Romancing the Stone

Sourcing the perfect materials for interior design

By Judy Royal

Dustin Braudway opened Bluewater Surfaces in 2009, and since then it has been his mission to find the perfect materials for local home and office interiors.

“We are a natural stone and mixed hardscapes company that specializes in unique natural stones as well as sintered stone and engineered concretes from around the world,” he said. “We travel extensively around the world each year sourcing and selecting the finest natural stones to import into our area. With these materials, we produce beautiful kitchens and bathrooms as well as fireplace and furniture fixtures.”

Braudway, who grew up in Wilmington and is a third-generation stone fabricator/setter, located his business in the Switchyard, a commercial building that houses a mix of like-minded craftsmen companies. He mainly works with architects, designers and builders, while offering retail services as well.

“I am a very hands-on owner,” says Braudway. “I have an amazing staff of highly skilled craftsmen, from hand fabricators to machine programmers and office/showroom sales. My favorite part of owning the business is seeing my employees bring the design and artistic approach to fulfilling the client’s dream.”

Bluewater Surfaces strives to keep up with the latest trends so it can bring the latest and greatest offerings to its clients. Braudway said he is seeing a lot of new stones such as quartzites, one of the hardest stones on Earth, being produced by quarries all over the world.

“The technology to mine these stones is just catching up in the last five years,” he says. “Although the stones are billions of years old, the technology to not only get them out of the ground but to be able to fabricate them is relatively new and always changing.”

In addition, new sealers for natural stones are emerging. “We are one of few places in the state that is certified to provide new sealers that make marble acid-proof,” he explains. “It is a new technology out of Italy that is very exciting, especially for a marble addict such as myself.”

Braudway says Bluewater Surfaces stands apart because of their attention to detail and design as well as their selection of materials.

“There are a lot of other great stone shops in our area,” he says. “Most clients come to us for specialties in either unique materials or complexity of the work to be done. We do take pride in accomplishing more of the difficult projects that are on the cutting edge of design.”

More About Bluewater Surfaces

Owner: Dustin Braudway

Services: Natural stone and mixed hardscapes

Location: 4022 Market St., Wilmington, NC

Phone: 910.547.1980

Website: bluewatersurfaces.com

Instagram: @bluewatersurfaces