Natural stone has been a highly prized material in art, construction, and interior design since ancient times. For example, Michelangelo used to personally select the blocks of Carrara marble that he was going to use for his sculptures, including for La Pietà and David. Specifically, the prestigious Carrara marble comes from northern Tuscany, Italy, in the Apuan Alps region. Here there are several quarries that extract the prized white Carrara marble, synonymous of quality and luxury. Do you want to find out more about Carrara marble, its elements, its uses in architecture and interior design, a couple of interesting facts, and how its cared for? Well, keep on reading, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about this special stone.

A stone full of tone

In general terms, marble is a metamorphic rock mainly comprising of calcium carbonate - which gives it its white colour. Carrara is no exception to this, with its different tones coming from the other elements found in the stone such as magnesium silicate, mica, quartz, chlorites and iron oxide…  These are what make the Carrara marble colour change from white to pearl white and also commonly cause fine grey grains to appear (also sometimes appearing to be blueish-grey). White Carrara marble has fine grains and a sandy appearance. In terms of its hardness, it is around 3 to 4 on the Mohs scale. 

There are three varieties of white Carrara marble, each with differing base colour tones: one is intensely white with light grains that are barely noticeable; another has an off-white base tone, and the final one has a darker base tone, which is a shade of greyish pearl white. The quarries currently in operation and extracting this marble are located in three locations: Colonnata, Ravaccione and Fantiscritti. Marble extraction in this part of the Italian Apuan Alps dates back to ancient times, and nowadays the stone is cut using a diamond wire, meaning that each piece is unique and one-off, as nature intended.

Uses of Carrara marble

White Carrara marble is the ideal material for homes, offices, and shopping centres thanks to its splendour, durability, and elegance. This specific variety is mainly used to clad walls, for flooring, kitchen worktops, bathrooms, kitchen splashbacks, stairs, and fireplaces. It can be used both indoors and outdoors, for example, as a façade. Anything else? Of course! It can also be used for tabletops, (dining tables or side tables), sideboards, sofa legs, or entire pieces of furniture, like tables. Carrara marble is undoubtedly on trend in the 21st Century and is used for a range of different spectacular furniture designs, adding a touch of sophistication and style. We can even find it in light fittings and design accessories, like trays. 

It is sold in many different shapes, sizes and thicknesses with the most common finish being polished. A polished finish reflects the light and catches the eye to create magnificent spaces full of personality and character. However, be careful not to use polished marble for flooring, as it can be very slippery. Carrara is a stone that can also be used with other finishes such as honed, distressed, or sandblasted, to name but a few.

Cleaning and maintenance of white Carrara marble

White Carrara marble has some excellent features, it is a noble material that is resistant and pleasing to the eye, but it is also a porous material meaning that the right products need to be used when caring for it. For example, it is susceptible to acids. Overall, it can be easily wiped clean with warm water, or a soapy solution prepared with a neutral soap. To get the most out of its natural shine, we recommend applying a special marble wax once in a while. If over time, scratches or scrapes appear, the best solution is to polish these out. Here’s a fact for you, the word marble comes from the Latin word marmor, which originally meant a stone that could be polished.

If you are going to use white Carrara marble in areas that are exposed to water, such as the shower or a kitchen worktop, the stone must be treated with a special resin based sealant, to maintain the marble in the best possible condition.

Do you want to discover an alternative that looks the same but has even better features? Take a look at the Opera and Aura 15 models from the Dekton Natural Range. They are exact replicas of this beautiful material. Dekton is a newly developed material that offers maximum resistance, be it against scratches, scrapes, heat, or stains, making it the ideal choice when it comes to hygiene and cleaning.

White Carrara marble or replica materials can add so much to any architectural or interior design. They help to create grand and refined spaces through their aesthetics, with their simple grey grains creating more depth for the white surface. The results are impressive light and spacious rooms.

The wonderful aesthetic, physical and mechanical properties of Carrara marble mean that, as the centuries go by, it is still in high demand and is used the world over. It can be easily combined with any material and is highly versatile, as it can be used in contemporary, classical, or even more industrial designs.