The not-so-secret secret of creating many of today’s most stylish spaces is, in two words, natural stone. We’re not talking your run-of-the-mill granite countertop or limestone hearth. These days, design pros are choosing special varieties of natural stone to transform surfaces and features in surprising and spectacular ways. Once considered unthinkable, today’s innovative stone applications and details prove that design possibilities are limited only by the imagination. For proof, we present five jaw-dropping features showcasing how natural stone can, dare we say, make any space rock.

Illuminated Fireplace

Among the many materials used to frame a fireplace, natural stone is among the most spectacular. In Park City, Tally Stevens not only chose beautiful Bronzo quartzite to form the stately modern fireplace, but he upped the ante by siding it with two towering panels of translucent Radice onyx, backlit with sheets of lighting rather typical rope lights. “Our clients wanted a unique feature in their living room and fell in love with onyx and the idea of lighting it,” says Stevens, sales and design specialist with European Marble & Granite. He and his team designed and engineered the feature before the home was built and masterfully created seamless panels reaching up to 15-feet high from multiple pieces of the highly patterned onyx. “There are hidden vein joints that unite the slabs,” he explains.

See more surprising stone features here!