Interior Stone Wall Ideas: Types of Stone, Lighting and Colours

Home PlannerApp Team · June 22, 2022

Where to put stone, how to light it, what to pair it with, and how the main types of stone differ in weight, wear and price.

You are tired of plain paint, wallpaper and plaster, and one wall in your home looks empty. Stone can fill it. It is the classic finish of Mediterranean, rustic and industrial rooms, but a wall of brick or natural stone also works in a classic or a retro interior.

The interior stone wall ideas below cover four questions: which wall to cover, how to light it, what to pair it with, and which stone to buy.

Stone gives a wall four things:

• A natural texture that no paint can copy.
• Good sound insulation.
• A wide choice of colour, texture and price.
• Easy care and a long life.

The stones you see most often indoors are limestone, sandstone, brick, slate and coral stone.

Stone accent wall ideas: which wall should you cover?

One wall, or part of one, rather than the whole room. Proportion is the main rule with stone.

Cover every wall from floor to ceiling and you get the opposite of comfort. The room starts to feel like a cave or a crypt: cold, dark and a little depressing.

In a bedroom, choose the wall at the head of the bed. The sleeping area is the focus of the room, so give that wall a finish that the other walls do not have. Natural or artificial stone does this well and still fits the rest of the bedroom.

In a small room, cover only part of the wall. A strip or a panel of stone still changes the room a lot, and it does not close the space in.

Common mistake: a whole wall made of one kind of stone can look flat. If you cover an entire wall, mix several stones.

Which interior stone wall lighting ideas show the texture?

Give the stone wall its own lighting zone. Light aimed at the wall brings out every bump and seam of the natural texture.

Why it works: stone is a texture finish. Without light that shows the relief, it reads as a flat surface.

The trade-off: stone stays cool to the eye even when it is well lit. The next two ideas fix that.

What colours go with stone walls?

Warm accents: yellow, orange and red. They bring life back to the austere mood that bare stone sets.

• Soft textiles. Put wool, cashmere, rugs and fluffy pillows near the wall. Soft materials balance the coolness of the stone and make the room cozy.
• Contrasting seams. Fill the joints between stones in a contrasting colour. The pattern of the masonry becomes part of the decor.
• Stones of different sizes. Masonry of large and small stones looks more natural and more interesting than a regular grid.

Stone Ceiling: Is It a Good Idea?

Yes, if you want something unusual. A stone ceiling makes a room feel cozy and warm.

To keep it from feeling heavy, paint the stone. Paint softens the ceiling and ties it to the rest of the room, but you keep the rough texture of the material.

Choose the stone for the style of the room:

• Brick suits lofts and modern interiors.
• Large stones of different shapes suit country-style interiors and country houses.

Which types of interior stone walls are there?

The main choices are limestone, thin facing stone, river pebbles and natural stone, plus cheaper imitations.

All of them work indoors and outdoors. Decorative stone is also an environmentally responsible way to make a room feel rich and welcoming. Outside, a natural stone finish suits a house in hills or in a forest.

Price sets the first limit:

• Natural stone is the most expensive choice.
• Imitation panels from some producers look like the real thing and cost much less.
• Artificial stone, made of concrete and natural components, is the cheapest option.

Limestone

Limestone is a soft stone that wears with time. In cellular limestone, water acts on the pores and gives the surface an aged look. That look is the reason people choose it, indoors and outdoors.

Thin natural facing stone

Facing stone is a natural stone tile 2.5 to 3.1 cm thick. It looks like solid rock but weighs and costs much less. The plates are three times thinner and lighter than stone blocks, so they are easier to install and cheaper to transport. From the outside, a wall of facing plates looks the same as a wall of blocks. Only an expert can see the difference.

River pebbles

Pebbles are natural stones that flowing water has shaped and polished. People use them to clad the outside of a house, and indoors on fireplaces and kitchen backsplashes. In the garden, they edge flower beds.

Natural stone

Building with natural stone, for outside walls and for interior decoration, is one of the oldest building methods. The stone is mined and treated in a quarry before it reaches a building site.

Each type of stone is used according to its shape and texture. Natural stone lasts a long time, is easy to care for and keeps its original look for years. The trade-offs: it is expensive, and the installation needs special equipment.

Combine styles before you build

Rough stone masonry looks right in rural and modern interiors. It also works in bedrooms in shabby chic, Mediterranean or nautical style. For a room that is really your own, take the element you like from each of these styles and combine them.

A stone wall is hard to undo, so it is easier to judge it on your own room first. Measure your space in Home Planner and draw a 2D plan. Then select one wall, give it a stone or brick texture and look at the room in 3D. You can also furnish it with items from real brands, make render images, and start from ready-made layouts for a bedroom, bathroom or living room.