The color and shape variations in the stones selected for this fireplace lend a rustic feel in a New Mexico home.

Originally from New Jersey, Morris moved to New Mexico as a young man. He discovered his passion for stone when he noticed a man building a wall and became mesmerized. Soon, he was supplying the craftsman with stone from the countryside surrounding his home; next, he apprenticed under Robert Taylor at Cuyamungue Stone Co. in Cuyamungue, New Mexico. Twelve years later, he went out on his own and has been at the helm of New Mexico Stone in Santa Fe since 1985.
 
Morris and his work have been featured on the television programs This Old House and HGTV’s Modern Masters. His book Stone Designs for the Home (Gibbs Smith, Publisher) was a 2008 New Mexico Book Award finalist.
 
“I’ve been working with John for 12 years,” shares architect Elisabeth Wagner. “He’s a dream to work with. You tell him what you want, and the next time you come back, it’s built—and it’s gorgeous. No hand-wringing. I recently asked him to do a wall that my client wanted. ‘Do you mind if we make it a little bit better?’ he asked. And he did.”

Candace Walsh is a freelance writer and author based in Santa Fe. She collaborated with stone mason John T. Morris on Stone Designs for the Home (Gibbs Smith, Publisher, 2008).