I saw the angel in the Marble and carved until I set him free – Michaelangelo
23rd January 2018
It’s been a long time coming, something we have yearned to sell for years and finally it’s happened. We have our own range of Marble Sinks and they really are very nice indeed. Carrara Marble is such a beautiful natural stone, its smooth finish feels cold and expensive. I’m rather fond of anything Mediterranean and these sinks make me think of beautiful old crumbling Tuscan farmhouses and Michaelangelo. I can just imagine a big, cool dark kitchen with terracotta tiled floors and a huge marble sink with old brass taps. The kitchen will have been like this for decades, people in the Mediterranean don’t update their homes in the same way as we do and that’s the beauty of things like marble sinks, they just get better and more beautiful the older they are. Imagine having the same kitchen as you had when you were born or when your parents were born, it seems really unlikely doesn’t it? Yet in Italy and Greece and all over Europe you stay in old houses or visit old restaurants and peoples homes and things have been the same forever. I absolutely love this and so wish I could live in such a home, but sadly I don’t. However, we can help to bring some of these beautiful things to you so you can have a little piece of history in your home, something that will last forever. I can’t take much credit for anything other than the desire and the love of these things that have beauty and longevity, but after some searching we have people making them exclusively for us in Carrara, Italy.
Now we all know ‘Carrara Marble’ has its fans and its doubters, understandably people are reluctant to buy things that they feel may not stand up to the job, so I want to give you information that may help you decide if Carrara Marble is for you. Firstly, the reason these sinks are still in all these Mediterranean homes is because they are strong, hard-wearing and just keep getting better the older they are. Now, everyone is different and also the style of your homes and your requirements, desires and expectations are different. Some people like everything to be just so, they like glistening and shiny and easy to care for surfaces that never change and need no special care or attention, just spill things on them and wipe them clean. Now that seems pretty sensible to me, but on the other hand, I do like things with soul, things that change and age and get better, rather than things that get tired, tatty or just go out of fashion.
Carrara marble is natural, it is quite a soft stone and it is pale in colour, it is regarded by many to be the most beautiful, desirable and expensive stone in the world and has been mined in Italy since the 17th century. Carrara marble has been used to build many of the world’s most iconic buildings and statues from Rome all through India and Europe and into America, yet people still worry it may not be suitable for a sink or worktop!
The truth is, it will scratch and stain over time, you may get etching which is rough marks from leaving such things as lemons on the surface, but generally they clean off and in time the whole surface just seems to settle in. A new kitchen is exciting and if you find a small mark on an expensive worktop or sink then you are likely to panic and feel the whole room is ruined, but in reality it’s just one of many little things that will happen to all the rooms in your house, everything has a bit of wear and tear over time. The good news with Carrara marble is that it seems to get easier and more beautiful as you carry on using it, it seems – or maybe you seem, to understand the stone and appreciate its qualities rather than just its foibles.
- If you are the kind of person who chooses something for its beauty and not just for its function, then Carrara marble is for you.
- If you are the kind of person who enjoys using natural materials in your home and likes the idea of rolling a fresh batch of pasta on your marble work surface and are more wrapped up in the moment of making than worrying about the practicalities, then Carrara marble is for you.
- If you finish making the pasta, spread it out to dry and then get on with making your best ever meatballs in tomato sauce to serve with the pasta later and you never give a second thought to the splashes of acidic tomatoes being skinned in the sink, then Carrara marble is for you.
- If you are the kind of person who invites your friends round for fresh pasta and homemade meatballs and have one too many glasses of red wine near your marble and you carry on enjoying yourself, then Carrara marble is for you and you will be rewarded with long service, beauty and natural elegance.
For information on our Marble Sinks then please go to the sinks and taps section of our website HERE. The worktops, handmade cup handles and the new little pendant hanging above the sink cabinet in the above images are all available from deVOL, these products are all exclusive to deVOL and work in conjunction with our cupboards to make the most unique and amazing kitchens. Do get in touch if you have any questions enquiries@devolkitchens.co.uk or helen@devolkitchens.co.uk
The more the marble wastes, the more the statue grows – Michaelangelo
