Nate Berkus’s Clever Use for Leftover Marble Makes Low-Waste Look Luxe

And wait until you see this terrazzo take.
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Nate Berkus knows a thing or two about getting crafty (did you catch his woven mirror DIY?) and his expertise is nothing new. The designer just shared a throwback on Instagram that’s just as genius today as it was then. While reminiscing on the master bathroom in his former Los Angeles home, he revealed that the stunning mirror border was in fact made up of excess scraps from another renovation project. 

“We used the remnants of our shower marble to frame Restoration Hardware medicine cabinets,” explains Berkus in the post. Leftovers have never looked better. 

 

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We’ll definitely be keeping the concept in our back pocket for when we can start remodeling again; after all, it’s a great way to ensure both waste and cost are kept a minimum. In the meantime, here are a few other ideas for reusing materials that we spotted in some of our favorite spaces.

If You Have Extra Wood

blue and light wood scullery
Photography and Design by Studio Laloc

Take a page from Lauren Lothrop Caron’s scullery and bring butcher block up—all the way to the backsplash, to be precise. She used offcuts from the countertops to fashion a 1½-inch-thick backdrop for the wall-mounted faucet. 

If You Have Extra Terrazzo

terrazzo side table in bedroom
Photography by Aaron Bengochea

You might think the focal point of Caitlin Mociun’s apartment is the multicolored kitchen, but don’t sleep on the nightstands. She made them from the same stone used for the counters, curving the edges for some architectural intrigue. Bonus points for the cylinder cutoffs Mociun’s husband (Bower Studios cofounder Tammer Hijazi) created out of unused coffee tables. 

If You Have Extra Marble

white bathroom with marble shower nook
Photography by Claire Esparros; Design by Tali Roth

Maybe you focused your budget on the bathroom floor or sink. Then do as Tali Roth did and continue the veined design into a recessed shower nook. The eggplant-colored Calacatta Viola is a small detail that brings a welcome pop of pattern to the otherwise minimal white space. 

See more small reno ideas to pocket: Leanne Ford Created a Makeshift Office With This Easy Swap This Clever Sink Placement Will Give You More Countertop Space Everything You Need to Know About Spray-Painting Your Kitchen Cabinets

Elly Leavitt

Writer and Editor

Elly enjoys covering anything from travel to funky design (tubular furniture, anyone?) to the latest cultural trend. Her dream apartment would exist on the Upper West Side and include a plethora of mismatched antique chairs, ceramic vessels, and floor-to-ceiling bookcases—essential to her goal of becoming a poor man’s Nora Ephron. You can probably find her in line at Trader Joe’s. You will never find her at SoulCycle.