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No Stone Unturned

From marble to furniture and hardwood floors— design solutions abound on Miramar Road

By Meaghan Clark
No Stone Unturned

“Convenient for all our customers” is how Colin Pearce describes Miramar Road. Co-owner of Grand Entrances— a gallery of custom entry doors, interior doors, French doors and hardware— Pearce has been helping homeowners and designers create distinct entrances since 2004.

“Most of these businesses are hidden gems,” he says of shops such as Château Fireplaces that are located off the main drag. Indeed, with the wide range of stone, furniture and homedesign showrooms on—and off—Miramar Road, it’s easy to see why the area has become an increasingly popular des - tination for those working on remodels or new construction projects.

Marmol Export, Stones Unlimited and Tutto Marmo offer inspiring showrooms that spotlight the best in hardsurface solutions. Even Treasures Furniture, a premier Southern California location for brand-name furnishings, has added a granite-and-marble showroom to its 200,000-square-foot facility. Lucy St. James, ASID, a member of the Treasures interior design staff, says high-end stone surfaces aren’t the only items that have grown in popularity. In the past four years, she has seen a steady rise in requests for contemporary furniture.

“We recently reworked the showroom, and now a substantial part of the second floor is dedicated to contemporary design,” says St. James. “We also design a lot of downtown high-rises, so smaller-scale furniture is now very much in vogue.”

Also in demand these days are resources such as Boyar’s Kitchen Cabinets and California Closets. With many San Diegans choosing to remodel their existing homes rather than buy new ones, the services offered by these home-design centers are key to creating a happy home, whether small or large. And with eco-conscious products now available at Zauss-Godwin Hardwood Flooring, San Diego Rustic and Frazee Paints, Miramar Road is also fast becoming a source for green building and design.

It’s easy to build an appetite shopping for furnishings and flooring. To quench a thirst, shoppers can visit the San Diego Wine Company for a Saturday wine tasting (10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.), or head to the Miramar Café for a bite any day of the week.

And for those likely to lose an entire day inside these design stores, travel a few minutes west to where Miramar Road becomes La Jolla Village Drive. Fine-dining options range from prime cuts of meat at Donovan’s and Fleming’s steakhouses to sushi at Café Japengo to Bellinis and burgers at Harry’s Bar & American Grill.