Welcome to the luxurious new showroom of Hunter Valley Granite and Marble on Hunter Street
Since 2007 Hunter Valley Granite and Marble (HVGM) has been in the business of designing and crafting spectacular custom stone pieces for your home or workplace.
The HVGM showroom, originally situated at its Rutherford factory, relocated to Hunter Street in 2012, allowing HVGM’s owner Kate Mercieca to better showcase their impressive range of products.
(R) - Hunter Valley Granite and Marble owner Kate Mercieca
Not one to be complacent, in January this year Kate took HVGM on another leap forward, moving the showroom to the corner of Hunter and Denison Street, just next door to the previous location, and relaunched in spectacular style.
Whilst the quality of products and extensive range sourced by Kate and her team have contributed significantly to the success of HVGM, it’s Kate and her progressive business thinking which continues to push HVGM forward and position them as a leader in their industry,
“I’m always coming up with new ideas, and together with my team we are able to make them work.
“I do also feel like I’m doing things differently for the market."
"Like this showroom, the architects we work with wanted a showroom in Newcastle, so that's why we moved out of the Rutherford factory. I’ve always evolved the business and given the market what it wants.”
Entering the HVGM showroom you’re instantly struck with a feeling of luxe, the crisp white walls, flowing sheer curtains, and statement pendant light all perfectly highlight what HVGM does best.
Whilst first impressions give you a ‘this is going to be expensive’ kind of feeling, what will surprise you is that the vast range of products Kate and her team have curated appeal to all budgets.
Originally specialising in natural stone, Kate chats us through how much the product side of the business has changed since she purchased HVGM in 2007,
“Our importers are bringing in so many different natural stones that weren’t available 10 years ago in the Australian market. The natural stone variety is massive now, and the market is so broad, it ranges from those who are considering laminate all the way through to money's no object.”
From Caesarstone, to Smartstone, YDL, Quantum Quartz, Ac Stone, porcelain and Natural stone, HVGM is also the only distributor of Alpha Stone in the Newcastle region. Sourced from a company on the Sunshine Coast, who Kate says have invested heavily into developing their colours,
“Alpha Stone offers a colour range similar to a natural stone. If you couldn't afford the natural option, it's a great alternative.
With such a broad range of products, Kate knew she needed a showroom that presented them in the best possible way, which meant investing in large sample sizes.
“The market has been asking for large format sample sizes for a long time, and you can understand why. We used to only have 10cm by 10cm pieces to present to clients, having such a small piece makes it really difficult to imagine what it will look like in its entirety.
“It’s a big investment and you want to get it right, and the large format helps clients envisage what they’re buying. Particularly veined products which can have so many different variations.”
This forward thinking, and willingness to invest not only positions HVGM as a leader in Newcastle and the Hunter region, but in the state, as Kate explains,
“No one else is doing stone showrooms. There may be a little showroom located at a factory, but we found this really distracting at Rutherford, with all the noise of the machinery in the background.”
Exploring the HVGM showroom, the bathroom walls, marble fireplace, and cabinet drawers all beautifully present the stone and marble products in situ . The layers of drawers contain the array of edging options which Kate says has become the next evolution of the product.
“Everything used to be square and flat, now we’re seeing a lot more detailed edging, we're doing a lot of rounds and finer details, which give a piece its uniqueness, and a timeless feel.”
One thing’s for certain—HVGM delivers endless inspiration, with an experienced team ready to guide you through colour selections and design ideas, whether you’re in the early stages of renovation or simply dreaming of what’s possible.
