Caesarstone Launches Six New Colors

Van Nuys, CA (June 14^th, 2011): Caesarstone is pleased to announce the launch of six brand- new colors. These new hues range from classic to contemporary, rounding out a total of forty-eight colors in the Caesarstone Classico collection.

“We are so pleased to unveil these newest innovations. Our research and development team is constantly pushing the envelope of quartz capabilities to bring the most stylish surfaces to the market; we definitely achieved that with this new collection.” Maggie Amir - Brand Manager

The new colors are broken up into two categories stylistically. The first category is a trio, our fresh twist on a contemporary classic with the introduction of Linen, a rich greyish beige (greige) surface that compliments any design application; Belgian Moon, a stunning black surface that was designed in collaboration with Jeff Lewis, of Bravo’s hit show Flipping Out; and finally Haze, a light, clean, airy gray surface that is sure to suit any space. The second category is our nod to tradition; these are timeless classics. The first being Atlantic Salt, a color that looks the way it sounds, multifaceted with glimpses of peppered gray and whites, clean and serene; Wild Rocks, a sleek Mediterranean-inspired stunner, with hints of browns and blacks; and last but not least Late Autumn, a rich, bold surface with touches of greens, beiges and browns that too suit its name.

These new colors are available now. We invite you to design your dream with Caesarstone.

About Caesarstone

Caesarstone is the original quartz countertops and surfaces manufacturer. The company is headquartered in Southern California with offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Colorado, Miami, New York, Atlanta, St. Louis and Dallas. Caesarstone produces premium quartz countertops and surfaces, complementing any design application, from traditional to contemporary, for both home and commercial applications. Caesarstone products are available through kitchen and bath retailers, fabricators, architects, designers, builders and distributors nationwide.

Offering a Residential Lifetime Warranty, Caesarstone countertops and surfaces are nonporous, stain, scratch and heat resistant. Caesarstone has earned the respected Good Housekeeping Seal from the Good Housekeeping Research Institute and is in compliance with stringent international environmental standards, including ISO 14001 (environmental management system), ISO 9002 (quality management standard), and NSF (public health and safety). A sustainable material, Caesarstone is GREENGUARD certified and is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

For more information about Caesarstone and its products, please visit the company’s website at http://www.caesarstoneus.com, or call toll-free 877-9QUARTZ (877-978-2789).

Buying a Home? Make Sure you Check out the Kitchen First

Everyone has their own views on what makes a house ideal for them. Generally the kitchen is the first stop for most prospective buyers and often the reason why they choose one house over another. But when looking for a new home with a functional kitchen, what are the features you should be looking for?

Looks aren’t always at the forefront of making a kitchen right for you. The cabinets may look beautiful and the countertops may be expensive, but if the layout doesn’t allow you to cook/entertain guests easily, you won’t be too happy later on. One way to see if the layout works for you is to do a test run. Try pretending to prepare a meal. It may seem silly, but it will give you great insight into what to expect in your new kitchen. Do you have enough space to prepare? Are the sink and stove too far apart? In a short amount of time you should be able to know whether or not you can get into the swing of things, and compare this routine to the other kitchen’s you’ve tested.

Another important aspect to check for is the suitability of the countertop material, and how it works for your needs. If you are a more careful cook, you may clean up messes immediately. If you are more carefree, you may choose to do your preparation directly on the surface. If you have kids, you know the countertops need to be durable without staining or scratching easily. In the latter cases durable stone product such as Caesarstone quartz countertops, may be a more sensible choice. Real granite can be very porous and stain easily. To reduce the porosity and increase stain resistance, granite must be sealed about once a year, but if you are careful then you should be happy with any type of surface.

Another big deal maker/breaker will be the storage space. Cabinet doors may be the first thing you see, but the storage capacity is much more important. It is easy to change cabinet doors to give an older kitchen an updated look. You should first check the size of the cabinets and their placement. Do the top cabinets extend up to the ceiling? Or do they have an open space abover where grease and dust can collect? Do the base cabinets have fixed or pullout shelving? Pullout shelves definitely have more ease-of-use and storage capabilities, though fixed cabinets are almost always the case in older houses, unless the kitchen was recently remodeled. Though pullout trays can be more costly, they are much more accessible and could increase the resale value of your home.

So when looking at a new home, check out the countertops, the layout, and the cabinet storage space when deciding if the kitchen is right for you. Once you decide which features you can live with or without, the decision will be much easier.

Caesarstone announces launch of new website

Caesarstone is pleased to announce the launch of their new and improved website. The site is bigger, cleaner, and more user friendly. It has new functions that are sure to please those in the market for a new surface.

“You’ll notice lots of new things on the site. We’ve given our products lots of room to sing with huge, gorgeous photography. We’ve also made it easier than ever to find the exact colors and textures you’re looking for, to share them with friends, and to find out where to experience them in person. All in a super-clean, ultra-modern layout that’s as sleek as the installations featuring our products.” Simon Lim, Caesarstone Senior Information Systems Manager

The new Caesarstone website has many streamlined features from up to date news to swatches.

The products section is stocked full of colors, textures, new surfaces and innovations as well as suggested colors within the range of the user’s preferences.

The edge visualizer tool is loaded with all of the top Caesarstone countertop colors and gives customers the ability to try out everything from ogee to beveled edges before they make their purchase.

The photo gallery section is full of new projects ranging from ultra-modern to classic with new videos to boot.

The customer service section is full of information about care and maintenance, and Residential Lifetime Warranty and Registration, to enable Caesarstone to continue to serve their customers in their signature full service fashion.

The site also has a section containing information about designers’ projects and websites.

Fan favorites like the How to Buy showroom locator full of useful information for those in the market for a new surface, are alive and well.

Finally, the Trade Partner Site for professionals has marketing materials, literature, swatches, fabricator searches… the list goes on and on.

And this just in, the newsroom section of the site went live this past Friday and is full of up to date events, press, and media so check it out!

This site launch is just the beginning for Caesarstone. There are all kinds of exciting initiatives set to launch in the coming months to connect with more Caesarstone fans across the country and around the world. So stay tuned! For now, come visit and enjoy Caesarstone’s new home.

About Caesarstone

Caesarstone is the original quartz countertops & surfaces manufacturer. The company is headquartered in Southern California with offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Colorado, Miami, New York, Atlanta, St. Louis and Dallas. Caesarstone produces premium quartz countertops & surfaces, complementing any design application, from traditional to contemporary, for both home and commercial applications. Caesarstone products are available through kitchen and bath retailers, fabricators, architects, designers, builders and distributors nationwide.

Offering a Residential Lifetime Warranty, Caesarstone countertops and surfaces are nonporous, stain, scratch and heat resistant. Caesarstone has earned the respected Good Housekeeping Seal from the Good Housekeeping Research Institute and is in compliance with stringent international environmental standards including ISO 14001 (environmental management system), ISO 9002 (quality management standard), and NSF (public health and safety). A sustainable material, Caesarstone is GREENGUARD certified and is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

For more information about Caesarstone and its products, please visit the company’s website at http://www.caesarstoneus.com, or call toll-free 877-9QUARTZ (877-978-2789).

Tips for Choosing the Right Countertop

Your kitchen countertop is one of the most used surfaces in your home, so you want to be sure you make the right choice. There are a number of things you need to keep in mind when considering choosing the right countertop surface.

The first step in remodeling anything in your home is to know your design style. An excellent way to discover this is to choose images from interior design and similar magazines that appeal to you. These could range from flower arrangements, kitchen layouts, color schemes to appliances that you find attractive.

Fashion has always been a source of inspiration for kitchen design. So in figuring out your style, take a trip to your own closet. You can get a good idea of who you are by what you wear. Equally as important as your personal style is the overall style of your home: is it traditional, modern, contemporary, classic, transitional, or even nautical? Is the home architecture Mediterranean, Ranch or Spanish? This will give you great direction on the type of style that you are trying to achieve with your kitchen design and specifically with your countertop.

Once you have gathered your ideas and have a design direction, you will need to choose a color for your countertop that complements the other colors in your kitchen. What color are your cabinets, backsplashes and paints? What type of material have you chosen for your flooring?

What style and color are your appliances?

The next critical step in choosing a countertop is to consider what functions your kitchen serves. Is it a high traffic area? Do you have small children or teenagers at home? Do you enjoy entertaining? Are you a passionate cook? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you will need a durable countertop. Your two best choices are granite or quartz.

Although granite is an extremely durable surface, it is not as durable as quartz. Quartz remains the number one rated surfacing material for durability on the market today. Quartz is also the only material that will give you the ease of cleaning while offering a multitude of colors, textures and styles.

Caesarstone is the original quartz manufacturer of heat, stain and scratch resistant surfaces with a Residential Lifetime Warranty. They fabricate surfaces with a variety of different edge options to match your personal style and overall kitchen design, modern or traditional.

To get a crystal clear image of the finished product before installation even begins, check out Caesarstone’s amazing Edge Visualizer Tool on their website at www.caesarstoneus.com/catalog/edges.cfm.This tool features an animated, three-dimensional, 360° view of a segment of a Caesarstone countertop. The tool allows you to experiment with every possible combination of color and edge type.

Remember: your kitchen is the heart of your home, where you, your family and friends spend most of their time. This is where memories are made. Selecting the perfect countertop is a critical part of your overall kitchen design.

CaesarStone Canada Wins NKBA’s Best Green Sustainable Product Award

Original quartz countertops & surfaces manufacturer CaesarStone Canada’s recycled product has scooped the 2011 Design Award for the Best Green Sustainable Product in the kitchen and bath industry from the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA).

Caesarstone Canada was honored with the award on 5 February 2011 at the NKBA Gala during the awards ceremony held at the Liberty Grand in Toronto, Canada.

Caesarstone manufactures high-quality, quartz surface slabs for a variety of uses and applications such as bathroom vanities, flooring, quartz countertops for kitchens and more. CaesarStone is claimed to be the world’s first company to use quartz - one of nature’s hardest materials - as the main component in its surfaces.

The company offers seven colors that contain recycled materials. Caesarstone's recycled line-up includes Mosaici Carbone, Mosaici Marrone, Ruby Reflections, Pacific Reflections, Quartz Reflections, Smoky Ash and Chocolate Truffle.

Colors from this collection contain 17 to 42% first quality reclaimed quartz from the fabrication process and post-consumer recycled glass and mirrors. The high recycled content helps in lessening the demand for primal raw materials, protecting the precious resources of earth.

Caesarstone countertops’ nonporous nature helps in checking growth of surface mold and microbes and ensures a healthier environment. The low-maintenance requirements of the surface decrease the use of harmful detergents in the ecosystem.

The NKBA Canadian 2011 Design Competition was hosted by the NKBA Ontario Chapter. The design competition was open to all NKBA Canadian Chapter members, or employees of members’ firms.

Sonobath’s high-end vessel sinks made with CaesarStone Quartz

Created by interior celebrity designer Jae Omar, Sonobath's portfolio of beautifully innovative sinks are available through architects, designers and designated kitchen and bath retailers. The Sonobath line includes six distinctive vessel sink models: ETHOS, HYDROS, CHAOS, MYTHOS, TITUS and LOTUS, each offered in a limited edition, natural palette of CaesarStone colors. Sonobath utilizes Caesarstone – the original quartz countertops & surfaces manufacturer - as the exclusive stone supplier. Selected for its quality, durability and range of rich colors CaesarStone definitely embraces the essence of the designs.

Ranging in price between $2,200 and $2,800the sinks are hand crafted at the Sonobath's Southern California studio. The floating pieces feature specially engineered hidden drain systems and resemble fine art sculptural pieces, rather than the practical everyday vessels.

The latest innovative pairing of the simple and elegant Lotus sink and CaesarStone's newest innovation in texture Motivo, are conceived as works of art. The new Lotus sink, which forces elegant natural curves into opposing corners of a slab of smooth stone, blends beautifully with the embossed surface of Motivo quartz surfaces.

Motivo uses a brilliant new technology to apply an embossed effect to a range of CaesarStone surfaces. Sonobath's Lotus sink has been created after countless hours of perfecting a method of ‘bending’ CaesarStone to achieve the subtle organic curves of the Lotus to mimic a flower petal.

CaesarStone produces premium quartz countertops and surfaces, complementing any design application, from traditional to contemporary, for both home and commercial applications. CaesarStone countertops and surfaces are nonporous, stain, scratch and heat resistant.

Sonobath is a Southern California-based designer/manufacturer of high-end home bath products. The company is owned by Jae Omar, former Milan runway model, kick boxer, antique furniture store retailer, and current celebrity interior designer and furniture manufacturer.

A More Elegant Look (and Feel) for the Home

Interior Designers are always on the lookout for what is new, fresh, and ground-breaking to the design and architecture scene. CaesarStone’s Motivo line, textured finished quartz countertops

& surfacing, just may be that next big trend.

Since its release early this year, interior designers have flooded the waves with interest and awe, sharing ideas and excitement as to how Motivo will be incorporated into their next projects.

This modern decorative textured surface from CaesarStone transforms walls and work surfaces into trendy visual and tactile pieces. Motivo comes in Lace and Crocodile patterns. Lace being the surface with a filigree design in a matte-white finish, which gives an elegant and refined look, ideal for the bedroom, bathroom, living room, kitchen countertop, or foyer.

On the other side of the spectrum Crocodile is a more dramatic surface with an exotic and luxurious feel in a glossy black finish. Motivo Crocodile is an ideal surface to add drama in the kitchen, dining room, study, recreation room, or home theater.

Despite its delicate look Motivo, as all of CaesarStone’s quartz surface products are, is nonporous, easy to care for, and appropriate for numerous applications including custom-made furniture, vanity tops, wall paneling, and kitchen countertops. CaesarStone used patented new technology to apply an embossed effect to a range of delicate surfaces to create a textured look and feel. Visit CaesarStone or ask your local designer/fabricator for more information on Motivo, and get inspired to add a bit of style and elegance to your home.