In early May I will be going to Pawley’s Island, SC to help one of my Ohio clients remodel their place. We are scrapping the entire kitchen and starting over and will also be updating much of the rest of the place.
I’ll be helping them make selections for finishes and I’m excited because they want to use a product for countertops that I have not used before. I love learning new things! It’s called Vetrostone and it is “a unique quartz stone engineered with exotic seashells & sea glass”.
You see it on the vanity pictured above from an article from Southern Living magazine. While they don’t mention which one was used for this countertop, it looks to me like it could be Santa Maria {which on screen is one of my favorites.} 
Not surprisingly, Vetrostone is located in Yemassee, South Carolina which is in the heart of Lowcountry. I guess that’s where the inspiration for this shell and sea glass product came from.
According to the manufacturer, this product is stronger than marble, granite, limestone, and travertine yet weighs 15-20% lighter than natural stone. The word “vetro” is Italian and means “glass”. They carry two families of products 1)Vetrostone which contains a larger aggregate of sea glass and 2) Oysterstone which contains larger aggregate of seashells. {Rose dhu is pictured below.}
We will be going to Charleston to look for our finishes (flooring, countertops, etc.) . . . as you can imagine, they had to twist my arm to get me to do this project for them!
I think this is a great product to use whether you have a house at the shore or one that’s landlocked and needs a little punch of seaside inspiration. I’m looking forward to our seashore-inspired project and will keep you updated.
About Diana
I’m a busy working designer & home stager who gets a lot of joy & happiness helping clients transform their houses into homes they love. I blog as part of that creative process. In our “spare” time my hubby & I are updating our Cottage in the Woods that we share with our cats. I’m a Christian & look forward to someday working for my Heavenly Father, the Greatest Designer of all, decorating mansions in Heaven!
{ 2 comments }
I’m redoing my beach home in SC and was wondering what your flooring choice will be. Like Pawleys Island ,I am also on the beach and need something that will take the sand and wear and tear of family and friends…I am also using vetrostone for my countertops…am excited about this product!! Which one did your client select?? Thanks Vicki
Hi Vicki,
Welcome to The Devine Home! Sounds like you have a really fun project on your hands.
To answer your questions, we selected two different flooring materials for their beach house. For the main living area we are using a strand bamboo (it’s the most durable kind of bamboo because of the way it is processed). Like you, they need something that will withstand the grit of sand.
In the kitchen, guest bathroom and laundry room we are using a beautiful travertine. We bought three sizes of tile (gone of the days of laying a 12 x 12 or 16 x 16 tile on the diagonal.) These three sizes will be laid in a mosaic pattern.
In high traffic areas, I like using several different sizes of tile. Not only is it “on trend” and what’s happening now in interior design but it will help give the stone a longer life. Travertine is known to crack and the mosaic pattern helps reduce this.
We will also be sealing the travertine with a matte finish sealant because food acids (like in orange juice and tomato sauce) can stain and discolor the stone. As long as the stone is sealed, however, it should have a long life!
RE: the Vetrostone. We are using two different ones for their project. In the kitchen and on the wet bar we are using the Tybee Green and in the kids bathroom we are using the Seacrest.
I fell in love with the Vetrostone when I was in South Caroline so we decided to use it for our new fireplace surround in the living room. I’m hoping to hear from Julia next week on an ETA for shipment and delivery. We are using Santa Maria Vetrostone for our project. The difference between the Tybee Green and Santa Maria is that they add small pieces of blue glass to TB whereas they add caramel glass to the Santa Maria.
Which stone are you using for your countertops? Make sure to check back for pictures and updates and keep us posted on your progress!
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