It’s hard to believe that this fall marks my 16th anniversary working on Contemporary Stone & Tile Design (CSTD). With only a year of experience working as a reporter for several local newspapers, I set out as the Assistant Editor for CSTD and its sister publication, Stone World. I remember right after I accepted the position, I thought to myself, “What do I know about stone and tile?” Little did I know what a world it would open up to me — and since that time, I have never looked at a piece of stone or tile the same way again.  Now I think about the quarries and fabrication shops were the stone had been extracted and cut or the trade shows where I was first introduced to a product.

Just last night I was watching “Property Brothers” on HGTV where they were installing ECO by Cosentino for the kitchen countertops. The host was explaining to the young first-time homeowner how the product is made with recycled content such as glass and porcelain. It’s always of interest to me when I watch these types of design shows and see products featured that I write about all the time. It solidifies to me that as editor of CSTD I really am in tune with the latest stone and tile products on the market, and in return, share them with all of our readers — both in print and online.

As a result of working on magazines for the stone and tile industries all of these years, I have definitely learned a lot about products. I have also learned to love writing about the use of stone and tile and how they apply to design.

One designer that I first built a relationship with early on in my career was Christopher Grubb of Arch-Interiors design group, inc. Christopher was always great to work with, and he always used a great deal of stone in his designs. He became a valuable source when I was looking for comments about specific areas of stone and design.

In recent times, we have reconnected, and Christopher has made quite a name for himself in the Beverly Hills area as a high-end custom designer. He has also been featured in many publications nationwide as well as on many television channels, including HGTV and DIY Network.

I was very happy when Christopher agreed to do a one-on-one interview with me for this edition of CSTD. I find interviews like this enjoyable because it really gives insight into the designer. Turn to page 32 of this issue to learn how his career got started, where he draws his inspiration for his designs and where he turns to learn about new stone and tile products. The interview showcases a wide range of Christopher’s residential and commercial designs.

Working with architects and designers has become one of the favorite parts of my job. Through the years, I have built many relationships with architect and design firms — both small and large — throughout the U.S. I turn to them when I am looking for something specific, or they often reach out to me when they have a completed stone and/or tile project that they think would make a great feature for the magazine. I look forward to maintaining these relationships and building more as time goes on. Please don’t hesitate to e-mail me at Jennifer@stoneworld.com to let me know about your latest work in stone and tile. I look forward to hearing from you.