B Stories

A recent study on labour practices in South Indian quarries resulted in a critical report called 'The Dark Sites of Granite' and published on Wednesday 23 August. Beltrami UK is mentioned with reports of risk of bonded labour and lack of health provisions for casual workers in two particular quarries. However, no child labour was found as well as wages and overtime were recorded to be correctly paid.

Despite our many years of active commitment to make profound improvements in our Indian supply chain, we obviously regret but also acknowledges that we still have a long road to go. As a response to the report, we will push for more transparency deeper down in our supply chain and continue to work together with TFT towards improved working conditions. Read more about the TFT Transparancy hub. 

Nonetheless, we would like to highlight that a lot of good work has been done already. Together with India Committee of the Netherlands (ICN) and London Stone Ltd, we are working step by step to eliminate child labour in the production of sandstone cobbles. Over the past two years, we managed to take 600 children out of work and into school.

Read our blog on the website http://nochildleftbehind.co.uk/ to find out more about this project.

 

Beltrami inspires, innovates and fascinates. In reaction to the latest interior trends, Beltrami is now bringing back the vintage terrazzo look and feel with panache.

Discover high-quality, sustainable marble mosaic slabs made of marble chips and cement binding agent in the new Beltrami Terrazzo Line (or BTL for short).

The BTL slab line is available in five varieties, with a thickness of 2-3 cm, dimensions of 305 x 125 cm and a honed or brossato finish.

So what is it that really makes the new Beltrami Terrazzo Line stand out? Its unbridled creativity: with all its different shapes and colours, it offers endless aesthetic possibilities for kitchen worktops, wall claddings or interior floors.

5 references
BTL White Carrara Pebble
BTL Ceppo
BTL Massa White
BTL Nero Ebano
BTL Pebble Black

Finishing
Honed or brossato

Dimensions
305 x 125 cm
2 - 3 cm thickness

70,000 m2, 4 different districts, 10 cinema screens, 26 restaurants and 150 shops: those are the impressive figures of the newest commercial centre on the French south coast. Polygone Riviera is the first lifestyle mall in France. It is an experience centre rather than a traditional shopping centre, a total concept along the long Avenue des Alpes in the coastal town of Cagnes-sur-Mer. The first stone was laid 2 years ago. One thousand maple and plane trees were planted and now the newest flagship of the Riviera is ready to welcome up to 10 million visitors annually.

The building's architecture is contemporary with simple shapes and Provencal colours. An innovative concept means innovative architecture. Of course this includes sustainability. The pet subject of architects Philippe Caron and José Ignacio Galan Martinez was the Breaam certificate, which rewards buildings for their reduced impact on the environment and society. It is hardly surprising that natural stone was chosen for this project. The Beltrami Sud team in Fréjus was responsible for the timely and flexible delivery.

USED MATERIALS
More than 10,000 m2 natural stone:
Pepperino Dark flamed, Twilight flamed basalt, Galaxy Grey flamed.
Different dimensions: 20 x 20 x 4 cm, 40 x 40 x 4 cm, 60 x 40 x 4 cm, 60 x 60 x 4 cm, 60 x 30 x 4 cm, 60 x 50 x 4 cm

Delivery: Beltrami Sud, Fréjus (South of France)
Placement: Marbrerie Azuréenne from Saint-Laurent-du-Var

Beltrami generally describes Sustainable Natural Stone as stone that is mined, produced and traded in an honourable way with respect for people and the environment. Sometimes the term is also described as ‘ethical' or ‘responsible stone'. Beltrami is fully committed to ensure its products meet the standards of Sustainable Natural Stone.

Big, bigger, biggest... The trend of exceptional XXL sizes is definitely here to stay. The success of this interior design trend is based on the idea that large tiles create an optical effect that makes the room appear visually larger.

Another reason why Mega Tiles are so popular is the contemporary style that they bring to your interior and exterior. These exceptional sizes suit a clean, sleek, often minimalist style of living perfectly, but can also be integrated easily into a more rural, traditional setting.

With the introduction of its Mega Tiles, Beltrami is expanding its selective quality range of natural stone within the existing series Pepperino Dark and Twilight. Even newcomerNero Santiago already includes tiles in the XXL format.

Allow this project created by architecture firm EX-IT Architectuur from Sint-Niklaas, Belgium, to be an inspiration for you. The project was a B&B belonging to restaurant 't Vier Emmershof in Lokeren, Belgium.

The agency developed the idea of ‘bringing the outside in and taking the inside out' into a unique total concept largely based on the integration of natural stone. The agency consciously chose Indian sandstone Kandla Grey as wall cladding: a natural stone usually applied in a rural setting, but also very well liked for sleek, modern interiors. Woodstone Grey gives the interior a special warm, natural character that combines perfectly with the home's rather minimalist design elements.

This magnificent project confirms that natural stone can result in endless creations in different residential settings. In the search for authentic, rustic materials for this classic home, architect Karel Sichien from Schellebelle, Belgium selected Pierre de Bourgogne, a French limestone. A successful combination of this rural stone in a Vieux Manoir finish and the impressive ironwork allow the impressive staircase in the hall to shine in all its glory. By choosing a half-rounded nose finish for the steps and a rounded head for the first step, the architect has confirmed the setting's rural character. The adjacent floor was skilfully placed in a modular flooring pattern to complete the picture!

This Greek marble is characterized by a deep black background and intensely punctuated by fine pale, ivory coloured veins. It is suitable for multiple applications inside (wallcovering, flooring, stairs, interior finishing, kitchen worktob, etc.).
The Emperador Black defines pure class, elegance and natural beauty.

The various finishes such as honed and polished allow this natural stone to be flawlessly integrated into many living styles.

Stimulate your gourmet senses at Italian restaurant Joïa in Visé near Liège, Belgium. Your eyes will be in for a treat as well when you see the high-profile interior with the amazingArdesia Nera Stonepanels as the pièce de résistance!

Did you know that Stonepanels can also be used as wall cladding? Thanks to their naturally rough surface, they create a unique, remarkable effect for your interior and exterior.

With the Up-site tower in the heart of Brussels, property developer Atenor Group managed to create the tallest residential tower in the country. The impressive building in the canal district is built around three separate entities, with the emblematic, architectural design of the 140 m tower as the eye-catcher. Some of the building's main strengths that attracted the attention of many potential buyers are the brilliant sky deck terrace on the 42nd floor, the unique wellness complex with indoor pool, mini cinema and children's play area.

To implement this grand project Atenor Group entered into a special collaboration with several renowned urban architects such as "Ateliers Lion Architectes-Urbanistes" (Paris) and "A2RC Architects" (Brussels).

The integration of natural stone in this exceptional project was deliberate. The absolute highlight is the Marmara White in the majestic lobby area. By combining Twilight natural stone with light-coloured wall cladding, the developer successfully continued the Black and White trend on the exterior as well.

Marble is alive. It is a natural stone you get to shape exactly how you want to at the time. Depending on what is in vogue. Marble lends itself perfectly to bold combinations of tradition and innovation. Every time it offers a new design that is always firmly rooted in Italy.

Beltrami is the distributor of the Italian marble collection Luce di Carrara in Belgium, France and the UK. This collection consists of three expressive, yet functional product ranges. Bathroom, Living and Limited Edition are the result of an intensive collaboration with designer Michael Anastassiades. He stood at the cradle of a first collection of marble stones. Thanks to the creativity of his fellow designers, Anastassiades is now marketing a range of products perfect for the bathroom or living room in the modern home: from rough stone to sophisticated design. Only marble has such a rich history, which is why it continues to persist today in the most advanced interiors.

Nero Santiago is a Chinese granite with a very distinctive streaky surface showing a linear succession of grainy white minerals and finer black minerals.
This unusual characteristic is particularly attractive in the exceptionally large Mega Tiles of Nero Santiago. This natural stone can be used both indoors and outdoors. Its flamed, brushed finish ensures a perfect combination of ease of use and non-slip feature.

The trend is clear: natural stone is attracting more and more of an interest. This is reflected in all sorts of imitations in building materials, but also in the use of natural stone prints in fashion and wallpaper, for example.
Fortunately, more natural stone itself is also used. With over 30 years' experience in this natural product, Beltrami recently modernised its slabs range and readjusted its offer to better meet market demand for materials, finishes and colours and application trends.

The result is a wide range of natural stone slabs - from traditional to the more exclusive materials - in three categories: budget-friendly BMC (Beltrami Marble Composite), high quality BQS (Beltrami Quartz Surfaces) and BNatural, a collection that includes both traditional granite and more unusual materials.

Within BNatural, particularly white, pure marbles such as Bianco Carrara, Calacatta and Statuario are much sought after. However, Beltrami prefers to open up its entire collection by deepening it rather than widening it. It specifically wants to offer more diversity and choice in dimensions, material types and finishes by intensifying its collaboration with acclaimed national and international suppliers. Beltrami works very closely with Carrières du Hainaut, which provides its Belgian bluestone. Besides offering this well-known classic, Beltrami also aims to inspire architects and individuals in the future with special materials, dimensions and finishes that are tailored to its customer.

Uniformity in and outside the home creates peace and harmony. For the design and cladding of this sleek, modernist home, the developer (Basic Architects - Peter De Kegel / Belgium) used a sustainable, high-quality stone offering a special, warm atmosphere.

Beige tinted Simyra from the Bselected series is a limestone from the Middle East with subtle colour nuances. Simyra stone was used both as indoor and outdoor flooring and also deserved a prominent place on the bathroom walls.

There is a fascinating story behind the Simyra stone. In the late 1990s, manager Herwig Callewier happened to be in contact with a Lebanese manufacturer. "He managed a limestone quarry in the North of Lebanon. At first sight, the quarry seemed uninteresting: the limestone was erratic in colour and showed lots of cracks. But guess what? When we had the limestone tested at the CSTC in Limelette, we knew we had found a top-notch product. After 240 cycles of frost tests, the stone was still as beautiful as ever. The Simyra limestone was born. Meanwhile, we have created hundreds of projects in this warm stone, "Herwig says.

Image: Simyra Brossato
Basic Architects - Peter de Kegel