An undisputed maestro of marble, purveyor Karen Pearse set her path in stone at an early age. Her father worked in the industry, her mother was a writer and a photographer, and her grandfather was a painter—all three contributed to her fascination with the material and the ability to see it from an artist’s perspective. “My early interest in marble led me to Italy, where I spent several years visiting quarries, meeting with quarry owners, and visiting their factories, not to mention the museums. I learned everything I could about marble,” says Pearse.

She founded her eponymous brand in 1981, spending years working closely with some of the world’s top design talents. Pearse sees plenty of marble ingenuity on a regular basis—and she continues to be impressed by new developments daily—but she doesn’t believe that the material’s full potential is largely recognized by the general public. “Marble has been one of the most sought-after materials for centuries, but many people only think of it in a very traditional sense. While there is great beauty in this, that is only one aspect of it,” she says. “I have seen a tremendous renaissance in recent years, with new quarries being discovered around the world and new ways of fabricating and finishing the stone being developed every day.”

Pearse has decided to share her perspective on marble with the public through her new book, Splendor of Marble: Marvelous Spaces by the World’s Top Architects and Designers ($75, Rizzoli). In it, she explores some of the most innovative examples of marble in private homes, public spaces, and even furniture collections that have gone far above and beyond the traditional uses of the material. “The Haas brothers, for example, really surprised me,” she says. “Their work, Bathy Bates, is a whimsical reimagined bathtub carved from a single eight-foot block of Pele de Tigre marble from Portugal. Like Michelangelo, they have an intuitive understanding of the marble and what it can become.”

The book shows not only the vast range of uses of marble, but also its variety of colors and patterns, bringing the public’s attention to the diversity of the material. “I am so grateful to all of the talented architects and interior designers who contributed to this book. Their spaces and uses of marble are wonderfully diverse,” says Pearse. “I hope that everyone who reads this book will be inspired by these incredible spaces to incorporate marble in artful and creative ways in their own homes.”

Discover 10 projects featured in the book below.

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

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