What is Marble?
Marble is an elegant natural stone with beautiful grain and patterns that add a graceful depth to any space. Both Indian and Italian marble can be used as a tabletop. Additionally, marble is a highly durable material that can last a lifetime if it is maintained properly. Marble is becoming increasingly popular as an elegant and high-quality material for furniture manufacture. Innovative manufacturers that use versatile stones in their product portfolio can profit from this strong trend. Inspired by our recent “8 Furniture Material” article, we would like to discuss more about this material.
Marble Dining Table | Source: heals.com
Marble is essentially a crystallized form of stone—a metamorphic rock formed from other materials like limestone and dolomite. It hails from different quarries and regions all over the world, and the marble from each place has its own unique characteristics, from color to porosity.
Use of Marble in Furniture
A sustained trend toward increasing willingness to consume in the luxury segment makes the timelessly beautiful material marble especially interesting for manufacturers and suppliers. The luxurious stone can be used to produce the most varied furniture and interior decorating objects – from the wall clock through cabinet handles, lighting, tables, and shelves to seating. Those who have marble in the program for bathroom, kitchen, or living rooms are on precisely the right track at present.
Marble Home Accessories | Source: sarahhearts.com
Real marble consists for the most part of aragonite, calcite or dolomite, and is associated with elegance and lasting value. Types of stone are often designated as marble that actually doesn’t belong in this category, for example, onyx. The most well-known is a white marble from Carrara in Tuscany. In visual terms, it draws the eye with a fine gloss. Whether pure white with light marbling, in color gradations from beige to grey, or in intensive, dark tones with strong marbling effects – the stone has a valuable radiance. It has long been popular as a tile for walls and floors and is increasingly frequently also being used for furniture production because marble is suitable for all living areas. The luxurious material seems cool and gentle at the same time. Like one of the custom kitchen sets from one of the following Kaliuda Gallery clients, using Carrara marble. Marble has been a common design element in kitchens practically forever, but now the luxe-looking material is having a serious moment in other spaces, too—like the dining and living room—in the form of freestanding furniture in particular.
Custom Kitchen Sets by Kaliuda Gallery | Source: kaliudagallery.com
How to Care for Marble as Furniture Material?
How to care for marble? Marble is easy to care for, but it shouldn’t be brought into contact with acid. The surfaces can be easily cleaned with household cleaners, and a little natural wax is sufficient for care. Manufacturers have a variety of design possibilities when it comes to furniture manufacture. Tables with marble slabs have long been popular: Innovative companies and designers reinterpret the material again and again. In the building industry, one of the most used precious stones is a marble. More and more customers are oriented towards this stone for the covering of several types of surfaces, from flooring to walls and to the increasingly requested decorations as well as the creation of original furnishing accessories able to combine functionality and design.
Antique Dining Set with Marble on top by Kaliuda Gallery | Source: Kaliudabali.com
Characteristics of marble
Marble is then classified into different types depending on the color, appearance, origin. However, regardless of its classification, the rock certainly guarantees aesthetic and mechanical characteristics without equality. The hardness and the resistance of marble make it one of the most precious stones and therefore used on a large scale. It has always been a symbol of elegance and style. The characteristics of the various types of marble depend on the nature of the area which hosts the quarry. There are lots of differences if the quarry is in the mountains or in the plains. In recent times, the discovery of new materials capable of accurately cutting even the hardest stones has led to the creation of ever more innovative cutting techniques.
You might’ve heard of (or seen) popular varieties like Carrara marble, which is quarried from Carrara, Italy, and has fine veining. But there are actually hundreds of different types. For example Yule marble from Colorado, Crema Marfil marble from Spain, Levadia Black marble from Greece, and many more. Because of the different salts and minerals in each place, each variety has distinct patterns and colors, from vibrant greens and moody charcoals to metallic accents. There are two different “patterns” to consider, too—there’s crosscut, which has a more open, flowered appearance, or vein-cut, which is cut in a way that results in a more “striped” look. You also have the option between polished or matte finishes—the latter tends to hide dull spots better, but there’s something about a glossy finish that feels particularly luxe.
Antique Marble Chair and Table Set by Kaliuda Gallery Bali
How do I keep marble furniture in top shape?
As a strong material that can stand the test of time, real marble is a good choice if you’re looking for a long-term investment you’ll love for years to come. Like with many high-quality items, keeping your marble in tip-top shape requires some TLC. Since marble stains and scratches are more easily than other materials, make sure you wipe up spills ASAP. Acids are particularly abrasive and can leave dull spots on your marble, so avoid using acidic cleaners as well as cutting or serving acidic foods like lemons directly on pieces with marble tops
As one of Bali’s furniture suppliers, we accept custom furniture online and offline. Want to know more? Click here. Stay tuned for our next material series next week, the topic will be “Terracotta”. See you next week.