Material library
Know the surface before it enters your home.
Each entry covers where a material comes from, how it behaves in daily use, what it suits, and how to look after it. Filter by material type or browse all.
21 reference pages live
Reference
All published material pages
Canonical pages with origin, character, best uses, care, and images — one surface at a time.
ConcretePolished concrete
Site-cast or factory-ground; used globally across residential and commercial construction
Polished concrete is an existing concrete slab ground and refined with progressively finer diamond tooling. People choose it for its low profile, durability, and industrial-leaning aesthetic.
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GlassClear float glass
Manufactured globally; process developed in the UK by Pilkington in the 1950s
Clear float glass is standard flat glass made by floating molten glass on molten tin. It is chosen for its optical clarity, consistent thickness, and wide availability.
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GlassLow-iron glass
Manufactured globally; primary float glass production in Europe, Asia, and North America
Low-iron glass is float glass with reduced iron oxide content, which eliminates the greenish tint found in standard clear glass. It is chosen where true colour neutrality and maximum light transmission matter.
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MarbleArabescato marble
Apuan Alps, Tuscany, Italy — primarily quarried near Carrara and Massa
Arabescato is a white Italian marble defined by its dense, branching grey veins. It is chosen for its strong graphic pattern and the prestige of natural stone.
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MarbleBotticino marble
Brescia province, Lombardy, northern Italy
Botticino is a warm beige limestone-marble from Italy, valued for its even tone and subtle veining. It suits interiors where a neutral, consistent stone is preferred over dramatic patterning.
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MarbleCalacatta marble
Carrara region, Tuscany, Italy
A white calcite marble quarried in the Apuan Alps, known for its bright white ground and bold, widely spaced veining. Chosen for its strong visual contrast and natural variation.
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MarbleCarrara marble
Apuan Alps, Carrara, Tuscany, Italy
Carrara marble is a white to blue-grey calcite stone quarried in northern Tuscany. It is chosen for its fine grain, soft veining, and long history in architecture and sculpture.
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MarbleCrema Marfil marble
Alicante region, southeastern Spain
Crema Marfil is a beige-to-ivory calcite marble quarried in Spain. It is chosen for its consistent warm tone and relatively uniform veining, which suits neutral bathroom schemes.
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MarbleEmperador Dark marble
Cuenca province, Spain
Emperador Dark is a deep brown Spanish marble with dense white and gold veining. It is chosen for its rich, warm tone and the visual weight it brings to interior walls.
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MarbleNero Marquina marble
Basque Country, northern Spain
Nero Marquina is a dense black marble with bright white veining, quarried in the Markina-Xemein region of Spain. It is chosen for strong visual contrast in otherwise neutral interiors.
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MarbleStatuario marble
Carrara region, Tuscany, Italy
Statuario is a white calcite marble quarried in Carrara, prized for its bright white ground and bold, sparse grey veining. It is chosen where a strong visual contrast is wanted without heavy colour.
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MarbleThassos marble
Thassos island, northern Aegean Sea, Greece
Thassos is a pure white calcite marble quarried on a Greek island. It is chosen for its near-total absence of veining and its bright, reflective surface.
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MarbleVerde Alpi marble
Valchiavenna valley, Lombardy, northern Italy
Verde Alpi is a dark green serpentinite marble quarried in the Italian Alps. It is chosen for its deep colour and bold white veining, used as a feature material rather than an all-over surface.
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MetalBrass
Alloy produced globally; historically associated with European and Asian metalworking tra…
Brass is a copper-zinc alloy used for fixtures, hardware, and decorative trim. It is chosen for its warm yellow tone and the way it develops a natural patina over time.
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StoneGranite
Quarried worldwide; major sources include Brazil, India, Norway, and China
Granite is an igneous rock formed from cooled magma, prized for its hardness and resistance to scratching. It is a practical choice for kitchen countertops where durability matters.
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StoneLimestone
Quarried widely across Europe, the Middle East, and North America; notable sources includ…
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of calcite. It is chosen for its soft, matte appearance and the warm, earthy tones it brings to interior floors.
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StoneTravertine
Quarried primarily in Italy (Tivoli), Turkey, Iran, and Mexico
Travertine is a sedimentary limestone formed by mineral springs, recognised by its natural voids and warm, banded surface. People choose it for its earthy texture and softer appearance compared to polished marble.
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TilePorcelain tile
Manufactured globally; major production in Italy, Spain, China, and Brazil
Porcelain tile is a dense, low-porosity ceramic fired at high temperatures. It is chosen for its durability, water resistance, and wide range of surface finishes.
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WoodAmerican walnut
Eastern and central North America, primarily the Appalachian region and Midwest USA
American walnut is a hardwood prized for its rich brown colour and straight-to-wavy grain. It is a common choice for cabinetry and furniture where warmth and visual depth are priorities.
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WoodEuropean oak
Central and Western Europe, primarily France, Germany, and Eastern Europe
European oak is a hardwood harvested from Quercus robur and Quercus petraea species. It is chosen for flooring because of its durability, stable grain, and how well it accepts stains and oils.
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WoodWhite oak
Eastern and central North America, primarily the United States
White oak is a hardwood prized for its straight, tight grain and warm neutral tone. It is widely used for flooring because it takes stain evenly and wears well underfoot.
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