Marble exemplifies opulence, elegance and luxury and is a testament to timeless beauty. And while the stone is all about class, it also is as much a proof of endurance. The several architectural marvels built with marble over the ages and geographies are evidence of the stone’s ability to withstand seasons. A beautifully designed space has the power of echoing the story of a brand in the most unique way and marble is that one major influencer that can grab and hold the attention of a visitor eye at first glance.
Today, many retail establishments, showrooms and office spaces include marble applications while designing spaces strategically. When it comes to office receptions areas, entrance of showrooms or luxury shops and hotel lobbies, marble flooring is the most popular choice. The very essence of marble installations is inviting and it renders a very calm appeal to the applied space.
Conference rooms, office cabins, C-suit desks, the office pantry, anterooms and atriums can all be decked up with marble applications. Marble can be amalgamated either partially or fully in literally every single area to give it an extra-ordinary look. A simple table-top of milky white or veined marble in the conference room or waiting area can make a massive difference to the appearance of the space. Specially designed marble walls in the office cabin or office desks, countertops or serving tops of marble or a chic vanity to beautify bathrooms in the luxurious space is just enough to redefine the look of spaces. The trending natural stone colours are blue, green and grey. Black and brown or other darker shades are used in small areas to give distinctive look to the space. Avocado Green, Botanic Wave, Sodalite Blue, Brown Illusion, Sequoia Brown are some of the trending natural stones.
The market offers engineered marble, which is a contemporary marble that is manufactured to meet the needs of modern spaces that need aesthetics as much as they do, function. In luxury spaces, natural stone may be adapted in every possible design for any area be it a lobby, kitchen or washroom, just by giving it the right kind of polish or finish. However, for those with budget constraints, engineered marble is a great choice.
Engineered marble is specially created keeping in mind the modern-day choices in colour and designs, weather conditions and utility aspects. The product thus checks all the boxes for the discerning customer who wants marble but wants to keep it economical. Engineered marble offers strength and durability for applications in high traffic areas. It offers versatility in application and the sheer number of choices in colours and patterns to match every season is unparalleled.
Another modern-day trend is the Terrazzo, a manmade marble for contemporary and classy designs. Retro mosaic style uniform or styled flooring in red or cement colour for vintage look, art-deco style pastel colours flooring, yellow-brown to blue, green and teal colour flooring for a retro look or, white, monochrome, or personalized inlay flooring stretching up to the wall in a colour of choice to create contemporary spaces, the Terrazzo can be installed literally anywhere and everywhere. Although, there is no dearth of choices, every stone is unique and plays a different role depending on where it’s installed. While premium quality imported marble designs continue to be the unwavering choice for premium brands and hotel projects, the Terrazzo has created a niche for itself in contemporary interiors like in cafés, bars, restaurants, office premises, desks, pantry areas, bathrooms and other flooring projects in entertainment centres and malls. It is also a popular application in modern day furniture including table tops, closets and kitchen backsplashes, among others. Shades of yellow, white and red are used widely in Terrazzo projects.
Spaces like restaurants or hotels where the kitchen is a complete functional area; Quartz is used in countertop or worktop applications as the material is very hard and does not attract any stain or scratch. Quartz products are also available in vein patterns that offer a perfect match to the finest designed spaces. Another trend is styling a wall with marble. Just one wall cladded with exotic natural stone, stone art marble wall in floral, leaf patterns or flute patterned terrazzo wall is the in thing today.