The Tactility of the Salvatori Products
10 July 2020
For centuries stone, particularly marble, has only been used architecturally with a smooth, highly polished surface, and has come to be seen as ostentatious and antiquated as a result. Yet in addition to the unique qualities of natural stone – its remarkable strength, its malleability, the unique variation of each block – the surface provides a great opportunity for design, for it to be worked, to be expressive in itself, while retaining the beauty inherent in each piece of stone.
Find out more about the different textures and Salvatori collections in our Bathroom showroom.
Salvatori has been at the forefront of exploring the tactile potential of natural stone for decades. Launched in 1950 by Alfredo Salvatori, the ‘Spaccatello’ or Split Face finish – a method of cutting stone with a guillotine to add greater depth and dimension – established a lineage of experimentation and innovation that continues today under Alfredo’s son and the company’s current CEO, Gabriele.
Bamboo, their first texture, was developed by Gabriele with his father in 2003, introducing a ridged finish to the stone’s surface – a simple linear rhythm that creates a sense of harmony. Since then the company has introduced over 15 textures such as Raw (as shown below), which evokes the surface of roughly cut wood, and Ishiburo (as shown above), a sequence of apparently haphazardly laid stone strips of varying sizes which come together to form, in the words of the designer, an “angular harmony”.
This departure from traditional surface treatments moves closer to stone as it is found in the natural environment. Understated and muted, rather than highly worked and reflective, these textures subtly augment the natural aesthetic qualities of stone – its unique patterning, coloration and veining. It is an approach that ensures natural stone can continue to be relevant in the context of contemporary design, breathing new life into an incredibly versatile, durable and sustainable material.
With over 70 years experience, Salvatori has developed an unparalleled understanding of how to source and extract the highest possible quality of stone, going to great lengths to find blocks that are chemically stable and feature the best aesthetic characteristics.
