I love to use slates in different patterns for various projects. Slate comes in different colors and sizes. Most slates are between $3 and $6 per square foot for materials. I cut slate pieces up into many different sizes and set it in flat – one piece at a time. It comes in gauged (uniform thickness) or in un-gauged (different thicknesses) pieces.

This Rajah entryway has silver Rajah Slate manipulated for a border and red Rajah manipulated for a 2-inch drop on the corner of the Rajah slate field tiles.

This entryway goes with the fireplace in the living room. The wall colors and artwork go with the Rajah Slate colors.

This Rajah Slate fireplace has an impressionistic masterpiece painting above it which inspired the Rajah Slate as the material to be used. The fireplace is a masterpiece also – it had to be equal to the painting to set the standard for the home’s design. The fireplace came first, and then the entry was designed and created to go with it. A lot of work – but well worth it!

This front porch looks like woven steel. The owners and I love it!

This backyard courtyard has a fountain and lots of plantings. So much work to layout, cut, and set of all this material carefully in an Ashlar pattern and to set it all flat on a 6 inch concrete slab with a waterproof membrane. The limestone slab gives it extra formality to the design.

This Rajah slate rooftop over the garage with the slab limestone wall caps is amazing. It’s all waterproofed and perfectly set. The rooftop is sloped to a gutter and scupper. The Ashlar pattern and material goes with the lower backyard courtyard.

This small bathroom is off a huge entryway with a China Green slate. So much cutting and work – but worth it. The house is amazing.

This shower, using Basque slate, is as perfect as I could make it. It is beautiful and colorful.

I mitered and color matched the window, column, and inset box in this Rajah bathroom on the vertical surface. The floor and pan are honed pieces of very refined Burlington slate.

My house; my kitchen floor is refined and elegant. The natural cleft, Brazilian black slate 16-by-16-inch pieces with 2-inch real copper drops on the corners is rich and classic.

Both upstairs bathroom floors in my home are created using Vermont Purple slate. The slate floors are both octagon – dot patterns that are non skid when wet.

This formal entryway leads into the kitchen floor. This rich concept is created with Brazilian Black slate with Galaxy Black granite accents; it creates an interesting introduction to my home.

— By Jeff Sellen

Jeff Sellen is an artist, designer and a master stone mason. You can reach him at his website jeffsellendesigns.com, at jeffsellendesign@yahoo.com or at 425-444-5754.