Natural stone appears most often in our collection in two types: travertine and marble. They share the same warm undertone and each does something different with a space.
This article helps you choose. You will read where each type of stone comes from, how it behaves in your interior, and how to keep it beautiful for years.
Travertine: the holes are part of it
Travertine is a limestone that forms around warm, mineral-rich springs. During this formation, gas escapes from the stone, leaving small cavities. These holes are the signature of travertine.
It is one of the oldest building materials we know. The Colosseum in Rome is largely built from it and still stands two thousand years later. That gives you an idea of how long such a slab lasts.
Some slabs are filled and polished, making the surface feel smooth. Others remain open, so you can see and feel the structure under your hand. Both are equally authentic.
The color ranges from creamy white to warm beige and nut brown, often with light bands running across the slab. Place two slabs next to each other and you will see a difference in pattern and shade. That is part of natural stone and is exactly why it is so alive.
With us, you will see travertine in side tables and coffee tables, in cake platters and candlesticks, and even in a table lamp.
Travertine suits you if you are looking for warmth in stone and like a textured surface.
View the travertine collection
Marble: every vein is the design
Marble is formed when limestone deep in the earth changes under high pressure and heat. The veins you see are minerals that were pulled along during that process. That is why every slab has its own pattern and you always get a unique piece with a marble table.
The colors vary widely. Bright white with fine gray veins gives a cool, classic look. Warm beige with a brown pattern suits a natural interior. Deep brown marble with light veins immediately makes a tabletop a real eye-catcher.
Marble feels cool and has a dense, smooth structure. Under a lamp or in the afternoon sun, it gives a soft shine that lifts the entire corner.
The Bregt coffee tables by PTMD have been our best-selling marble furniture for a while. In a smaller format, the marble trays, serving boards, and coasters by J-Line work on the same principle: one slab of natural stone that immediately completes a space.
Marble suits you if you like a refined look and want a slab that catches a different light every day.
View the coffee tables · View the trays
How travertine and marble differ
Both are limestone, both are warm in tone. Four things determine which of the two suits you.
- Texture. Travertine has open pores that you feel under your fingers. Marble is smooth and cool to the touch.
- Color range. Travertine stays close to beige and nut brown. Marble ranges from bright white to deep brown, with veins that bring contrast.
- Presence. Travertine keeps a space calm and even. Marble draws attention to itself and works as a focal point.
- Maintenance. The rules are the same. Travertine requires sealing a bit more often, because the open structure absorbs faster.
Both are available in every size, from a candlestick on the windowsill to a two-and-a-half-meter dining table.
What natural stone does with light and sound
Stone changes a room in two ways at once. You notice it as soon as the slab is in place.
Travertine has an open structure where light lands softly. The surface scatters the light, giving a calm and even image. In a light room, travertine remains modest, and in a dark room, it gives warmth back.
Marble is denser and smoother. It catches light and passes it on, bringing depth to a dark corner. A marble slab under a pendant lamp does the most work there.
Both also make a space brighter in sound, because hard surfaces reflect sound. A rug, curtains, a throw, or a few cushions bring that back into balance.
The maintenance of travertine and marble
Travertine and marble both consist largely of lime. Acid, such as lemon, vinegar, or wine, reacts with it and leaves a dull spot. Therefore, wipe up spilled liquid immediately with a damp cloth and clean the slab further with lukewarm water or a pH-neutral soap.
A natural stone sealer closes the pores and keeps stains on the surface. For travertine, that is extra useful. Repeat it once every year or two, depending on how intensively you use the table.
Coasters do more work here than you would think. A marble or travertine coaster under your glass protects the slab and, moreover, matches the table exactly.
Place a slab next to it out of the full afternoon sun. Natural stone keeps its shade even the longest in filtered light.
Combining with wood, linen, and rattan
Natural stone comes to its best right next to a soft material. Warm wood is the permanent partner for that: a mango wood cabinet next to a travertine coffee table, or a wooden side table next to a marble slab.
Repetition makes it calm. If travertine or marble appears two or three times in the same room, it reads as a choice. One travertine side table next to a travertine candlestick on the windowsill is enough.
Color is the connector. Travertine, warm marble, and mango wood share the same beige and brown undertone, which makes them naturally fit together. Add a detail in black or copper and the whole gets direction.
View the side tables · View Starfurn
Look for yourself
Take the type of stone you want to touch most often. With travertine you feel the structure under your fingers, with marble the cool smoothness. That is usually the most honest gauge.
View the travertine collection at Living Lovely
Are you unsure which type of stone suits your space or a piece of furniture you already have standing? Feel free to send us a message with a photo, then we will think along with you.