Photo credits Native Trails
The Native Trails story is heartfelt and hard-earned. It has brought the company to where it stands today, as the world’s most esteemed producer of hand-hammered copper sinks, bathtubs, and accessories. Native Trails’ product line, which has grown to include bath vanities, mirrors, range hoods, and luxury lifestyle products, is handcrafted by top international artisans sought out for their talent and rewarded for their brilliant work. This is the story of Native Trails Founder, CEO and Creative Visionary Naomi Neilson Howard, who created the brand as a college student in 1996. Inspired by the untapped talent of the artisans she met during a year studying abroad in Spain and by numerous family trips to Mexico, Howard began selling folk art from the back of her van. Over time, copper vases became one of Native Trails’ core products—that is, until the company introduced its magnificent copper sinks and bathtubs, now coveted the world over and found in many fine homes and in the pages of Elle Décor, Architectural Digest, Dwell, and more. The rest is history, but it’s also the future, to which Howard looks to continue telling and living this incredible story and fulfilling Native Trails’ Eco-Social PositiveTM philosophy. Today, from the Native Trails headquarters in San Luis Obispo, CA, Native Trails ships product to more than 1,300 showrooms across the U.S. and Canada
Native Trails’ new concrete sinks, made of a gorgeous and groundbreaking cement and jute fiber mixture called NativeStone™, is poised to spur the concrete trend in home design and energize the kitchen and bath industry. NativeStone™ has already helped Native Trails, located on California’s Central Coast, gain entry into more than 50 new kitchen and bath showrooms across the United States. Founded in 1996, Native Trails is renowned for its fine, hand-crafted sinks and bathtubs—made of recycled copper by world-class artisans who profit directly from their work—in addition to bath furniture, range hoods, and lifestyle products.
The NativeStone™ line, which includes kitchen, bar/prep, and lavatory sinks, is an immediate and enormous hit with showrooms, interior designers, and homeowners. These sinks are impervious to staining and are cool and silky smooth, thanks to a cutting-edge nano sealer. Jute fiber is integrated throughout the concrete, resulting in a material that is highly resistant to cracking. NativeStone™ is also Native Trails’ most affordable kitchen and bath product line launched to date.
“Our customers are going to love NativeStone™ as much as we already do,” says Dion Wilson, Manager at Waterhouse Bath and Kitchen Studio in Perrysburg, Ohio, one of the 1,300 showrooms in the U.S. and Canada where the NativeStone™ products will be sold. “It is one of those tactile products where seeing is just not enough; everyone is drawn to touching and feeling it. These sinks are a real game-changer because they give our customers the option of concrete without the cost and challenges that come with a custom-made concrete product.”
NativeStone™ fully upholds Native Trails’ Eco-Social Positive™ commitment to only make and sell products that have a positive influence on our world, both socially and environmentally. By adding jute—a natural, renewable vegetable fiber—to the proprietary concrete blend, Native Trails has reinvented concrete as we know it. NativeStone™ concrete sinks are 40 percent lighter, much stronger, and far more sustainable than traditional cement sinks since they make use of natural resources, generate less waste, and require less energy than ordinary concrete production. Less heft also makes them easier to install and less expensive to ship than traditional concrete.
“Concrete is an emerging home design trend that we see used far more often for countertops, floors, furniture, and even home exteriors,” says Native Trails CEO and Founder Naomi Neilson Howard. “NativeStone™ makes great use of concrete’s natural beauty and its natural color—gray—which is also a hot design trend right now, and avoids all of its previous downfalls. It is gorgeous and silky to the touch. For the first time, concrete communicates luxury just as powerfully as it does function.”
To develop this product, Naomi Howard and Native Trails President Tim Blair visited artisans in Vietnam, where they spent weeks hiking to remote villages, exploring cities both ancient and modern, researching factories and workshops, and coming to appreciate the country’s strong handicraft tradition and deep-rooted artisan culture.
“We were looking for a material that could translate to both a kitchen and a bath sink,” says Native Trails President Tim Blair. “It needed to be artisan-made, with our Eco-Social PositiveTM philosophy and story behind it. It also had to be sustainably crafted to fit with our core beliefs and be viable for business—not an easy thing in reality. Once we saw one of the NativeStone™ prototypes and felt the smooth, cool texture, we fell in love with it. That’s how it goes: if we love the product, it’s a pretty good bet that designers and homeowners will as well.”
The NativeStone™ designs were influenced by Native Trails’ most popular copper sinks and by the versatility of the concrete material, which granted enormous creative freedom. The result is a product line inspired as much by nature as it is by modern life and by concrete’s naturally industrial appeal.
Here is a brief listing of the entire NativeStone™ collection currently available:
Bar/Prep Sinks http://www.nativetrails.net/nativestone-kitchen-bar-sinks/
- Ventana — This 15″ X 15″ X 8″ apron front prep sink proves it is hip to be square. Its substantial apron shows off the sleek lines and organic beauty of NativeStone™. Can also be installed as an undermount.
- Pozo — At 16″ X 8″, this round prep sink makes a statement. Its drop-in installation creates a striking raised profile, showcasing the sleek texture and finish of NativeStone™.
Bath Sinks http://www.nativetrails.net/nativestone-bath-sinks/
- Morro — The perfect half-sphere of this vessel sink makes it a true standout for the bath; a beautiful, contemporary work of art in any of three finishes. Best of all, at 17″ X 5″, its bowl is the perfect depth for washing up.
- Cuyama — At 21″ X 15″ X 5″, Cuyama may be a traditional oval bathroom sink size, but it is far from ordinary. Its beautiful raised profile and wide lip create a clean, contemporary look.
- Montecito — Modern and angular, this generously sized raised profile rectangle lavatory sink measures 21.5″ X 15.5″ X 5.25″.
Trough Bath Sinks http://www.nativetrails.net/nativestone-bath-sinks/trough-3619.html
- Trough 3619 — Durable, substantial, and beautiful – an ideal combination for a sink that is naturally the focal point of a bathroom. Trough 3619 features a single drain and measures 32″ X 12″ X 4″ on the interior, with an exterior size of 36″ X 19″ X 5″.
- Trough 4819 — Perfect for sharing, Trough 4819 features two drains and measures 44″ X 12″ X 4″ on the interior, with an exterior dimension of 48″ X 19″ X 5″.
Farmhouse Kitchen Sink http://www.nativetrails.net/nativestone-kitchen-bar-sinks/farmhouse-3018.html
- Farmhouse 3018 — NativeStone™’s sleek glamour brings a fresh sense of durability and styling to this classic Farmhouse sink. Measures 30″ X 18″ X 10.25″.