Pool season is here, and if you’re specifying stone right now, there’s a unique material worth knowing about.
Sukabumi Select is a volcanic stone quarried in West Java, Indonesia. Dry, it’s a quiet sage green; submerged, it shifts into deep tropical teal, turning the water around it luminous. No finish creates that lagoon effect, and no synthetic material replicates it. It’s the stone itself, doing something only nature can do.
It’s been the material behind five-star, luxury resort pools across Southeast Asia for decades. Now, it’s in your spec sheet.
“It has a lot of beauty in its natural state, but once it’s wet or submerged, there’s so much depth to it,” says Cathy Aroz, Lead Designer, New Product Development & Marketing, for Island Stone & Tile. “That depth gives it more dimensions and tones. It’s a stone that’s widely used throughout Indonesia, and its natural beauty makes you feel like you’re in a lagoon.”
As with all natural stone, quality varies. Island Stone’s Select grading process removes pieces with internal pockets or iron deposits before they ever reach your project, in order to prevent reddish undertones common with underperforming segments, with checks at the quarry and again at the manufacturer’s California facility.
Island Stone experts recommend sealing anywhere the stone meets water, with enhancing sealers deepening the color shift and penetrating sealers preserving the dry look.
Built for every part of the pool
Sukabumi Select comes in formats designed for the full project: interior, waterline, coping, and beyond.
- Mosaics—follows curves, steps, and contours, where “the lagoon effect” hits hardest
- Field tile—4″ × 4″, 4″ × 8″, 6″ × 6″, and 6″ × 12″ for clean submerged walls and pool interiors
- Split face—textured for stacked stone walls and water features, adding depth above the waterline
- Bullnose & coping—brings the same material story to finished perimeter edges
- Large Format — 6″×12″ for pool decking; sage green when dry, continuous with the teal below
Beyond the aesthetics
While Sukabumi adds richness, color, and depth to a space, the benefits are more than meet the eye. Science shows that natural textures and materials are an intrinsic part of biophilic design, which prioritizes human health and our inherent need and love for nature. Choosing natural tiles like Sukabumi creates an environment that is said to be critical to people’s health, productivity, emotional, intellectual, and even spiritual well-being.
About Island Stone & Tile
Island Stone & Tile invented mesh-mounted pebble tiles in a garage in Bali and has been perfecting natural surfaces across ceramic, glass, porcelain, and stone ever since. What started as a wild idea between surfer friends has evolved into a manufacturer and distributor sourcing excellent materials—ceramic, glass, porcelain, and stone from remote Indonesia—and working with partners worldwide to create beautiful spaces. The company believes that innovation means nothing without accessibility and therefore works to be the easiest company to do business with.
