Beige and honey-toned limestone flooring is always a popular choice. But have you ever considered a darker option? Smoky greys and inky blacks create a
very bold and glamorous style statement - and they bring lots of practical benefits too.
Grey and black-toned limestone tends to be denser because it contains grains of clay or sand, non-calcium organic remains and irons. This makes the stone
more hardwearing. Darker limestone flooring often has a mottled appearance, with
lots of colour variation, so it’s very good at disguising boot and paw marks too.
I’m often asked which dark stones are my favourites. I’d have to say Ink, Imperial and Oratory – and they’re all very different.
Ink
Ink has a gentle, mottled appearance, with blue-grey tones mixing with paler
shades. Honed, square edges give the limestone flooring a very contemporary look, creating almost invisible joints, so the subtle swirls of colour
aren’t interrupted. It’s a really accommodating, adaptable design that suits all sorts of settings. It’s not too overpowering, so if you’re looking
for a neutral grey, it’s a really good choice.
Imperial
Imperial is one of our proven limestone flooring favourites. It’s darker
in tone – from dark blue/grey to ebony – and gently tumbled which gives an authentic, aged look. Colour variation is more dramatic than Ink and the
individual tiles can differ a lot, so the overall effect’s more hotch-potch; a hint to a bygone age. Imperial tiles come in two linear formats and
also an Opus pattern, which includes four different stones that fit together. Opus is a classic masonry style that dates back to medieval times; the
finished effect is more rustic and informal than linear.
Oratory
Oratory is the darkest design and it’s fairly new to our limestone flooring
collection. It’s tumbled but less mottled than Ink and Imperial, with an overall dark grey/black tone. This gives a more robust, classical look that
can be softened with lighter shades and sumptuous fabrics.
Styling darker limestone flooring
In terms of room design, dark limestone flooring, like Oratory, is ideal for mono-toned schemes. Dark grey tones with crisp white and red accents work
really well for a solid, historical feel. Lighter and more mottled shades, like Ink and Imperial, give a softer feel. Using different shades of grey,
and different textures, the colour scheme can be ‘layered’ to create a very sophisticated luxe-look.
For more inspiration browse our limestone collection, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Or, pop into our Burford showroom to talk through ideas, and compare different stone samples over a coffee.