You’re so vein
Marble is being used in increasingly inventive ways, says Amelia Thorpe
Marble is not new; the ancient Greeks prized it, as did sculptors from Michelangelo to rodin, and it was used to clad landmarks such as the Taj Mahal and the Leaning Tower of Pisa —now, it is being put to all sorts of new uses.
White- and grey-veined marbles have become particularly popular for the luminous look they lend to all kinds of spaces. In a bathroom, wall-to-wall marble can suggest a spa-like sanctuary, as designer Sophie Conran explains. ‘I used a white marble with soft, cloud-like grey markings in my bathroom to create a sense of calm and relaxation, rather like the feel of a roman bath,’ she says. For a more dramatic look in her husband’s bathroom, she chose to clad the shower walls in bookmatched marble with striking veining.
‘Each stone is imbued with romantic notions of history and natural beauty’
Merlin Wright of Plain english is also a fan of marble, including honed Carrara and arabescato, for its individuality. ‘It’s much more interesting than the manmade alternatives,’ he says. each stone is distinct and imbued with romantic notions of history and natural beauty.
Mr Wright likes to combine marble with timber on a preparation table or dresser, inspired by furniture in grand Victorian country homes. ‘For some projects, we also like to use very high splashbacks in the same marble, which has a luxurious effect and refers to the look of creameries in grand houses or traditional food halls,’ he says.
Marble is being used for everything from candlesticks and side tables to shelves and lamps, not least because the material works so well with fashionable burnished metals. Marble offers a discreet—and relatively cost-effective—way to introduce luxury, something that rob Whitaker of tile specialist Claybrook suggests can be achieved with mosaics in modern herringbone or chevron layouts, or in interesting hexagonal or arabesque shapes: ‘Sheets of mosaics, as splashbacks in kitchens or feature floors in bathrooms, add depth, interest and quality, without costing a fortune.’
Marble is hard, but it is less robust than some other natural stones, such as granite. That is the reason it was—and still is— favoured by sculptors, but this relative ‘softness’ can make it more vulnerable to both staining and scratching. However, red wine and lemon juice are no longer quite the enemies they once were, as Jason Cherrington of stone specialists Lapicida explains: ‘It is now a myth that marble is a high-maintenance surface material, because of recent advances in sealant technology that can offer good protection.’
Or you can adopt Miss Conran’s philosophy: ‘It’s a natural material that ages, and that only gives it more character. I don’t worry about stains and marks, because they tell a story about my life.’