The furniture industry has a complicated relationship with natural materials. They're celebrated in marketing — "solid wood," "genuine leather," "natural stone" — and often poorly understood in specification. A buyer is told they're getting travertine but not told which travertine, from which quarry, in which finish. The variation within a single material category is enormous.
We believe in transparency. Here's exactly what goes into the Italian Collection.
Travertine
Our travertine comes from quarries in Tivoli, Italy — the same region that supplied stone for the Colosseum. It is not filled travertine (a common cost-saving measure in which the natural voids are packed with resin). Our travertine is unfilled, meaning the characteristic honeycomb pores are left open. This requires more careful finishing and sealing, but preserves the material's geological honesty.
We offer travertine in two finishes: honed (matte, slightly rough, warm) and polished (high sheen, dramatic veining). Honed is more forgiving in daily use. Polished is a statement. Both are sealed before shipping and should be resealed annually with a pH-neutral stone sealer.
Ceppo di Gré
Less famous than travertine but arguably more beautiful, Ceppo di Gré is a conglomerate stone from the Bergamo region of Lombardy. Its surface contains fossil shells and river stones pressed into limestone over millions of years — a texture that reads as ancient and contemporary at the same time. We use it for the Ceppo Tondo and Ceppo Quadro coffee tables, where its irregular grain creates surfaces that look different from every angle.
Travertine vs. Marble vs. Ceppo di Gré: Which Stone Should You Choose?
The most common question we get from designers and DTC customers alike: which stone is right for my space? The honest answer is that each does something different.
Travertine is warm, porous, and forgiving. The honeycomb texture catches light at oblique angles and softens a room. It's the right choice for living rooms with natural light, eat-in spaces, and anywhere you want stone that feels lived-in from day one. Slightly more maintenance than marble — needs sealing.
Marble (we offer it on select pieces in the TPR Collection) is colder, harder, and more dramatic. The veining is a focal point. Best for formal living rooms or as a single statement piece. More fragile than travertine — etches with citrus and red wine.
Ceppo di Gré is the most distinctive of the three. The fossil texture is a conversation piece. Best for design-forward rooms where you want the coffee table to be a sculpture, not a backdrop. Surprisingly durable — denser than travertine.
For our patchwork stone tables, see the Strata Classica series — same material vocabulary, very different design language.
Solid White Oak
American white oak is our primary hardwood. It is quarter-sawn for dimensional stability — a milling technique that minimizes seasonal movement by orienting the grain to run perpendicular to the face. This matters in the Carolinas, where humidity swings between 35% in winter and 75% in summer. Quarter-sawn oak doesn't cup, bow, or split the way flat-sawn stock does.
We finish in two options: natural linseed oil (which deepens the grain and darkens slightly over time) and a smoked treatment (which accelerates the darkening that would naturally occur over decades, giving immediate depth). Both finishes are food-safe and can be renewed at home.
Living With Natural Materials
The most common question we receive: will it scratch? Yes. Will it stain? Possibly, if you don't seal and care for it. Will it look worse over time? No. A properly cared-for piece of travertine or oak develops a patina — a record of its life in your home — that manufactured materials can't replicate. The scratches are part of the story. The sealing is part of the maintenance. The material is part of the commitment.
We include care guides with every piece in the Italian Collection. We're also available by email for care questions at any time.
