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Homegrown heroes: The British stone from Artorius Faber which transformed Country Life's RHS Chelsea Flower Show stand
George Saumarez Smith’s design for the floor of Country Life's stand at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show has been brought to life by Artorius Faber.
When the architect George Saumarez Smith designed the Garden Lover’s Library at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show, he enlisted the help of Artorius Faber, the West Country specialist in British stone, to bring it to life.
Inspired by an early-Georgian hallway, Mr Saumarez Smith designed a striking-looking floor in stones that were sourced exclusively from the British Isles, including a blue-black Crawford limestone from southern Ireland, interspersed with triangles of grey-cream Taddington limestone from Derbyshire.
George Saumarez Smith’s plans of the Palladian-style fireplace were followed precisely by Artorius Faber’s stonemasons.
The result was a geometric pattern that added significant glamour to the overall design.
The obelisk design was enhanced by the mix of stones in Cloam agglomerate.
The Palladian-style fireplace is hewn in a beautiful, fossil-rich mid-grey Morley limestone carved by Artorius Faber’s team of highly skilled stonemasons at the com- pany’s workshops in Yeovil, Somerset.
Complementing it is a pair of obelisks made in Cloam agglomerate, an eclectic mix of stones formed naturally together. In the Georgian era, obelisks were a popular device employed in both the interior and exterior of a house to create a focal point and a sense of symmetry. Here, it demonstrates the possibilities of stone that is as beautiful as it is rare.
This is the second year that Artorius Faber has collaborated on Country Life's stand at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The company has built a reputation for sourcing stone — much of it from its own quarries — and crafting it into floor- ing, paving and inter- nal architecture.
Once again, Artorius Faber has offered an opportunity to demonstrate not just its depth and breadth of experience and knowledge, but also the possibilities of Britain’s own indigenous stones that create timelessness and a distinctive sense of place. It is one of the greatest investments that can be made in a house, both new and old.
Visit www.artoriusfaber.com to find out more.
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