Every material arrives with a voice. Oak is warm and slightly informal. Limestone is cool and patient. Lime plaster is soft, and it takes light in a way paint never does.

Choosing a palette

We usually limit a room to three materials: one for the surfaces you touch, one for the surfaces you see, and one that is allowed to surprise. More than that and the room starts to argue with itself.

The detail where two materials meet tells you most about the care behind a space. A shadow gap, a brass strip, a simple change of level: each is a small sentence in the same language.

Three materials, one conversation.