Materials and Finishes

The nature of our craft allows us to combine the flexibility of concrete with our mastery of skill to create the perfect piece for your home or office. There are many elements to be considered when creating a piece, and each element can be tweaked and adjusted to fit your needs. From our sand mixes to custom colors, grinding options and specialty embeds, every project that comes from Bohemian Stoneworks begins with the same building blocks that combine to make our product so unique.

STANDARD COLORS

Perhaps one of the most amazing qualities of concrete is the rich array of color that is made possible through the medium. We have refined our color palette to include over 30 sensual standard and premium colors:

PREMIUM COLORS

By incorporating light cement, we are able to create many new colors for different design statements ranging from nature-inspired to contemporary.

CUSTOM COLOR MATCHING

Color is an essential factor in the overall tone and feel of any finished design, and it also represents an opportunity to make a statement that’s truly unique to you. We frequently collaborate with our clients and designers in selecting or innovating color formulas to realize a desired aesthetic.

We can prepare custom colors to match any sample you provide us through our signature color-matching process. If you are still looking for just the right tone, spend some time exploring the nearly infinite possibilities in the Benjamin Moore paint color palette, or peruse our rich library of colors and formulas that we have generated in-house over the years. With the added service of custom color matching, a virtually unlimited color palette is possible…so feel free to request a match for your special project.

SAND MIXES

The distinctive finished look of our concrete begins with the components within: cement, sand, aggregate and pigment. The elements that make up the background color are white or gray cement combined with the highest-quality mineral oxide pigments.

The next level of color emerges through variations in the sand and aggregate used in the mix. Subtle nuances of color and our unique “visual texture” are achieved through our three signature sand mixes: a white “Dolo,” light-tan “Oly” and dark “River Sand.” The lighter mixes create bright, saturated colors, while the darker River Sand mix produces earthy, muted tones.

Our range of Standard and Premium colors reflects our unique eye for matching sand mixes to pigment in order to enhance and optimize the finished color. For example, “Sky Blue” packs a punch by using the “Dolo” white sand mix. In contrast, our River Sand mix lends “Bamboo” its earthy tones and “Plum” concrete its rich, sensual shades.

We frequently collaborate with our clients and designers in selecting or innovating color formulas to realize their desired aesthetic. Customers may request specific sand mixes to vary the shade and/or textural display of their concrete. With the additional service of custom color matching, a virtually unlimited color palette is possible.

CUSTOM BLENDING

Bohemian Stoneworks’ approach to creating concrete allows for our customers to achieve any fusion of color and sand in their concrete pieces. The fine particles of each sand type influence the pigment in interesting ways: River Sand has a slight muting effect, Dolo gently lightens, and Oly sand brightens the color field with creamy tan.

By experimenting with the color, size and concentration of the flecks of each sand type, Bohemian Stoneworks can create custom blends with just the right warmth, tone and visual texture for your desired environment. Additional charges apply for the custom blending service.

FINISHES

The finishes we create through variations in the grinding process are emblematic of our attention to detail and our commitment to crafting fine work. Through the removal of material, the sand and stone emerge from below to reveal spectacular natural patterns. The incremental depth we grind is selected according to the customer’s specification.

The #1 grind begins at a shallow depth and exhibits a mainly uniform color field with light sand flecks throughout.

The #2 grind presents larger sand flecks in medium concentration.

The #3 grind shows a higher concentration of sand flecks with small stones of aggregate revealed.

The #4 displays the deepest grind with the highest concentration of sand flecks and full-sized aggregate stones.

Feature grinding further enhances the geologic nature of the concrete by emphasizing areas of focal interest in each piece. You can choose among three approaches to highlighting:

  • Transition
  • Edge highlighting
  • Edge highlighting with transition-over-top

Areas which truly come alive with feature grinding are at a countertop edge; around the rim, within the bowl, or around the drain of a sink; and around the firebox edge of a fireplace, although there are numerous ways to transition the grind within a surface and combine these grinds to produce artistic variations in concrete.

ARTISAN SERIES

Bohemian Stoneworks has created a truly original line of stunning concrete surfaces in its Artisan Series.
Employing masterful technique, artistry and imagination, our artisans encapsulate natural forms within the concrete to create eye-catching patterns or unique designs. A singular piece or artful assortment can be embedded to emphasize a particular section of your surface, or natural elements can be incorporated more evenly to form an all-over pattern.

Riverstone Series: Local river stones are collected from Austin Creek, sliced and embedded into our concrete mix, and then polished to a mirror-like finish. The geological beauty of these elements lends an exquisite, nature-inspired touch to any home or office environment.

The Austin Creek Riverbed near Cazadero, CA

Riverbed sample concrete showing a rich variety of river aggregate and river stones from the creek

This residential fireplace showcases an artistic selection of embedded rock – light green Serpentine, Red Chist and Quartz selected from the riverbed

The beauty of this sink is drawn from nature’s inspiration

Shell Series: Our oyster shell mix contains shells harvested from local Tomales Bay, where the world’s best oysters are grown for their culinary appeal. Sliced to reveal their fascinating inner geometry, these shells are combined with abalone or other shell pieces in a variety of sizes and concentrations to comprise our striking ocean shell mix. This unique, seaside-inspired blend makes a strong decorative statement.

This residential vanity countertop reveals white oyster and abalone decorative elements – a collaboration with designer Sharon Low

Bar tables at Rocker Oysterfeller’s Valley Ford Inn are enhanced with pieces of oyster shell – a collaboration with furniture maker Craig Collins

Sliced shells are thoughtfully placed on this tile against a beautiful field of color

Bottle Art Series: This series combines pieces of glass with interesting contours of bottles sliced through a variety of planes. Unlike typical recycled glass, which has to be melted down with chemical processing that employs precious resources, the glass we employ is hand selected for each project and remains in its original state until used. The surfaces in this series have an artful allure that lends itself beautifully to tabletops and wine bars.

Shown in Marsh green, the profile of the bottle is represented by multiple planes

Burnt Orange and Orange Glass was chosen for a countertop sample as a possibility in one of our customers’ kitchens

View this stunning wine rack and other bottle art tabletops at West County Design, our showroom in Valley Ford

Bottle art tabletop