How to Incorporate Marble Into Your Home
Often used in grandiose architecture, such as in palaces, monuments and grand entertainment venues, marble has found its niche in home decor for one primary reason — it’s beauty. “Marble is one of those rare building and design materials that are both elegant and strong. Using marble in your home is a wonderful way to make a statement that will last for many years to come.
Marble’s long-standing place in architecture history remains secure. In the past, it’s been known for its prestigious applications in ancient Greek architecture, monuments around the world and its prevalence in the homes of nobility. Marble is a beautiful material, but it has also been favored because it stays beautiful even with the passage of time. This is why simple marble buildings and monuments around the world have become long-lasting historical treasures.
Today, marble interior design trends continue primarily because marble’s beauty and elegance can turn any space into a luxurious, one-of-a-kind retreat.
How to Incorporate Marble Into Your Home
How is marble used in homes? If you’re considering ways to incorporate marble in home design, there are several options to consider. Some of the most popular ways to incorporate marble home decor include:
1. Flooring
Among our favorite ways to use marble in your home is flooring. Marble has long been a standby for the elegant and wealthy when it comes to flooring. Its distinctive veining and elegant shine take a foyer or grand entryway to another design level. Practically speaking, marble floors are simple to clean and maintain. They also stay cooler than other flooring materials, which makes them a smart way to naturally cool spaces that tend to get hot, such as rooms that get a lot of direct sunlight or larger spaces that are more difficult to cool.
Marble flooring is also a good option if you’re interested in installing radiant floor heat in a bathroom or bedroom because it gently and evenly conducts the heat throughout the room, maintaining a comfortable temperature even in the cold winter months.
Imagine opening the front door to your guests and having the first thing they see be a beautiful medallion centered in your grand foyer. Or picture the pops of color that will come from inlay borders along a marble hallway. When you incorporate marble flooring and inlays into your decor, it makes a beautiful, distinct impression on guests. It also creates visual interest in your interior design, which helps keep your home’s appearance elegant and exciting.
If you’re considering marble flooring, this is a great time to go beyond a basic marble slab and incorporate custom marble inlays into the flooring. The design professionals at Aalto Marble Inlay can design a medallion, borders or even a family crest to incorporate into marble flooring.
2. Kitchen Countertops and Backsplash
One of the more popular uses of marble stone is as a kitchen material. In fact, marble is an excellent material to incorporate into any top-of-the-line chef’s kitchen. When you think of marble, you probably picture lighter shades, but consider using a darker, more muted marble for kitchen countertops, workspaces, wet bars and more.
Marble is commonly used as a countertop or surface material in kitchens. It also makes an elegant kitchen backsplash above stovetops, countertops and sinks. You can opt for a simple marble slab, or you can go a step farther and commission a custom marble backsplash that incorporates the colors and designs used around your kitchen.
When you work with a designer to customize a backsplash, you accomplish two things. First, your backsplash will perfectly complement the design and colors of your kitchen. There’s no settling for shades that “almost match” or materials you’d find in any other home. Second, the unique design and visual appeal of a custom backsplash will create a focal point for your kitchen design that will tie all the other elements together, as well as provide a taste of luxury.
3. Stairs
A grand home needs a grand staircase, and there’s no better material to complement this architecture with than marble. When you first think of marble, you likely picture a white marble with veins of gray running through it. But marble is available in a variety of shades and designs, which means that you can select from a wide range of options to perfectly complement your staircase.
When you design a marble staircase, you can use large marble tiles and can incorporate beautiful inlays and details as well.
Marble staircases tend to be incredibly heavy, so they’re often paired with wood or steel. A wrought-iron rail paired with custom marble stairs makes for a beautiful statement in your home’s entryway.
One thing to keep in mind is that marble does get slippery when wet. If you anticipate your guests going straight from the front door up the stairs, then you may want to consider incorporating a runner up the stairs or some other method of containing moisture.
4. Bathroom
Whenever you step into your bathroom, it should feel like you’re at a spa. Indulge yourself by incorporating custom marble inlays into your bathroom design. They can be used on any wall, but if you want a shower or spa bath to serve as the focal point for your entire bathroom, consider incorporating a marble inlay backsplash. The custom design can incorporate other design elements already in place, bringing pops of color and elegance to your existing space.
One of the wonderful things about marble inlays is that they can be used either to establish an ornate, classical design or to give off a more modern elegant vibe. When you work with Aalto, our designers dedicate significant amounts of time to determining the style of your space and developing ideas for translating that style into custom marble artwork. We tailor each design to the style you have in mind, whether its classical or contemporary in appearance.
Marble’s visual diversity also makes it an excellent choice for custom wainscotting in the bathroom, which is a wonderful way to tie the backsplash or flooring design together with the rest of the room. Custom borders and inlay can also be incorporated into bathroom flooring or countertops, customizing even the most personal of spaces in your home.
One concern we often hear about incorporating marble into the bathroom is whether or not it can stand up to constant contact with water. After all, even a luxurious spa bathroom needs to be functional. One of the reasons marble has a history of being a go-to building and design material is because it isn’t especially porous. In other words, when it’s properly maintained, it won’t soak up water or other liquids, and it doesn’t easily stain. This means your design will last for a long time, even when it’s used regularly.
5. Accent Wall
Kitchen and bath backsplashes are a beautiful way to incorporate marble inlay into an interior design on a smaller scale. However, marble is a unique and luxurious material that can shine in larger areas as well. Adding a marble accent wall to a formal living room or master bedroom suite can take the room’s appearance from average to opulent. A marble accent wall can be used to tie an existing design together, or it can be the starting point of redesigning an entire room.
Essentially, an accent wall is like having a permanent painting or piece of artwork on display in your home. It becomes the focal point of whatever room it’s in, catching the attention of guests as they enjoy your beautiful home.
A marble inlay accent wall in your home can enhance the elegance and timeless look of your design. When you work with Aalto, our designers translate your preferences for style, design and color into a custom, breathtaking marble inlay that will be the first thing anyone notices when they walk into the room.
Another option for incorporating marble’s elegance on a grand scale is to commission a custom-designed marble mural. Custom marble murals are often found in pool areas, showers and spas, but they can be designed and installed anywhere in your home that you have stone. These exquisitely detailed pieces of art can be crafted based on photographs or beloved artwork. They can be designed to be lifelike or abstract — whatever you envision for your space. They can also incorporate other materials besides marble, including metal, glass, ceramic and porcelain.
6. Columns
Today’s interior design trends heavily emphasize an open concept layout, but, even with an open concept, you’ll still want to define each space in your home. Marble columns are a great way to do this. Of course, you can opt for more traditional rounded columns and pillars, especially if your home has a Mediterranean design to it, but that’s not the only option. If you’re looking for a more modern way to incorporate marble columns into your home, marble columns that have straight edges and fewer decorative details on them tend to create a more industrial look.
When you hear the word “columns,” you’re probably picturing large floor-to-ceiling columns, but that’s not the only option if you want to incorporate marble into an open concept design. You could also incorporate smaller marble columns into a half-wall design. This keeps the lines of sight open between spaces but still differentiates one space from another.
Since marble comes in a variety of tones, it’s relatively simple to find a marble that ties into your existing design plans, so this addition doesn’t necessarily have to become a major renovation.
7. Fireplace Surround
Traditionally, fireplaces are known for featuring brick or stone. These materials are beautiful if you’re looking for a simple, more rustic tone, but if you’re in search of a more elegant way to showcase a fireplace — decorative or functional — consider using marble. A marble fireplace adds color and regal design details — the sky’s the limit in marble color and design — and it also anchors any room by immediately drawing all eyes to the fireplace.
One thing we love about the idea of a marble fireplace surround is the opportunity it presents to add marble inlay through detailed borders and designs. A custom inlay can be used to incorporate other details already present in the design of the room, or it can add detail to an otherwise plain space. If you want to integrate detailed and colorful designs into a room in a subtle way, this is a good option because of its size.
8. Furniture
Marble is such a strong, beautiful material that we always encourage clients to incorporate it into larger designs, such as marble inlay accent walls, murals or flooring. However, if you’re looking for additional or more subtle ways to incorporate the beauty of marble into your interior design, consider marble furniture.
Marble can make an especially beautiful tabletop — coffee tables, dining room tables, end tables, etc. Its smooth, hard surface makes for a beautiful, durable table that can be both elegant and functional. You can opt to incorporate marble furniture into a room that doesn’t have other marble pieces in it, or you can use a marble table to tie into an existing marble accent wall.
Another option for incorporating marble furniture into a living space is as a countertop for a wet bar. Give your social gatherings an elegant, polished look with a marble-topped wet bar where guests can go to fill their glass and admire your beautiful home. Since marble isn’t porous, it won’t absorb spills, and it will withstand regular use.
Add Marble to Your Home
Incorporating marble features, such as custom marble inlay designs, into your home decor is an excellent way to personalize and enhance existing interior design. Marble has so many different uses and can be incorporated into just about any space in your home. One of the keys to successfully incorporating marble into your interior design is to be selective about where and how you use it. For example, you wouldn’t want to have marble floors and marble walls in every room. Then it would no longer be an eye-catching statement piece! Instead, carefully consider the best use and location of marble accents to enhance the beauty of your home.
Marble is an excellent choice for home decorating because it offers an array of options to customize and personalize the space where it is being used. Marble can be used in custom, one-of-a-kind inlays and designs that turn a normal floor or wall into a lasting piece of art.
Aalto Marble Inlay sources quality marble from around the world, and we’ve been pioneers in using waterjet technology to bring marble inlay designs to life. Our designs can be customized to match your space, vision and style. Contact us to discuss adding a marble inlay accent to your home.
