The World’s Most Beautiful Marble Wows in This Designer Party: Winter is Coming — and It’s Never Looked So Good

From the moment that Aria Stone Gallery moved into Decorative Center Houston, I have been fascinated by the massive slabs of remarkable marble, granite, quartzite and onyx presented as works of art. The beautiful pieces from around the world never cease to captivate. So I was especially pleased to join the Aria Stone/PaperCity holiday fete in the museum-like space on the center’s ground floor.

A harpist played enchanting tunes as designers and friends perused the galleries of beautiful marbles and discussed the various uses, be it installed as a full artful wall or cut to embrace a bathroom or honed to serve as a dining table top.

The cocktail gathering was perfectly timed for the arrival of new pieces. As Aria’s marketing manager Allison Paschold noted, it was the so-called winter collection. Not a seasonal collection per se, but the richly striated black pieces spoke of winter nights while the gently marbled white slabs reminded of elegant snowscapes. Paschol and gallery manager Jon Schuler welcomed guests and escorted them through dramatic collection.

My personal favorite, however, was a stunning Verde Aurora Marble piece from China, the striations of various shades of green offering a soothing if not tropical feel.

Gourmet party fare was provided  by Revival and a talented sommelier from 13 Celsius European Wine Bar & Cafe presented three different Chardonnays and Cabernet  Sauvignons from three different regions, explaining how the wine’s note can vary due to the climate, soil, etc. Yet, they are all the same type of wine, similarly to natural stone. In fact, marble can be sourced from various regions, mountains and it’s aesthetic and composition can vary as a result of the soil, climate and the like.

Who: Lindsay Robinson, Alexis Dorta, Olinta Labrador, Paloma Contreras, Lindsay Rome, Joseph Cherry, Michelle Goulat, Cris Hosrich, Anna and Sam Pack, Denise Labrador, April Graves, Pamela O’Brien, Ben Johnston, Menny Rosenbaum, Linda Marshall and Teri Smith.