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The best of British: How home-grown stone will be one of the stars on the Country Life stand at the Chelsea Flower Show
Country Life's stand at RHS Chelsea will celebrate the beauty of Artorius Faber’s home-grown stone.
The obelisks carved from Cloam English agglomerate.
When Country Life invited the architect George Saumarez Smith to create a Garden Lover’s Library at next week’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show, the first port of call was Artorius Faber, the specialist in stone from all over the British Isles.
Working with Mr Saumarez Smith’s drawings, Artorius Faber’s highly skilled team has created a Palladian-inspired fireplace hewn from a mid-grey Morley English limestone, and a floor that combines hexagons of hard blue-black Crawford British limestone from southern Ireland.
The latter are interspersed with triangles of grey-cream Taddington English limestone from Derbyshire, creating a star effect that evokes the drama of an 18th-century hallway.
In addition, there is a pair of obelisks made in striking Cloam English agglomerate that naturally combines a variety of stones.
As well as demonstrating the infinite possibilities of working with British stone to elevate projects with a timeless, sympathetic look, these pieces offer an insight into the depth and breadth of the skills Artorius Faber offers.
Based in Somerset, the company has collaborated with Adam Architecture, the practice of which Mr Saumarez Smith is a director, on both the restoration and construction of several high-profile projects, bringing both old and new buildings to life.
See artoriusfaber.com to find out more.
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The art of the hand: George Saumarez Smith's design for Country Life at ChelseaGeorge Saumarez Smith will demonstrate the power of pen and pencil when Country Life unveils his hand-drawn design for its stand at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
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The art of the hand: George Saumarez Smith's design for Country Life at Chelsea
George Saumarez Smith will demonstrate the power of pen and pencil when Country Life unveils his hand-drawn design for its stand at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
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George Saumarez Smith: ‘My sketchbooks are full of measured drawings of buildings from all over the world’The architect talks to Lotte Brundle about the death of his brother, designing the Country Life stand for RHS Chelsea Flower Show, and his Consuming Passions.
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Timeless, sustainable, and with understated style: Why go to Carrara when you can shop British stone?The time for pearly white surfaces is over, let’s make room for more interesting home-grown limestones in pinks, browns and greys, says Arabella Youens.
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'There is much to be said for decorating slowly and allowing layers to build up gradually': Country Life's Chelsea Flower Show stand designer opens the doors to his own Winchester homeThe architect George Saumarez Smith describes how he created a home by slow evolution, rather than revolution
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'I am destined to a life surrounded by books with never quite enough shelves': George Saumarez Smith on his design for Country Life’s stand at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower ShowGeorge Saumarez Smith’s design draws on his passions for architecture, drawing, books, and his fiancée Jane Kennerley’s love of plants.
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