For Architects
The Stone Specification Has to Survive Procurement. We Make Sure It Does.
You wrote a specification for honed Statuario marble in the lobby. The spec says “Calacatta-type marble, honed finish, consistent veining.” That specification will be interpreted by a procurement team, a distributor, and a fabricator — each with their own incentives. Without someone translating your design intent into procurement-grade specificity, what arrives at the site may technically comply with the spec while looking nothing like what you intended.
Specifications that are technically correct but visually wrong
A spec that says “Calacatta marble, honed” describes hundreds of different visual outcomes. Block variation, cut direction, and finish standards vary dramatically between suppliers. The spec needs to be more precise than material name and finish.
Procurement timelines that blow up the CD schedule
The project schedule assumes stone arrives on a certain date. Nobody verified whether the specified material is available in the required quantity with realistic lead times. The schedule slides.
No independent verification between spec and installation
The contractor procures stone. The fabricator cuts it. You see the result at installation. By then, any departure from design intent is permanent and expensive to correct.
Value engineering that compromises material quality
The contractor finds a “comparable” material at lower cost. It’s comparable in name but not in quality, consistency, or visual character. Nobody on the team has the expertise to evaluate the substitution critically.
We review stone specifications and identify gaps — missing block-level identification, ambiguous finish standards, unverified yield assumptions, and substitution language that leaves too much room for interpretation.
We provide procurement-grade sourcing intelligence: what’s actually available, from where, at what lead time, and at what quality level. This information feeds directly into your specification and procurement schedule.
We produce a risk memo that maps every identified procurement risk to a specific mitigation — availability risk, yield risk, fabrication risk, schedule risk. This document protects your design intent through the entire procurement chain.
We vet fabricators based on capability match. Not every shop can handle every project. We evaluate equipment, portfolio relevance, and quality control processes to ensure the fabricator can execute the specification.
The Situation
An architecture firm specified honed Statuario marble for a 6,000 square foot corporate lobby and three elevator vestibules. The specification called for consistent veining — but the quantity required couldn’t come from a single block.
What Happened
Our strategy engagement identified that the scope needed three blocks from the same lot, carefully sequenced. We sourced seven candidate blocks at three yards, evaluated each for consistency, and recommended a three-block allocation that maintained visual continuity. The fabricator vetting narrowed the field to the one shop with the slab handling capacity the project demanded. The risk memo flagged a lead time vulnerability and recommended early procurement, which the owner’s rep authorized. The lobby installed on schedule with the visual consistency the specification intended.
Stone Scope Review
Written feasibility assessment covering material availability, cost ranges, lead times, and specification gaps. Delivered in 5–7 business days.
Stone Strategy Engagement
Full sourcing plans, fabricator vetting, allocation strategy, and a risk memo documenting every procurement risk and its mitigation.
Embedded Advisory
Ongoing oversight from procurement through installation. We stay accountable for the stone scope so you can focus on the broader design.
At what project phase should we engage a stone advisor?+
Ideally during Design Development, before specifications are locked. At this stage, there’s still room to adjust material direction based on sourcing reality. Engaging after Construction Documents means procurement risk has already been baked in.
How does your advisory complement our existing specification process?+
We don’t replace your specification. We augment it with procurement-grade intelligence — verifying that what you’ve specified is available, realistic in cost, and achievable within the project timeline. We also identify gaps that procurement teams will exploit.
Do you work on commercial and residential?+
Yes. We work on corporate lobbies, hospitality projects, luxury residential, and everything in between. The principles of protecting design intent through procurement are the same — the scale and coordination complexity vary.
18 Years
in Luxury Natural Stone
Former Antolini
Luigi & C Spa — 9 Years
Co-Founder
Stone Trend (Seattle)
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Show me the project.
Start with a free 15-minute sanity check. If the project needs deeper work, we can decide that together.