broad appeal of Tex-Stone, with its subtly textured surface, strikes a balance between the smooth Tapestry and a rougher Rock-Stone.
Smooth stands between Tapestry and Tex-Stone to offer a classy and cost-effective option without a beveled edge, creating a flush and natural looking stone surface.
Rock-Stone has a rugged profile that reflects the traditional strength and appeal of stone that have endured for centuries.
So, if a stone look and feel would enhance the elegance of your home’s exterior and deliver a refined look to your property, stone veneer might just rise to the top of your list.
Check out Shouldice Stone and its Architectural lineup for a long list of customizable options that will make for a perfect exterior material for your new home.
