We’re thrilled to kick off our Designer Spotlight with none other than Laura Burton of Laura Burton Interiors, a leading design firm based in Austin, Texas. For the past 20 years, Laura has expertly blended creativity and functionality in both residential and commercial projects. Her background in architecture and hands-on experience as a contractor give her a well-rounded ability to balance design aesthetics with the practicalities of construction.
Since founding her business in 2004, Laura has been a valued partner of Encore Stone Studios, frequently incorporating our natural stones into her stunning designs. She often draws inspiration during visits to our showroom, making Encore a key resource in her work.
Keep reading as Laura opens up about everything from the creative process behind her stone selections to how she balances style and practicality, and what keeps her coming back to Encore Stone Studios.
Laura, we really appreciate you joining us! Can you tell us a little bit about your background?
I moved to Austin to go to the University of Texas and graduated from the UT Architecture School in the eighties. After that, I had some friends and family members who had asked me to do design projects and contracting work for their remodels, and I was becoming a lot more interested in interiors along the way.
My husband is a builder, but he didn't start his building company until after I started doing all of that. People often assume I know a lot about construction because I'm married to a builder, but that has nothing to do with why I know a lot about construction. I started my interiors company in 2004, so I've been an interior designer here for 20 years.
Do you focus on a specific design niche, or do you design within a wide range of styles?
My natural style is probably sleek or updated traditional, but if you look at my website, you'll see projects that lean more contemporary. I've had clients worry initially that I might be too sleek or harsh, but when they see my house and begin working with me, they see that's not the case. I think most designers can wrap their brains around any style, but I'm never overly fussy. I like simplicity and tend to lean toward a simpler version of whatever I'm doing.
Fusion Crystal Project - Bar
For projects with natural stone, do you typically have a stone selection in mind before visiting Encore, or do you find inspiration on-site?
It's probably a bit of a mixture. I'll have those conversations with clients — if we're planning a kitchen, we talk to them about whether we're going with a lighter color or a darker color. But most of the time, [my clients] are just like me in that they really love natural stone. And so we will have an idea of what we're looking for, and I'll say, “Let's just go. You're going to fall in love with something.
Do you have a favorite place to put natural stone that's not necessarily just a countertop?
We're seeing it a lot more in backsplashes. I just have to pay a lot of attention to the thickness, since it's thicker than tile in those instances. We're also doing a lot of large porcelain slabs, and sometimes a thin quartz, on the shower walls. I know a lot of people are using them on vent hood surrounds — I really haven't done that, but I've seen a lot of it as inspiration.
Do you do a lot of mitering?
We do a lot of miters, especially in powder rooms. I’ve found that a lot of the time, clients don't want to forego the storage. But sometimes in a powder room, especially if they have some built-in shelving, they're more inclined to do a mitered stone there.
What do you consider when selecting materials that balance both aesthetic appeal and durability?
One of the things I warn clients about is they keep getting attached to these pictures of really light countertops, not realizing that it’s either quartz or marble. I would talk to them about how marble is really not appropriate — it's really porous, so in a kitchen, it's not going to be as durable. And if you're showing me pictures of these very veined things, you'll either have to pick a man-made material, like a quartz with artificial veining, or either marble or quartzite. I do love quartzite because it connects those gaps.
If people don't mind going dark, I love some of the new granites, and I've seen some granite at Encore that I get really excited about. Because there were things like Ubatuba and other granites that got overused in the early 2000s, I have some clients who refer to it as “apartment granite” — you know, because of the apartment complexes that wanted to advertise that they had granite — and we’re all tired of looking at that. But some granites are lovely and unique, and they’re so durable, so if I can find that, I like it.
Blue Ijen Project - Lounge
Is there a particular project where the experience of working with Encore stood out to you?
The Blue Ijen project. The client didn’t want to have the exact same thing everywhere, but she wanted stuff to coordinate. For her kitchen countertop, we used Blue Flowers. We were able to see the relationship of the Blue Ijen with the Blue Flowers there in Encore, and she was ready straight away to go ahead and order it. We made the purchase right there, and they reserved them and then transferred them to the fabricator. They did a really good job hand-holding that for me, storing it for a while until the fabricator was ready, and then transferring it to the fabricator. It was really seamless.
How would you describe the quality and variety of materials available at Encore?
I really like the inventory that they carry at Encore. I love that I can always find special materials there that I don't see elsewhere. They bring in a vast array of exotic stone, but they also have some more standard materials as well, so I usually find stuff that I fall in love with there. Encore does a really good job of keeping on hand the materials that I want to see and that my clients want to see.
What are the top three reasons you work with Encore?
Convenience: Encore doesn’t require appointments, so I can tell clients to swing by there and look at something. I can’t always be there to make an appointment and hold somebody’s hand, so it’s nice that I can say, “Go to Encore, let them know that you’re a client of Laura Burton and that she gave you these things to look for.”
Transparency: One thing that a lot of my trade peers really love about Encore is that the pricing is very transparent. We can bring a client in there and they can see the pricing, whereas at a lot of other places in town, you would have to go to the fabricator, and then you're waiting several days before you know if it fits in your budget.
Service: One of the things that I really appreciate about [Encore’s Account Manager] Ben [Henderson] is that if he knows I'm looking at something, he chases me down. If the builder is not buying it right away, he says, “Laura, I know you wanted this. I wanted to give you a heads-up that someone else is looking at it. Do you still want it?” He's very communicative about that.
I heard you're writing a book. Can you tell us about that?
Yes, I'm writing a book called Find Your Way Home. It's about preparing people for all the decisions they'll have to make in any home-building project, whether a remodel or new construction. It helps people structure their support team to avoid decision fatigue and provides considerations for various materials. My goal is to have physical books by the end of this year, with an eBook also in the works.
Laura’s Design Collaborations with Encore
Each project is characterized by one of Encore Stone Studio’s variety of stones from our diverse collection.
Fusion Crystal
This material is the backsplash and bar in a very expansive kitchen, featuring large windows and Hill Country views, so we wanted it to provide some interest but not detract from the views or become too busy.
Blue Ijen
These slabs were intended to be the art/ focal point for a key wall in the living room, so we put them together in a book-matched pattern for optimum impact, and used the remnant as a backsplash for the neighboring lounge.
Neolith Basalt Grey
Since this was cladding for a large fireplace wall, we wanted it to be subtle, fire-resistant, and to have as much of a natural feeling as possible. This material checked all of those boxes and more!
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