Marble wall coverings, unparalleled value for walls (2024)

The elegance of marble is timeless. Already, the ancient Greeks used marmaros, the “shining stone,” to dedicate grandiose monuments to the most famous personalities of their time, but they were not the only ones. Before them, the peoples of Mesopotamia had exploited the superfine qualities of the stone material, and so did the Romans later.

These civilizations had already realized marble’s extraordinary qualities, both aesthetic and performance, which have remained unchanged over the centuries: it is no coincidence that we still employ it today to elevate the design of our everyday environments, not only by covering their floors but also by cladding their walls.

Nowadays, marble can flood interior and exterior walls with its unmistakable value. It can be placed in any environment: after all, marble opens up boundless stylistic versatility, thanks to the many custom colours, processes and textures by which it can be characterized. It tends, however, to be used for bathrooms and showers. In any case, regardless of the walls to be clad, the advice remains the same: for interiors, it is advisable to prefer marbles with light tones, such as travertine or white Carrara marble, to give brightness to rooms, give spaces a semblance of depth and make the environment more welcoming and elegant.

On the exterior side, marble stones are exploited to cover the facades of houses and buildings, which, in this way, communicate superior luxury and sophistication. In this respect, the range of marbles that can be used is quite wide, but historically the light-coloured ones have been the favourite. With exterior walls, there is also another aspect to be considered, namely that of the wearing action of the weather: to improve the resistance of their surface, it is possible to proceed with some protective treatments that allow it to become less porous.

Marbles with which both interior and exterior walls can be clad can be classified into four categories:

1. Crystalline limestone marble. It has no impurities and is characterized by the defined and large crystals present within it. Travertine is the best-known name belonging to this class;
2. Cryptocrystalline limestone marble. The crystal structure of these marbles is less defined than that of their predecessors, and they have fossil residues within them that impart particular colourations. Botticino and Verona red are the most famous examples;
3. Clastic marble. These are accumulations of small parts of rocks, cemented fossils, limestone or siliceous materials. The marbles of Lucca and Pietrasanta belong to this category;
4. Serpentine marble derives from a rock called serpentine, which is known for the shades of green, blue, and yellow through which it is crisscrossed. The green one from Prato is the quintessential serpentine marble.

Among the most profitable (and perhaps riskiest) aesthetic pairings to which marble gives way is undoubtedly that with wood. Indeed, these are two materials with rather different characteristics, but the polished effects of the former can marry well with the grain of the latter, resulting in outstanding combinations, provided, however, that the right balance is struck between the two and the elegant solemnity of marble does not overpower the warm familiarity of wood, and vice versa.

The fortunes of this pairing depend on judicious colour management. The material that makes up the floor dictates the rules, imposing the dominant hue, to which at least two other shades in the room must be aligned: one similar to that of the floor and another that must contrast with it (if the floor is wood and the walls marble, it will be the marble that will conform to the predominant colour, falling into one of the two cases just stated). The advice is never to go beyond the total of four colours so as not to fill the room with excessive chromatic stimuli: the temptation is there when dealing with materials such as marble, which are endowed with different shades and colourations, but the watchword must remain balance if you want the clad walls to ennoble the spaces with their refinement truly.