The spring edition of Contemporary Stone & Tile Design (CSTD) is the launch of our new eMagazine platform – allowing for interactive components and the convenience of viewing the content on your computer, tablet or phone. While we are still living through a pandemic, there are promising signs that the stone and tile industries, as well as the A&D community, are starting to resume activity – even though it might be under the guidelines of the “new normal.” It is encouraging to see live educational sessions resuming, and two of our largest industry trade shows, The International Surface Event (TISE) and Coverings, scheduled to take place in a few months from now.

While the pandemic has forced many of us to re-strategize, it is not necessarily a terrible thing. As the old proverb goes, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” Not being able to have in-person events and meetings has pushed many to be creative and innovative in various ways – whether to maintain business relationships and offer industry education through virtual appointments and webinars, stay in touch with customers through email and social media, and continuing to find the best possible way to manufacture and ship products. The pandemic has made many of us realize that if there is a will, there is a way. It is good to see that our industries are still flourishing. With many homeowners spending almost all of their time in their living spaces, the number of residential remodels has skyrocketed -- leading to an increase in business for designers, as well as fabricators, installers and suppliers. This is a positive sign to come out of a down time.