I've got very strong feelings about marble – these essential tips will help you use it to create a home that's deeply personal and unique
Right now I'm creating the hallway of my dreams
Strategist and content creator Francesca Swan is one of Ideal Home's new Open House contributors, sharing her thoughts on the concept of 'Everything' and what makes a home special to you. See the rest of her articles here.
Just to say from the outset, I’ve got some VERY strong feelings about marble.
It’s an understatement to say it’s an Everything material for me. Of all the natural materials, it’s marble that sparks the strongest, most instinctive, emotional reaction. I won’t pretend I haven’t been brought to tears upon seeing certain slabs; I can only describe it as an organic, creative fusion.
Firstly, some marble is literally millions of years old – forged deep underground before much of modern life even existed. I mean, it grew up with dinosaurs. That sense of permanence and ancient history completely blows my mind and is a huge part of what makes natural stone so special.
Then there’s the process itself; the magic of metamorphism. The slow fusion of sediments, shells and stones under immense heat and pressure to create something entirely new. These unique pieces of natural art are one of the true wonders of the natural world.
Even the language is poetic, especially in the context of other building materials. Give me re-crystalisation over OSB, MDF and cladding any day.
Unsurprisingly, marble felt like a key choice when renovating our home.
Being able to compare stone at scale is essential for larger format concepts
As I've touched on before, this is a period property, so we’ve focused on investing in quality bones; flooring, radiators, kitchen and restoration. It’s not just about function and form – it’s about permanence, sustainability, history and that Everything emotional connection and meaning.
Marble sits at the heart of that philosophy. It honours the original character of the apartment through sympathetic, cohesive design, whilst remaining in conversation with the original beautiful Carrara fireplace, now restored to the living room.
We’re using marble throughout – in the kitchen, the hallway and the living room cased opening. It brings cohesion, gravitas and continuity between spaces.
But here’s the thing with marble; like kitchen and bathrooms, you don’t know what you don’t know and there are plenty of expensive opportunities for things to go wrong!
The choices are vast and considerations complex. This is not a material you want to improvise with. It’s essential to go in with your eyes open and ideally a trusted expert to hold your hand!
The Stone Man
The Stone Man workshop
I was lucky enough to discover The Stone Man early in my project. Bringing a fresh, design-led approach to traditional stone masonry, the business began with Rob’s father, Julian, who raised him in the family trade in Devon. Rob later branched out with Anna and Luke to form what is now The Stone Man.
Based in Margate and working on prestigious projects throughout the UK and Europe, together they bring over 47 years of encyclopedic expertise, a huge global network and access to extraordinary stone yards – not to mention advanced technical knowledge grounded in traditional craftsmanship. Add to that an impeccable design eye, and you have a rare combination.
As this renovation has reminded me daily, getting the right team on board is fundamental – not just people who know exactly what they are doing, but people you genuinely enjoy working with.
Both will save your sanity. To say I hit the jackpot with these guys is something of an understatement.
I’ve had a brilliant education from The Stone Man team, not to mention a lot of fun. Their ability to take a loose concept and help visualise, explain and bring it to life, including introductions to stoneyards (like the amazing Develli – more on them in coming weeks!) has been indispensable in shaping the kitchen, hallway and living room.
Finding your stone
One of the biggest surprises for me was the sheer breadth of stone available – the finishes, colours, markings, not to mention the jaw-dropping beauty.
Visiting stoneyards has been an eye-opening and wondrous experience, opening up a world of myriad creative possibilities I hadn’t fully grasped before.
While certain stones come in and out of fashion – for recent years, our feeds have been awash with Calacatta Viola and Arabescato – there is enormous opportunity to create something deeply personal and unique.
The challenge, of course, is narrowing it down. Those stoneyards are vast, and the overwhelm is real.
Anna’s advice was simple but game changing: 'Bespoke design starts with understanding the material first, not forcing an idea onto it'.
So I kept my initial concept loose and let Everything take over; when I found my stones, I knew instantly.
I’ve got a lot of exciting things to share with you as the renovation takes shape, but for this issue, it’s all about the entry hallway; in particular, the bespoke marble chequerboard floor. Swoon.
My hallway of dreams
The hallway in progress
The hallway is the heart of the home connecting every other room, so visual and emotional coherence here felt essential.
The marble chequerboard floor was a deliberate design decision to bring together the colour and material language through the apartment, whilst creating an impactful and unique first impression the instant you walk through the door – also leading your eye to the tripartite windows and onto the garden.
Because it’s a relatively small area, the chequerboard design also meant we could be smart in two key respects. By using leftover stone from the kitchen, alongside studio offcuts from The Stone Man, we are creating something bespoke, beautiful and genuinely sustainable and, crucially, affordable.
This is the high–low mix done perfectly – a considered investment that honours the quality and longevity the property deserves, all achieved on budget.
We are primarily using Rosso Levanto and Antico off-cuts from the kitchen, paired back with Carrara to echo the living room fireplace. Additional complementary tones will tie back to the wider apartment concept, alongside a warm wall colour and potentially a contrasting ceiling to showcase the incredible original architrave.
Top tips for creating a marble chequerboard hallway
A Chat GPT render of the hallway design concept
If you’re considering a marble hallway of your own, here are some brilliant pieces of advice from Anna at The StoneMan:
Why is marble such a great choice for hallways?
'From a masonry point of view, there’s a good reason marble has been used in entrances and circulation spaces for centuries. Properly selected and correctly laid, it’s a very dense, hard wearing stone. Hallways take a lot of punishment – grit from shoes, footfall, temperature changes – and marble copes well with that, provided it’s installed on a solid substrate and finished properly.
Finish is key. Highly polished marble can be slippery in an entrance, especially in the British climate, so we usually recommend honed finishes for hallways. They’re matt in appearance and offer better grip.
A honed or lightly polished marble will wear gracefully over time, developing a natural patina that adds character. Unlike softer stones, it doesn’t crumble at the edges, which is particularly important in chequerboard layouts where precision matters.'
What about sustainability and durability, for a checkerboard design in particular?
'Firstly, marble is not a “fit and forget” material. It will mark, and that’s part of its charm, but it does need sealing and sensible maintenance. If you’re expecting it to behave like porcelain, you’ll be disappointed. Marble is authentic and has more character than porcelain.
In stone masonry, waste is often a matter of design, not material. Many workshops have high quality offcuts left over from larger projects – perfectly good marble that simply didn’t fit the original brief.
Chequerboard floors are ideal for this because they use repeated square formats. By designing around available sizes and colours, we can create something beautiful, while significantly reducing waste and transport emissions. It’s a very honest, traditional way of working.'
Rosso Levanto and Antico marble on display at Develli
What are the key design considerations when creating your scheme?
'Chequerboard floors are deceptively simple. Success lies in accuracy and balance. Tile size, joint width, stone thickness and calibration all need to be planned together.
It works best when the layout is centred properly in the space, not just aligned to walls, which are often unusual proportions in period properties. We set out from the visual centre or main sightline, so the pattern feels intentional rather than forced.
Colour choice isn’t just aesthetic, it’s architectural. Classic combinations like black and white work because they sit comfortably with most materials and lighting conditions. However, softer contrasts (such as creams, greys, warm limestones paired with darker marbles) can feel more relaxed in domestic settings.
We often suggest repeating one tone elsewhere, perhaps in thresholds, fireplaces, or vanity tops, so the stone feels part of a wider language rather than an isolated feature.
Scale is also critical. Large tiles can overwhelm small spaces; small tiles in a grand entrance can look busy. As a rule, the tile size should relate to the width of the space and ceiling height.
Proportionally, chequerboard works best when cuts at the edges are generous – slivers at walls suggest poor planning.
Underfloor heating, moisture management, and proper thresholds must also be addressed early. Shortcuts here often lead to cracked tiles and failed floors later.
It’s always worth investing time and money in detailed plans to bring to any meetings or discussions with our design team, so the finished results feel intentional, not improvised.'
How do you care for marble long-term?
'We always seal marble in the workshop and then again on installation. Sealing effectively gives you more time to manage stain prevention and clear up any muddy footprints or water rings.
We would recommend resealing every 2-3 years; we can do this or recommend products for you to use at home yourself.
Absolutely avoid any citrus fruits, or cleaners with citrus in them, and don’t use any abrasive cloths or products. Use warm water with a natural soap to clean when required.'
Don’t lose your marbles
Hopefully this gives you a useful shortcut into the wide, wonderful world of marble and natural stone.
My key takeaway is this; as with so much on a renovation, decision-fatigue, time and budget pressures can take over and it’s easy to fall into choices without properly understanding the options available.
Sure, you will likely end up with a nice design, but with a little more research and advice, that design could be extraordinary.
Find your experts. Take time to do the work.
Make considered decisions and invest wisely as far as possible in long-lasting materials that respect the building, support sustainability and stand the test of time.
But above all, remember this: trust your Everything feeling to guide you if you get lost - especially with something as special as marble.
Stay tuned for more marble magic coming soon, as I reveal the finished hallway and also talk about the living room threshold, and, of course, the kitchen….
