Marble In Contemporary Architecture

The use of marble is a history in itself. Since the days of antiquity, this natural stone has been fascinating creative men. They have used it in several purposes starting from the sculpture to home decoration. The versatility and the elegance of marble do not have any parallel.

The trend continues in modern times as well. The same stone that had been the favorite of the Renaissance artists and the ancient architects, is now widely used to decorate the homes. However, the perspective of the modern era has given more credit to marble because of its versatility. In fact, this is one aspect where no other stone can match marble. Marble is used to decorate the walls, bathrooms, kitchens etc. Also, marble can be used to make the outdoor more beautiful. Thus, marble fountains or the statues have always added some extra charm to the garden in your house.

Still, one can not deny that the most popular application of marble is flooring. There is more than one reason behind this popularity. The first one is of course the beautiful designs and color. Added to it is the durability of the stone. And to make it even more appealing, there is the sheer elegance and a rich heritage. Also, marble is very easy to install and because of its variety, you are sure to find one that suits your style perfectly.

Marble is rated high by the expert home designers. They believe that marble has the ability to provide the house with unsurpassable beauty and elegance. When you have marble in the floor, you can be sure that everybody will notice it right after putting their first step in the house. Marble is a valuable product; so, the value of your house, its worth increases many times when you install marbles there. Beyond all of these, you get an aesthetic atmosphere with the marbles.

When you are choosing marble, you are also making sure that you will stay healthy. Yes, marble is healthy stone. For, it prevents the bacteria and different antigens from staying on the floor. This is in sharp contrast to the carpets where a number of malicious particles can stay. Also, you can clean the marble easily and thus lessen the chances for the harmful bacteria.

The marble is a soothing and cool stone. This is why the countries with warmer climates see more of the marble floorings. This is because the stone remains cool and therefore it is comfortable in the hot weather.

Another great thing with marble is its easy maintenance. Simple acts like washing are enough to keep it clean and intact. However, like any of the natural stones, marble too, requires specific attentions. So, it should be sealed at regular intervals. Also, the homeowner must use the cleaners specifically made for the marbles. This is because other products may damage the beauty of the stone.

However, these are the attributes that have made the marble so much appealing in modern times. With the sheer class and beauty and the versatile usability, the stone will certainly retain its significance in the future as well.

The Heritage Called Marble: How Has It Evolved over the Ages?

When you bring marble home, you not only take an incredible piece of stone, you also bring with it a heritage that is thousands of years old. There are thousands of pieces of work on marble that has withstood the test time. The ancient Greeks and Romans used the marble to decorate their houses. During that time, the marble was used in floorings, columns and many other parts of the house. The artists used them for their sculpture as well. Many of the constructions that had been made years back are still there- a fact that itself proves the durability of marble.

Marble fireplaces have been an extremely popular way of using marble. There are examples of very old marble fireplaces that have been made centuries back. In fact, when it comes to the marble fireplaces, there have not been many changes from the previous versions. However, to suit the taste of the modern times, they have grown smaller and a bit precise. But they have retained the same appeal and taste.

A significant point to note is that, some marbles that were very popular some two or three hundred years ago are still in the vogue. Thus, there is a steady demand of Botticino and Carrara from Italy, while the Estromoz from Portugal is still popular for the marble fireplace construction. However, with the passage of time various new kinds of marble have been discovered and now many kinds of marbles are available across the globe. Naturally, this has given a new range of color, texture, and shades to choose from as far as the use of marble is concerned. In most of the cases, the marbles are supplied from India, China, Spain, Brazil, Egypt and Norway.

As the supply has reached a new high, the price of the marble has understandably gone down. In the last two decades, different manmade marbles have been introduced in the market as well and they are cheaper than the natural marbles. However, the artificial marbles do not have the variety in shades and textures that the natural pieces have. Rather, they are plain and almost identical.

As can be understood a marble fireplace some 200 years ago was incredibly expensive. So, it could have been found only in the house of rich people. However, to keep the expense within the budget, people at that time used to install marble only at certain portions of the fireplace. The same trend can be traced today as the use of real marble in the hearth and back is a common trend these days. Apart from keeping the budget under control, this is also a good option for the electric and gas fires.

Though the advent of artificial marble has influenced the market, the demand and appreciation for the natural marble has remained the same if not more. So, people also use the fake fireplaces made with marbles to enhance the beauty of the house. The beauty of marble is not only limited to the fireplace. It can add charm from any part of the room –be it the kitchen, living room or bed room the effective use of marble can for sure enhance the look of the place.