Expert Ease: Short Hills Marble & Tile

With nine years in the tile industry, Adrienne Gallmann, showroom manager at Short Hills Marble & Tile in Short Hills, NJ, truly loves her job. Gallmann’s enthusiasm was apparent when we sat down with her to chat about her favorite subject.

How did you come to be in the tile industry?

I never thought I’d be in the retail end of the industry; I always thought I’d do full residential or commercial design after graduating from Berkeley College in Paramus with a degree in interior design. However, one of my friends was in the tile industry, and loved it, so I pursued it. Looking back, it really makes sense: As a kid I collected rocks and made patterns, and my mom had a kiln where we would make ceramics. It’s almost like my calling.

How is Short Hills Marble & Tile able to provide such a wide range of products?

We started importing for our store directly from various manufacturers and suppliers around the world. From there, we started our sister company, Allstone, which is our importing division. Through Allstone, we bring in our own materials, design our own stock and custom programs, and distribute materials to many tile companies along the East Coast.

Is your showroom primarily for the trade, or can everyday consumers take advantage of it as well?

We deal diligently with all clientele, including retail consumers, architects, designers, builders and developers. Being that we import directly and have such a wide range of local sources, we’re able to meet just about anyone’s budget.

How involved is Short Hills Marble & Tile in the design process?

We’ll go to a job site to measure the space and draw layouts in AutoCAD to scale for customer approval and installer reference – we can even help run countertop installations. In essence, we can be there every step of the way, if a client prefers. All of our sales associates have design backgrounds, and we offer design services at no charge. We want to ensure all of the design elements work together. Nobody wants an uncoordinated mix of styles!

What would you use if designing your own “dream space”?

Definitely stone – I’m a natural stone kind of girl. I’m not a huge fan of porcelain; it’s pretend to me. I love classic stones, like Calacatta or statuary. I would also incorporate custom mosaics and patterns.

What are some of the trends you’re seeing regarding materials and patterns?

Although porcelain has come a long way and improved in the last 10 years, most of our demographic prefers stone. An overall trend is toward larger formats, whether it’s stone or porcelain. People are requesting big one-piece slabs of material, which can be used for flooring or wall applications. There’s also a move toward consideration of texture; people are looking at 3D patterns, as well as how patterns look and feel combined with different materials and textures.

Geometrical patterns are also very “now.” Years ago the style was traditional and more floral. Now, tastes are coming back around to classic patterns, but with updated sizes, giving it a transitional twist with larger-scaled patterns and clean lines.

Photography courtesy of Short Hills Tile and Alberto Coronel

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