A
s building materials go, there’s none quite so luxurious as marble — conjuring visions of Greco-Roman temples and the stately grandeur of the Taj Mahal. However, there’s another technique that exploits the sheen and durability of marble — without the colossal weight. Marmorino Venetian plaster is an ancient technique that combines slaked lime and marble dust (the marmorino of the name) for a polished, breathable, timeless finish.
Perucchetti Studio introduced this type of plaster to the UK in 1970 and since then the company’s work has featured everywhere from Chelsea dining institution Daphne’s and the Pall Mall home of Berry Bros & Rudd wine merchants to London City Airport and the Royal Academy, as well as residential projects in homes, castles and palaces from Perth in Australia to Mumbai including Ardross Castle in Inverness-shire, Mayfair House and many properties whose owners closely guard their anonymity.
In use since the Greco-Roman and Byzantine periods, the technique that came to be called marmorino found new life in Renaissance Venice, through Venice’s trade with the East. It is applied to a surface — except some metals and glass — in thin, multiple layers using a steel trowel or spatula. Each layer is smoothed and burnished, creating a polished, marble-like finish with subtle depth and texture. Despite its Venetian roots, Perucchetti’s headquarters are in London.
