Stone Tapestry, Surface Design Show 2020

Stone Tapestry was unveiled at Surface Design Show 2020 as the central feature of Stone Gallery. The bespoke installation showcased eighteen stone types exploring innovative textures, light, colour and pattern to create a tapestry of inspiring materials from around the world.

Working in collaboration with high-end natural stone supplier SolidNature, Italian furniture maker Lema SpA and lighting specialist Atrium, Squire & Partners’ installation highlighted innovative uses and applications of stone.

The curated selection ranged from marble, onyx and quartzite to slate and limestone to create a kaleidoscope of tones from off-whites, vibrant yellows and pastel pinks through to dramatic greens, reds, browns and blacks. Each sample was finished by SolidNature in seven different ways – polished, honed, sand-blasted, leathered, corrugated, ribbed and ‘pillowed’ – to demonstrate the beauty and versatility of natural stone.

A large world map above the installation showed the provenance of the stones which came from quarries in China, Brazil, Turkey, Sweden, Spain, Italy, Iran and India. Three stones from the UK were included – Portland Stone by Albion Stone, Broughton Moor by Burlington Stone and Caithness Flagstone by Marshalls.

Sustainability within the industry was addressed with a third of SolidNature’s samples being created from off-cuts, and photographic postcards detailing information on each stone type replacing bulky stone samples.

Squire & Partners was invited to design the installation by Stone Federation of Great Britain. Following Surface Design Show, Stone Tapestry plans to travel to Milane Salone in April, before returning to Surface Design Show and the Natural Stone Show in 2021.