Consult a Latin dictionary and you’ll find that the word ‘lapicida’ translates as ‘stone cutter’ or ‘quarryman’. this was exactly what Jason Cherrington did 30 years ago when he found himself at a roofing-slate quarry in China and had an idea. ‘My father used to deal in second-hand building materials, mainly roofing slates, and demand was outweighing supply, so he asked me to look for a new source. I found a geological map of the world in the Leeds library, which showed there was a belt of Cambrian strata running through the middle of China, and off I went.’
When he noticed that part of the extraction process produced a pretty iron-ore stained slate that could work well as a flooring tile, Jason contacted Nicholas Kneale, who was in the early days of setting up Fired Earth, and a few other tile showrooms to see if they thought that the market would bite. Lapicida was born.
Today, the company sources stone, mainly marble, from all corners of the Earth, including Brazil, namibia, India and Israel, and the range has widened from floors and wall tiles to sinks, opulent baths in limestone, Carrara-marble refectory tables and decorative items, all of which are machine-carved and hand-finished by stone masons in the company’s high-tech Harrogate workshop.
Lapicida’s two main showrooms in London and new York, both opened within the past five years, have helped to shift the business into the world of design—along the road demystifying the possibilities of stone. ‘People are fearful of stone,’ adds the company’s CEo, Xenia Carr-Griffiths. ‘It feels permanent and requires an investment, but it’s wonderfully tactile, incredibly beautiful and, today, we have the capability to make extraordinary pieces.’
For more information telephone 020–3012 1000 or visit www.lapicida.com
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