Though they had an architect help with the design of the house, the Slotkins chose to select the stone themselves. "They had an idea of what they were looking for, " said Larry Sandberg, tile manager at European Bath, Kitchen, Tile & Stone. "When they came in, they loved how the floor of the showroom looked. They purchased about 6,000 square feet of the material in 16- x 16-inch tiles."

The Slotkins did think about using other materials, but the slate seemed like the natural design solution for their home "We have used slate in a number of houses," said Slotkin. "This will be the third house where we use the material. Though we also looked at poured-color concrete, we decided this slate would be warmer. It is more appealing to a variety of people -- the concrete floor was too austere."

Albert Villialobos, sales representative for MS International, explained that the material the Slotkins saw on the floor of the showroom came from India. "The slate was imported from northern India, in the state Haryana," he said.

The Slotkins chose a large amount of material for their 4,500-square-foot house, because they wanted it to flow throughout the space. "We did have about 1,000 square feet of carpeting put in, but the rest was slate," said Slotkin. "The slate is used around the pool, spa and Jacuzzi for the exterior, and in the interior living room, kitchen, bathrooms and showers as flooring. In the bathroom, it was also used for the shower walls. The color inside and out fit with the exterior surroundings."

The house was newly built, and construction began in August 2001 and ended in August 2002. Dambach Quality Tile, Inc. in Vista, CA, was commissioned to install the stone in the house. "We used a medium bed thin-set over mortar for the flooring, using Tec Specialty Products Medium Bed." said Paul Dambach. "The showers were floated. It took four workers about three weeks for the installation. The only challenge was moving the material around in crates, but we managed it. It wasn't a difficult job."

After construction was complete, the Slotkins were very happy with their new home. "Everybody loves it," said Slotkin. "It is warm, comfortable, and can fit any type of furniture. Our look is mid-century modern."

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Private Residence, Rancho Santa Fe, CA