Typically, natural stone, like marble, is more prone to wear than engineered materials. Spilled wine can stain marble, and lemon juice can cause etching — a scratch or dent is possible, too. For designer Callie Windle, it’s all about perspective. “I understand the concern that a lot of my clients have over the fact that marble isn’t indestructible, but I really do think that’s part of its charm,” she says of the patina and wear that develop in a stone over time. “I don’t think there’s a substitution for the beauty, the warmth and the enjoyment that you get from natural stone and from marble.”
If you’ve noticed darker, more dramatic marbles in interiors lately, there’s a fair possibility that they were either Nero Marquina or Calacatta Viola. Both bring a moody, deep tone to interiors and have become a favorite among designers.
Windle selected Nero Marquina for key spaces in the primary bathroom of her former home in Denton, pairing it with another marble for a chic, black-and-white aesthetic. She initially considered soapstone, which looks black, but opted for this darker marble because it’s more durable. She had it honed, which she says gave it a more masculine, worn feel than if it were polished. “In a bathroom, it can be cold inherently, just because there are so many hard surfaces everywhere. Anything I can do or change to bring in some warmth and depth, I always appreciate that,” she says of the finish. Read more here.