Marble, the necessary steps for the “open book” effect
How to design an “open book” process?
We have already talked here about the beauty of the so-called open book processing and the graphic effects that the marble veins offer to interior designers to create the famous “mirroring effect” of this unique marble processing. But what does it actually mean to design a marble cladding or top using the open book technique?
The golden rules
We asked Eleonora Panzeri, designer from the Technical Department of Seveso Marmi, an artisan company that has been operating in the natural stone processing sector for over 50 years and that knows the art of marble transformation. Eleonora confirmed to us that the open book is a very precise and delicate process, which makes use of many “golden rules”, matured over years of experience, and which requires the utmost precision and attention to every little detail.
Being familiar with the material
An important step is the choice of colour, in the large range of veins and palettes that marble can offer us. There are materials that have a very beautiful result, and that are often used in the furnishing of classy shops and stores, such as the Etruscan Nuvolato which guarantees suggestive open book effects, or the Sahara noir, a marble with less veining marked, but which offers a variety of graphically very interesting patterns. Fortunately, the final graphic rendering can be optimal even if the marble veins are not particularly marked!
The steps of the design
The first step – Eleonora Panzeri explains to us – is the choice of the material: you must first choose the most suitable block of marble for the project. To facilitate the selection process, we work on the computer with the photos of the slabs to develop the open book effect, in order to try to understand from the beginning the effect it will have after processing. Then the architect prepares a rendering to show the possible final result. It is at this point that the actual processing can begin, with the thousand surprises that only Nature and the veins of a natural stone can offer! The larger the area of the slab dedicated to the open book, the more likely it is that the design will change into fantastic and unique patterns … and this is, perhaps, the great beauty of designing and processing marble!
Where it gives its best
The open book processing gives its best in wide-ranging “vertical” coverings, such as the walls of shops or bathrooms and kitchens, precisely because its aesthetic and artistic rendering is enhanced in the size of the surfaces, where the decorative elements can express themselves to the fullest. But also a kitchen top or a top for a designer table can have their charm. Obviously the typology of the possible designs can be infinite: already using four slabs (which are the starting point for a cladding) we can have a large amount of designs and fantasies. Two slabs are enough for a top or a table top and therefore also the open book effect will be resized in relation to the surface.
Contact us and choose your slab
Are you fascinated by the effect of the open book marble processing? Would you like to know more? Our consultants are at your disposal and will be happy to help you in choosing the slab, veins and colours you are looking for for your furniture!
