“Nothing is quite as impressive or speaks of sophistication and luxury as eloquently as marble,” says Alvaro de Ferranti, from the UK-based specialist in stone-working techniques, De Ferranti. “It imbues interior decor with a wonderful elegance.”

Marble, a natural stone, has been used since ancient times, mainly for architectural and sculptural purposes. Even with less sophisticated tools and techniques to work this hard material, men never ceased to be challenged and create majestic architectural and sculptural works, giving to marble a status of nobility and luxury. There may have passed a recent period when marble has been looked as a dated material but, as Charlotte Abrahams states, it is returning to interior designers and product designers minds and projects, due to new developments in technology that allow the exploration of this material in completely different ways: high-tech innovations such as laser and high-pressure, enable marble to be cut more precisely, thinner and with more curves; developments in glues, seals and resins allow new possibilities.

Joe Burns, co-founder of the award winning interior design company Oliver Burns states that “if you aren’t using marble, you’re missing a trick”. So what tricks have been interior designers and product designers using?

Oliver Burns – Mayfair Luxury Apartments

Charlotte Crosland – The Old Embassy, trompe l’oeil hallway

Soft Marble, a series of Ron Gilad

Panna Cotta table by Ron Gilad for Molteni & C

CT09 Enoki side table by Philipp Mainzer for e15

Carve table by Bethan Gray for G&T

Bala Lo side tables by Jaime Hayon for Sé

Magnum Table by Pierre Favresse for La Chance

See the full article by Charlotte Abrahams at How to Spend It.