Oh white marble… it’s a centuries old mark of luxury that we doubt we’ll ever get tired of. Heck, if the Italians used it in just about every structure, it must be good, right? We know we’re not alone in this love affair with a nice slab of sparkly white stone marked to perfection with dreamy grey veins, but we often find our contractors and interior design clients hesitant to make the leap.

Now you might find yourself wondering why anyone would opt out of a luxurious modern bath decked from wall to wall in hand-selected Carrara, but there are a few considerations to ponder when it comes to using this classic material.

The grounding factor of this sometimes hot debate is the wearability of a white marble. We revisited an interview with marble expert, Melissa Patterson of Renaissance Tile & Bath to get to the bottom of the Great Marble Debate.

Here’s the deal…

There are three questions you should ask yourself when selecting marble.

1. What’s the application? Marble is a natural product, so it’s going to change over time no matter the application. However, you should think about the traffic and frequency of contact the marble will encounter in your design– if it’s on a floor, expect signs of wear from foot traffic; If it’s on a countertop, consider the possibility of stains and rusting.

2. What is your attitude? Some of our interior design clients need a product to look pristine and untouched even after years of use, and others don’t mind signs of life-lived on their materials. Both are valid attitudes, especially when you invest in your home, but consider what Patterson calls the European and American attitudes. “When you enter a European building, you can walk on the stone floors that are centuries old. Here in America, everything is roped off. I think that Europeans live more causally and enjoy the patina created from use and aging, where as some Americans want everything a bit more pristine.” What do we take from this? Do as the Romans do.

3. How do you live? This is potentially the most important question to consider when it comes to selecting absolutely anything for your home. It’s a grounding principle in our approach to interior design — if it doesn’t work with or elevate your lifestyle, than skip it.  Because acids from food and beverages can tarnish the appearance of marble if let to sit overnight it’s important to think about how you live in the space you are considering a marble finish. Are you the type of homeowner who picks up after yourself after each use in the kitchen? Or are you an on-the-go homeowner, where a kitchen counter wouldn’t get wiped down until the next morning?

All that said, we love white marble. There’s just nothing that feels quite as luxurious and dreamy as an impactful piece of marble.

For professional interior design services, contact Pulp Design Studios®.