Semi-precious stones, like Malachite and Agate, are a recurring theme throughout my designs. I love their crystalline beauty and the organic, unusual rawness they bring to interiors and product alike. A favourite recent detail has been the recessing of a large slice of agate into a dining table top. When surrounded with a starburst of painstakingly crafted, brass inlay, the effect is quite striking. In this Mayfair dining room, we were able to draw the blue-grey tones, occurring naturally within this piece of agate, into the fireplace marble, as well as in the flowers found in the hand-painted wallpaper. This is the beauty of natural finishes; it is not prescribed and can lead the entire interior design in a new and original direction.
This detail shot beautifully illustrates the combination of rough-edged agate with a smooth glossy finish to the impressive table top. Here, one of my absolute favourite joiners, Halstock, meticulously crafted a show-stopping dining table top out of rippled walnut, antiqued brass, resin and a recessed slab of agate to its centre. This kind of intricate joinery work, with such precise joins, has to be undertaken by an experienced team of craftsmen in order to be executed successfully.
The white agate and bronze branch sculpture from my own boutique shows how agate, marble and polished metal combine to create a truly exquisite, one-of-a-kind, sculpture. The white agate catches the eye beautifully, whilst the bronze branch adds sculptural strength and structure.
Semi-precious stones are a particularly luxurious addition to feature joinery pieces like drinks cabinets, bars and joinery walls. For this bespoke bar in London’s Notting Hill, the vivid green of the malachite-clad bar was a memorable addition to the client’s Games room. Created by the fabulous Interior ID, using figured eucalyptus with verse Indio stone, brass, malachite and leather inlays, this is the definition of a truly “wow” piece.
My malachite and Shagreen photograph frames, show how a little of one of these highly impactful finishes goes a long way. The emerald green of the shagreen, when combined with malachite and 24K gold, is simply enchanting. These photograph frames look particularly beautiful on a desk or dressing table; their vivid colour gives importance to a particular photograph of a loved one.
