Call the fabricator you plan to use, they will know if there are any issues using it for that.

I’ve never heard of this stone before so I can’t speak to its suitability for a fire place. Do you have a mud room or laundry room planned? We have a combination mud room with laundry and I think that a bold stone like that would be a nice feature in there.

That stone is gorgeous. Yes, do find out if it can be used in a fireplace. Google "van gogh granite fireplace surround." While no image of that exact granite came up under "Images" a lot of very patterned granite surrounds do show up. You'll see that something very unique and patterned will very much dominate a whole room and dictate choices for furnishings. There may be a way to use a small amount of it so that you leave more options for the rest of the room.

How about using it for a buffet / dry bar countertop? Or have a piece fabricated for a console tabletop, a powder room counter? I can think of many places to use it.

This stone is also called Blue Louise. Found several photos as fireplace surrounds. This is the most spectacular.

This stone needs to be the star, so I wouldn't waste it n a mud room or laundry room.

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/4650078/any-experience-moving-countertop-to-new-kitchen?n=27

You may have a difficult time sourcing this stone

I agree that it definitely has to be the star and if we use it for the fireplace it will influence everything from the color paint to the furniture. But I love it and I'm willing to do whatever I need to do to use it. I probably wouldn't use it in the laundry room, but I'm open to having a table custom made with it. I'm giving more thought to using it in a downstairs bathroom, but it feels so hidden away in there. I'd like to see it every day, multiple times a day, even if I'm just breezing in and out of the room.

Will you have a power room? I think that would be a great place and a nice surprise for your guests. If you're lucky enough, you may find a remnant.

Will your kitchen have an island? I know you said up thread that you were using grey and white in the kitchen but that stone on just the island could be spectacular.

That’s my to-die-for artist and stone. I had contemplated getting a large slab and just mounting on a bathroom wall, just to look at. I’d be reluctant to do the fireplace surround with it, because the pattern, movement and brilliance can be lost if you will have a mantel. Just my two cents.

The first time I ever saw Van Gogh granite was in a shop in Fredericksburg, TX. It was the most beautiful stone I've ever seen. The shop makes furniture using granite. Here is a link to some of their furniture pieces: Phil Jackson's Granite

d_gw, that is actually a very bold and exciting idea. I do plan to have an island, so that's definitely an option. Thank you for the suggestion!

Have you spoken to fabricators or stone distributors about getting Van Gogh/also known as Blue Louise? Like the other posters in the thread I shared, when shopping for granite last summer, I was told by both a fabricator and a major city distributor that it’s no longer being quarried. If that’s not the case, I’d love to be proved wrong. They suggested Fusion quartzite for a similar Wow factor.

Absolutely gorgeous! I wouldn’t hide it away in a powder room or mud room for sure. It is meant to be the star of the living area. I would do a kitchen island and/or fireplace. But I love stone with lots of movement and drama. Do you have an open floor plan? Everything in the room(s) with it should be simple and you have a wonderful selection of colors to go with it. Google both Van Gogh and Blue Louise and there are oodles of pictures!

The granite is still being mined, the issue is cost. Minimum order is 6 bundles = 2400 square feet = $100k. Add the crating at the pit, shipping to the dock, container to port of entry, shipping the bundles of slabs to your warehouse... That's a huge investment for a stone that has a very high price point to the consumer.

There was another stone called Aurora something (I can't remember) that looked like a Monet painting. I searched everywhere and finally was told it was no longer being imported because the interior designers said it had "too much pink in it". Since I'm seeing more pink in interiors perhaps it will return.

If you can still get it, that granite not only needs to be the star, but the larger the piece and more uninterrupted the surface, the better.

It’s not gonna work in your average suburban house. Either from a design or cost point.

Here are a couple of pics of it on an island. I like the simplicity of the kitchen and the island in the second picture.

I would absolutely have a table made from it. It would be the star of your dining room (plus you can take it with you when you move)...

This is a stone that needs to be used in a large space to see the true beauty. In a small space, it's just busy and ugly. An island is a perfect place for it, but the owner must be prepared to allow it to be the true star, and do the cabinets, floors and peripheral countertops, in something quite neutral.

I found this true when I was researching Neolith's wonderful marble looks. They look best on an entire wall, or an island that could double as the landing zone on an aircraft carrier. Bank walls and hotel lobbies look great with it on the wall. But in my small suburban house kitchen? I would have ended up with lots and lots of just white and never seen the beauty of the pattern.

Remember - a very expensive ball gown is not a good choice, when ones life consists mainly of work, carpool and the grocery. Put the money elsewhere.

The pattern is so large that it will be too chopped up for a fireplace surround. It really needs to be on a large surface. The pictures of it actually being used don't seem as beautiful to me as just seeing the granite by itself.

It will be going in a house in rural France that we hope will be in the family for hundreds of years so it's definitely worth the investment to us. Wonderful feedback, thanks everyone.

You may want to check "Palomino granite". As always, different slabs have varying amounts and shades of blue.

The first time I saw it I wanted it as a wall hanging in the dining room. I knew that was completely impractical but still....

Also "Blue Jeans" granite from Turkey.

A fireplace of this style would be stunning with that granite.

it's fine for around the FP. how big is it? will you be able to appreciate the movement? another option is BlueBahia or Amazonite.

Putting this

in our kitchen today. They call it Marine Blue. We’re in NJ so it’s still around.

Are you going to have a masonry fireplace built or will it be one of those prefab fireplaces? It might make a difference in the look. Also, are you going for a more traditional or contemporary design. Here's a before and after mockup I did for one of our customers who was buying a fireplace door from us and was planning on using Azul Blue granite on the fireplace with a TV above it.

Hansen Wholesale Fireplace Doors

I’d use it as the main wall in my ginormous master bath walk in shower! Gorgeous!

Finished kitchen. I don’t find it too busy at all and my kitchen isn’t all that big.

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