STONE TYPE
stone type
Shaped by the Earth, Chosen by Design
Every natural stone carries the story of where it was formed. Sea, spring and mountain have shaped each one over thousands to millions of years, and no two pieces are ever quite alike.
At The Design Palette, we curate natural stone mosaics by stone type as well as by colour, because for architects and designers, the material is where the specification begins. Each stone brings its own character: its veining, texture, finish and the way it holds light, ages and wears over time.
Our collection draws on some of the world's most celebrated quarries, from the marble of Tuscany's Apuan Alps to the limestones of Alicante in Spain, the coastal quarries of Liguria and the stone of Brazil. Translated into architectural formats for kitchen splashbacks, bathroom feature walls, floors, powder rooms and hospitality interiors, each stone is chosen for its beauty and its longevity. Based in Sydney and supplying projects across Australia, we work with architects, interior designers, builders and homeowners who value natural materials at the heart of a space.
STONE TYPE
The Story of Natural Stone
Natural stone is formed in three great families, and each leaves its mark on the finished surface.
Limestone begins at the bottom of ancient seas, where shells and marine sediments settle and compress over millions of years. Crema Marfil formed this way, which is why limestones often carry a soft, even ground and a quiet, chalky warmth.
Marble is limestone transformed. Deep within the earth, heat and pressure recrystallise it into a denser stone of interlocking calcite crystals. That crystalline structure is what gives Carrara and Calacatta their luminous depth and their ability to take a fine honed or polished finish.
Travertine forms above ground, where mineral-rich spring water rises to the surface and leaves layer upon layer of calcite behind. Its characteristic pores are the trace of escaping gas and moving water, the source of its open, organic texture.
In the stone trade, the word marble has long been used more broadly, for any stone hard and fine enough to take a polish. Several of the world's best-known "marbles", including Botticino and Rojo Alicante, are technically limestones. What they share is the quality that matters most in design: a natural surface, formed by the earth, that endures.
People have quarried these stones for thousands of years. The Romans built with Carrara and travertine, Renaissance sculptors went to the Apuan Alps for their finest marble, and many of the quarries we source from today are still working the same mountains. Natural stone mosaic carries that heritage into contemporary interiors, piece by piece.
Your home should tell the story of who you are, and be a collection of what you love.
Nate Berkus
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