Art of stone

Set in stone, turn to stone, stony-faced—even in our idioms, we associate stone with permanence, with truths, values or looks that seem to never change. Even if the laws of physics tell us otherwise, there’s something immutable, almost eternal, about stone. So it’s perhaps no surprise that the finest interiors feature stone surfaces—and have done since time immemorial.

Of course, the techniques stonemasons use are certainly not set in stone. IIn fact, some of the finishes that can now be achieved with ceramics, modern composites and natural stone would long have been inconceivable. As a result, stone offers today’s architects and interior designers an impressive range of creative possibilities. The one thing that hasn’t changed is how robust and low-maintenance ceramic and stone surfaces are.

Stoneware and ceramic tiling is suitable both for domestic interiors and intensively used commercial settings. Larger tiles help make smaller spaces feel bigger and provide a more expansive effect; with fewer gaps to interrupt the gaze, the eye focuses more on the interior itself. Modern composites are especially impervious and easy to clean, while cement tiles in soft, natural hues provide a warm look and an artisan vibe.

Then there’s natural stone, which ranges from rustic limestone to refined marble and hard-wearing granite. One of the charms of natural stone is that it bears traces of its region of origin. Limestone, for instance, is typical of European mountain ranges such as the Alps and offers warm hues and fine textures. Marble, especially Carrara marble, has been quarried in Tuscany’s Apuan Alps since antiquity and the region remains famed for it today. Granite, by contrast, is sourced from around the world, with important deposits in Brazil, India and Scandinavia. These different materials all have one thing in common however: no two pieces of stone are the same—each 
one is shaped by its geographical origin and 
is unique in its colour and grain.

That uniqueness is what fuels oora's collaborations with various experts, united by their passion about working in and with stone, ceramics and mosaics. Because it turns out that natural stone and ceramics aren't simply materials— but rather individual personalities. Every sheet has its own story.

At this level, ultra-modern workshops are essential, and artisan skills combine with artistic instincts, where calm hands and keen eyes work together to shape, polish and refine the different pieces. “I'm utterly stunned by these places”, says Célinè Cè, oora's interior design project lead. “You can smell the stone, the water, the fresh cuts. And you can hear the concentrated effort—the polishing, the cutting, the gradual finessing of an edge.”

The end result is beautiful kitchen worktops, washstands, tables and facings, all finished with the same precision that will later go into their installation. So how do you know when a piece is finished? It’s when the line is just right, there are no visible gaps and the edge looks as though it was always meant to be that way. This is what we call first-class craftsmanship; every millimetre counts, even in places that will later go largely unseen. Traditional roots meet state-of-the-art tools and methods. Only by combining the two can you create something truly timeless out of a commitment to precise cuts, perfectly bevelled edges and transitions that, at first glance, seem barely even there.