Marble is one of the most popular materials used in sculpture due to its translucency and durability. These are the reasons that it has been made the medium of choice for all the most remarkable sculptors, including artists like Myron, Phidias, Polykleitos, and Praxiteles, as well as their successors Donatello, Michelangelo, Bernini, Canova, and Rodin. Marble has been used equally for relief sculpture and friezes, as well as the freestanding statue. In fact, ever since the invention of metal tools during the Bronze Age, marble stone has been highly prized by sculptors and architects alike.
For centuries marble has been a luxury construction material, but its popularity has spiked in recent years, and the leading figures expect that increase in status will continue throughout 2021. Marble is becoming a particularly sought-after material for the home. Not only is it stunningly attractive, but you’ll also find it hard-wearing and surprisingly versatile.
In previous years, we have seen many examples of marble’s versatility in furnishing, lighting, storage, accessories, tableware, interiors, and fashion. Lee Broom, a British designer, used solid Carrara marble in his contemporary ‘On the Rock’ glassware and Nouveau Rebel lighting collections. Robot City, an Italian factory whose mission is to tell stories through marble, creates elaborate objects using skilled handcrafted methods combined with advanced digital technology. Faux applications of marble can also be found in wallpaper, bedding, stationery and clothing lines. Marble can be the perfect companion to other natural materials such as wood, leather, and steel. The marble trestle table ‘In Vain’ by designer Ben Storms incorporates leather and steel and doubles as a standing mirror. ‘All of a Piece’, designed by Dana Cannam in collaboration with Earnest Studio, is a series of modular tabletop pieces that combine marble, wood, and granite. The Aravali side table designed by the up-and-coming designer Tom Goodbun is simple, clean, and evocative in its minimalistic form two-tone marble tabletop.
A luxurious, and let’s face it, a relatively expensive material, a representative of wealth, is sometimes not the smart choice to be used for all of the finishing for the home. However, as the trend goes, now we are seeing the growth of marble accents through sculptures and furniture in contrast to natural materials like wood. A modern and sleek marble sculpture or art fits like a glove on the hand in a setting with wooden floors and metal furniture accents. We see accessories incorporating sculptured marble in the kitchen, bathroom, and lounge. There is no doubt about it that sculptured marble works beautifully alongside the metallic and blush pink trends that have been in play. They were quite simply made for each other, and as long as one trend continues, you can bet the other two will, too.
With the shift in consumer attitudes towards the merits of buying design that is long-lasting, environmentally friendly, and sustainable, it is hoped that marble will be one trend that is here to stay and grow.
