TORONTO DESIGNER UNEARTHS 5O MILLION YEAR OLD
FOSSIL STONE… FOR A 2007 KITCHEN

Toronto, March 2007 • PRESS RELEASE

While researching countertop surfaces for a renovation in a large, Post & Beam country home, Toronto designer Susan McConnell found a stunning wall mural, which was actually a framed piece of 50 million year old, fossil-embedded stone. McConnell instantly realized this material would be a wonderful complement to the custom kitchen she was designing for her client’s home.

Further investigation lead McConnell to the Utah-based Green River Stone Company, who operate a private quarry at the site of an ancient lake in Logan, Wyoming. They directed the designer to Canadian distributors Art of Traderhorn, who supplied additional information and colour options. Soon afterward, with the enthusiastic approval of McConnell’s client, this unique project moved forward.

As project manager, McConnell oversaw the installation of her custom designed wood cabinetry, and sent the countertop templates to Utah, to be used for stone cutting. At the quarry, fossil specimens were uncovered and positioned on the surface for maximum viewing impact. A one and a half inch edge was square-cut to reveal the strata of the sedimentary stone (layers which nature had built up over the millennia), and finally, the counter surface was sealed. The crated and insured shipment arrived in perfect condition, and was installed with technical help from Utah. Now, a 50 million year old counter, a veritable piece of art, highlights the newly installed kitchen-- a “one of a kind” in Canada.